The Money Mustache Community

General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: Mrs MM on February 17, 2012, 09:16:36 AM

Title: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs MM on February 17, 2012, 09:16:36 AM
Hi everyone,

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

I'll go first.

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

Who's next?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mike Key on February 17, 2012, 10:01:51 AM
Hi, I'm Mike.

I climb things.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: velocistar237 on February 17, 2012, 10:06:51 AM
Hi, I came over from Jacob's blog a few months before the torch passing. Turns out I am more like MMM than ERE. My wife and I have two kids, ages 3 and 1. I live in the Boston area. I'm about 10 years from retirement, so it's good that I generally like my job designing spaceships.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: adam on February 17, 2012, 11:48:38 AM
Hi.

I'm Adam, and I'm in debt up to my eyeballs.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Guitarist on February 17, 2012, 01:51:27 PM
Hi, I'm Peter.
I like to create waves.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr Mark on February 18, 2012, 05:12:26 PM
I'm Mark, and I figure I'm about 2 years away from FI so I can 'retire' at 50. Looking to manage the transition and study how to best acheive it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Grigory on February 18, 2012, 05:41:47 PM
Hi, I'm Grigory. (Kudos if you know how to pronounce it haha) Found MMM's blog after his guest post on ERE and have been an avid reader ever since. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GG on February 18, 2012, 06:13:50 PM
Hi!  I am GG.  Reached FI last year retired for a while  and now I am enhancing the 'stache!  Married, 4 kids, 2 grandkids.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mugwump on February 19, 2012, 09:47:53 AM
Hi, I am Milly. I also found MMM from GRS and feel it is a better fit for me. I did a hybrid early/part-time work retirement at 55, and have been enjoying life ever since. I live in CO not far from Longmont, and it's great to see a blog from someone close to home.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dang on February 19, 2012, 09:50:20 AM
Hi, I'm Dan.  I'm years from FI, although much closer than before I found MMM.  Hopefully, I'm in the middle of a life changing experience.

I'm married, and have 3 kids.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Melissa on February 19, 2012, 10:27:50 AM
Dang, I would love to know more about your plans.  I have had people tell me that there is no way to achieve FI with three children.  How old are you kids now and how old will tney be when you reach your goal?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Melissa on February 19, 2012, 10:31:19 AM
I guess I should have introduced myself first. My name is Melissa and I am 37 years old.  I live in Ohio with my husband and three children.  We have a 9 year plan to reach FI, but I think with the help of MMM and this community we will hit that even sooner.

Thanks for getting this set up Mrs MM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Welmoed on February 19, 2012, 10:40:32 AM
Hi; I'm Welmoed (pronounced "VEL-moot". I live in Maryland with my husband; our two kids are almost grown (one out of college, one senior in college). Our financial picture used to be quite rosy but changed suddenly and drastically about ten years ago and we're still trying to recover from it. We're not in debt (that is, our obligations are less than our assets, but just barely), but need to stop the financial hemmorrhage that's still going on. I have a "money demon" that causes huge anxiety when bills come in; there's always the fear that there won't be enough to pay them. I need to make peace with my finances and hope to find some answers here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Landor n Stella on February 19, 2012, 08:50:40 PM
Hi, "we" are Landor and Stella, although usually it's just Stella that posts...

We're married, 2 dogs, debt load over 55k, living in the middle of Indiana. Goals include reducing debt to ZERO and then working to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Erin on February 20, 2012, 06:47:10 AM
Hi - I'm Erin. Just turned 30 - married - no kids - 3 adult step kids - future kids questionable. 10 year goal to FI so I can enjoy "retirement" with my much older manfriend. Currently paying off manfriend debt & attempting to learn to "invest".
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: October on February 20, 2012, 07:00:50 AM
Hi, I'm October.

My partner and I found MMM this year and are working to pay off our loans by December and be completely debt-free by April of 2013.  Then we'll be concentrating on getting our finances together enough to be able to move from cold and snowy Michigan to sunny and warm New Mexico.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Scoot on February 20, 2012, 07:55:16 AM
Hello. My name is Scoot and I am a recovering retail addict.

26, single, female, Chicago, office drone. Developed horrible spending habits in my teens, realized the error of my ways about two years ago. Paid off all my debt, but still have an absolutely disgusting credit score that will take ages to repair. Addictions include fast food / restaurant food, Target, and travel (especially to the San Juan Islands for kayaking and whale watching). But I'm saving approximately 70% of my take-home pay nowadays so I'm not doing so terribly - my money mustache is growing fast.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mercutio on February 20, 2012, 10:10:00 AM
hi, I'm Albert. I started reading MMM after hearing about it on ERE. I'm 24, fresh out of college, working, and contemplating a career in medicine. But I've always been interested in being financially independent, so now I'm reconciling whether I should just work and save or go back to school and tack on more debt to work in a profession that I have a passion for (and save more, after I get start working). I've decided against medical school as that is not the lifestyle (debt, lack of free time for family and friends), and am currently considering nursing, physical therapy, or physician assistant programs.

Thanks for making this forum and all the informative blog posts, Mr. and Mrs. MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: boy_bye on February 20, 2012, 10:27:29 AM
hey y'all! my name is madge and i live in pittsburgh where i'm hustling to grow my business, working a day job, and caring for my elderly grandma. i have very little time outside of those 3 pursuits but that's OK for now!

i still have some student loan debt but have dug out of everything else ... right now i'm just in financial flux, trying to stash away as much cash as i can to buy time to get my business to the point where it can pay my bills. that's the first milestone!

thanks for putting these forums up, mrs. mm! really enjoying them so far.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Two9A on February 20, 2012, 11:36:08 AM
Hi, I'm Imran and I have the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Perhaps not the whole world, but three houses' worth; currently just under £242k. The long-term plan, as with most of us here, is to pay that down a good while before it comes due, and then start building to FI. It could take a while, though...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rich M on February 20, 2012, 07:56:06 PM
I'm Rich,   <---that's my name.

I am retarded,

I mean retired.

I actually I'm not retired....I love my job.  But I want to see other views people have on what money means to them and what their goals are.

I live in Boulder, Colorado, Ride a Bike but live a modest lifestyle that many Boulder folks, as eco as they claim to be, don't seem to do.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dinko628 on February 21, 2012, 12:49:20 AM
Hi all. Name's Brad (or dinko, for forum's sakes).

I graduated from college in May 2011 and was promptly greeted with ~$100k in loan debt. Hurrah! Luckily, I majored in Computer Science so I make a healthy salary, but I'm still working on eschewing some stupid decisions (e.g. a $32k sports car that I'm trying to sell, a stupid amount of credit card debt, posh and luxurious spending habits, etc.).

Finding the MMM blog has been a godsend - I know/knew pretty much nothing about personal finances, and I've never heard someone put it so obviously and matter-of-factly. I tell everyone I know about MMM.

I'll have a post in the Ask a Mustachian soon with some more details about my situation and what I can do to help. I sent MMM an email after discovering the blog back in late January, so it's all written up already. Can't wait to connect with other mustachians :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsLogica on February 21, 2012, 02:13:26 AM
Hi!  I'm Millie.  I am 24 (for a few more weeks) and I live in the UK.

I don't have any debts (apart from student loans, but they're run differently over here to how they are in the U.S.) so I'm just looking build my capital and reach FI.  I've been reading FI blogs for a year now, and MMM is my favourite :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mike Key on February 21, 2012, 04:47:06 AM
Welcome to the forums everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chrissyo on February 21, 2012, 11:10:03 AM
Hi! I'm Chrissy. I found MMM last year when he published a guest post on ERE (which I found through GRS). I really love the blog, because MMM writes in such a no-nonsense way.

I currently live in the UK with my husband, Mark, and will be relocating to the US this year. We are debt-free, but feel like we have a lot of room for stache growth before reaching FI.  Our combination of financial planning and luck has put us pretty far ahead of most of our peers, but I find the badassity of MMM and other Mustachians inspiring. It makes me question my own financial decisions more than I ever have before, and also often makes me think about things in a new way. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: td on February 21, 2012, 12:01:01 PM
I'm td. I'm 21, working on graduating college so I can start building my 'stache.
I have zero debt and about 1.5 years of living expenses.

My goal is to own (i.e. no mortgage) my first property at 25, and completely financially independent by 30.
Other things I dream of are owning a franchise, owning an apartment complex, taking a trip to space, inventing something useful, building my own house (i.e. pulling out the hammers and saws, not hiring contractors. Never understood why people refer to that as building their own house) I may get married after I achieve the above.

I hope to glean lots of info and motivation from the forums, like I already have from the blog.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Freedom2016 on February 21, 2012, 03:52:52 PM
Hi, I'm Stacy. Just found MMM after several weeks of combing personal finance & frugality blogs. I'm 38, married, and we're expecting kid #1 in two months. H and I have a long way to go to be worthy Mustachians (we've done okay in getting down to "good debt" only but we've frittered away a lot of cash on thoughtless consumerism). We've never considered the possibility of being FI before the usual retirement age, but it excites me! Looking forward to learning from this community. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Erik Y on February 21, 2012, 04:17:19 PM
I'm Erik.  42 years old, married to my bride for almost 20 years.  We have six kids ages 4 - 18.  We live in Orange County, CA, but I'm always quick to point out that I'm not from here.  I'm still working and probably will be for a while, but we certainly plan and dream.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsLogica on February 22, 2012, 07:24:48 AM
My goal is to own (i.e. no mortgage) my first property at 25, and completely financially independent by 30.
Other things I dream of are owning a franchise, owning an apartment complex, taking a trip to space, inventing something useful, building my own house (i.e. pulling out the hammers and saws, not hiring contractors. Never understood why people refer to that as building their own house) I may get married after I achieve the above.

Wow, your dreams are epic!  Good luck with them all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: td on February 22, 2012, 10:18:24 AM
My goal is to own (i.e. no mortgage) my first property at 25, and completely financially independent by 30.
Other things I dream of are owning a franchise, owning an apartment complex, taking a trip to space, inventing something useful, building my own house (i.e. pulling out the hammers and saws, not hiring contractors. Never understood why people refer to that as building their own house) I may get married after I achieve the above.

Wow, your dreams are epic!  Good luck with them all!

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/05/28/weekend-edition-the-magic-of-thinking-big/ (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/05/28/weekend-edition-the-magic-of-thinking-big/)
I also read the book and take it seriously. Thank you :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zinnie on February 22, 2012, 11:35:11 AM
Hi everyone, I'm Zinnie, late 20's and starting to get serious about early retirement. Parents always instilled good frugality/ savings/ investing values in me so I'm well on my way to a good 'stache but I didn't do the specific math and read about portfolio theory until just a year ago. Since I realized how easily attainable it is my husband and I have buckled down on expenses and are shooting for both being done with this 8-6 job thing by age 40. I'm in a position that is very often freelanced, so if I get a few more years of solid in-house experience I could be on my way to part time work from home even sooner.

I just started reading MMM a few months ago, and was thrilled to see the new forum! Looking forward to getting to know everyone better and getting some good advice. I will probably be posting some issues in the near future...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fruplicity on February 22, 2012, 11:58:14 AM
Hi everyone,

I would love to see MMM's message change the world!

My money world view shifted quickly after college, I've been reading pf blogs regularly since 2006 and MMM soon after it was "born".

My spending has always been frugal but income has always been low by choice/lack of knowing what else to do. This plus student loan debt means FI is out of reach for a while, but always on my mind.

I try to concentrate on the small victories - Next month we're hitting a net worth of 0, up from -37,000 when I started tracking it three years ago! YES!!!





Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shedinator on February 22, 2012, 01:40:01 PM
I'm Shedinator. Husband, Father, and Mini-Moustache extraordinaire. Also, I like pie.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: larsenju on February 22, 2012, 11:12:29 PM
Hello everyone!

My name is Justin, and after working my way through college, I am proud to say I am only lightly in debt.  Leading up to graduation I decided to devote all efforts to eliminating the debt that I hold, and I have been able to cut in in half over about 5 months. 

I found MMM in my research into methods of financial independence, and I haven't looked back!  I am walking to work, cutting food budget by eating more simply 5 nights a week and trimming the beer budget, and saving to build a small emergency fund before shifting focus towards investing.  Our debts should be gone around the time our first child shows up.  At that point my wife wants to stay home, but unless I can find a way to dramatically increase my income, we would lose our ability to save. 

I want to own a home, be debt free and retired within 20 years.  A lovely goal, I just need to find my way from here to there!


PS, as a home brewer I wholeheartedly encourage DIYing that particular indulgence. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DC on February 23, 2012, 01:31:41 PM
Hi
I'm DC, early 20's from south Europe (probably the only non-English native speaker around here).
I found MMM through ERE which I found a few weeks before it "ended".
I'm going to graduate soon so it was a blessing finding about PF so soon and devising my way to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kolorado on February 23, 2012, 06:00:04 PM
I grew up frugal, fascinated by consumer/money math and used to doing things differently than the herd of my peers. I'm not a stuff person. I don't care about impressing people with what I have. I don't mind if they're impressed with who I am or what I can do though. ;) I love to learn. I'd rather do than have, even if the doing is volunteering to clean up the park. I get a bigger kick out of helping than anything I could purchase.

I feel I should add that we are fairly low-income. FI is attainable for everyone at every income level and in nearly any situation. We're proving it. And we aren't deprived and living off ramen to do it. ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Money Monk on February 24, 2012, 02:54:05 PM
Hi Everyone.

I rocking onward on my journey toward self-sufficiency, Freedom, and financial independence.
I am turning 28 this sun (Feb 26th) with a goal of FI by my 40th Birthday.

I started a blog to track my progress, keep my self accountable, and share tips. If anybody wants to follow the journey, check out:

www.themoney-monk.blogspot.com


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tmspitz on February 24, 2012, 09:22:21 PM
Hi,

I'm Tara.  My husband and I are both teachers, live in NY (not city).  We have 2 kids ages 5 and 2.  we don't have much debt (car loan of 5k, student loans of 12k, and mortgage 120k), but are trying to keep going, and move to the next steps...

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: biliruben on February 25, 2012, 04:13:36 AM
Hi all - 

I'm Cam.  Just quit my job, and hanging with my 5 year old this summer while I ponder my next move and usher him into Kindergarten. 

Would love to be financially independent, but live in Seattle, where large mortgages are pretty unavoidable.  Fortunately I have a hard-working wife.  We are both working on the frugality thing, but I'm not sure she is completely on board yet.  "The Talk" is a work in progress.  I figure if we can figure out how to break-even month to month on her salary, it will be much easier to work towards financial independence after I start bringing in some income again. 

Trying to figure out if I should: 

1) Try and make money opening a bike shop where my passion lies, or
2) Use this fancy degree I have to make the push to FI much more quickly but less enjoyably, or
3) There is some way to do both.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Parizade on February 25, 2012, 12:02:38 PM
Hi, I'm Parizade and I was an ERE addict before following the torch to MMM. My goal is to retire "on time" in my 60s. I was doing pretty well before I got married, then deadbeat ex left me a mountain of debt and a baby to raise alone (Baby is now 6'4" and planning a frugal wedding to his sweetie).

I enjoy just about any outdoor activity, including camping.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sacadoh on February 25, 2012, 04:49:27 PM
Sacadoh here, a UK employee and investor. I love the website & many of the ideas it contains. I live in the UK and am slowly learning how to max out tax efficient savings, having started with ISAs & Pensions. VCTs next if I can figure out how they work.

I am 44 now & am on target for a 51 retirement, but this may be a challenge to to the arrival of a late third mini sacadoh last year.

NB I found 500 ml of baby shampoo in Morrisons for 9p this week.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mehitabelle on February 25, 2012, 06:14:45 PM
Hi - I'm Siobahn.

I'm married and live in Manhattan with my husband and 2 kids (15 and 11).  We have one income and homeschool our kids.  Our assets exceed our liabilities, but most of it is equity in an apartment purchased 20 years ago and about 300K in retirement funds.

We still overspend, and with our older child close to college age this is becoming more worrisome.  We've done a lot of cutting back but out big weaknesses are food spending and travel spending (visiting family in CA).

I enjoy the MMM website and am hoping to gain inspiration to further cut spending and generally just keep my eye on the prize.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: twinge on February 26, 2012, 07:44:05 AM
Hi,
I live with my husband and 2 kids (11 and 3) in the Washington D.C. area.  We currently both work full-time but have flexible schedules and can work from home so we also spend a lot of time with our kids.  We generally save about 30-40% of our income, but I have been noticing that as our jobs have gotten more stressful, we have started to drift away a bit from the environmentally, financially, and quality of life sound practices that we had developed for years and that we really value.  For instance, we used to rarely use a car, work for several months, take off several months etc.  Now our incomes are higher and more secure, we have consistent and good health benefits (very necessary due to a pre-existing health condition of our younger child) but the quality of life seems to be starting to drift downwards.  I'm trying to figure out ways to nip this in the bud and change directions, while still facing the reality that we need to keep  good health insurance and that the new economic climate and our larger family makes our former flexible contract approach to income less viable. So, in mustachian terms, we've shaved off a bit... and are seeking to regrow in a slightly new style.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sol on February 26, 2012, 11:22:51 AM
I'm a 35 year old federal employee who sort of took his retirement up front and thus didn't start working until I was 31.  I spent my 20s travelling the world and being carefree and irresponsible.  And getting a PhD.

My wife and I now save about half of our combined incomes and provide a relatively lavish lifestyle for our two kids.  We both love our work and don't intend to retire anytime soon but are both drawn to the idea of achieving a financial status where work is an option and not a necessity to avoid starvation.  Due to our consumptive lifestyle, this is probably still 10 years away.

We rent one of the two houses we owned before we got married.  It pays for itself, but does not bring in much income.  Hard to sell it in this market.

I tend to mentally frame "financial independence" as "no longer in debt" because any standard of living you maintain that you cannot continue to pay for indefinitely without working means that you have obligated yourself to work in the future to support it.  You've borrowed from your future to pay for your present.  I call that debt.  Most of my friends call that a normal career. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sir Sideburns 'Stash-a-lot on February 26, 2012, 12:05:38 PM
Hello, I'm Sir Sideburns 'Stash-a-lot (I know, what were my parents thinking doling out a name like that!?) and I'm an avid personal finance reader.

I love the writing here and the thoughtful comments.  MMM seems to have attracted a pretty interesting group of people and I look forward to learning from you all over the years to come.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chel on February 26, 2012, 05:57:53 PM
Hi everyone,
My name is Chel.  I'm 32, married with 1 child who is nearly 3 and live in So. California.  Though we are not striving for complete FI (yet), I have found this blog and comments very informative; it almost acts as my own support group.  Our immediate goal is to get our finances in order so when it is time for baby #2 I can stay home and create a slower paced, more enjoyable lifestyle for our family.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bakari on February 27, 2012, 08:48:07 PM
Why hello everyone!

My real name is Bakari Kafele, which is what I use in real life, but I often write things on the internet using the names Jacob Aziza, Lenard Simp, David Craig Hiser, and occasionally Robert Paulson.
I am also the BioDiesel Hauler (http://www.biodieselhauling.org/ (http://www.biodieselhauling.org/))

My entire life has pretty much embodied the compatibility of frugalness and environmentalism, although it never occurred to me to say it that way until a few years ago. 
Some examples are my tiny house and my temperature tolernace, which leads to using very little energy, my small scale DIY solar system, and my mileage improvements to my (biodiesel powered) truck.
I have instructables on all these and more: http://www.instructables.com/member/JacobAziza/ (http://www.instructables.com/member/JacobAziza/)

I found Jacob of ERE when a mutual fan of his and mine tracked me down on Facebook and suggested I look him up, which led to me meeting ERE Jacob in person soon after. I've been following MMM since his guest post on ERE.
I blog too, but not regularly, and not about any one consistent topic, which means I will never have a loyal readership:
http://biodieselhauling.blogspot.com/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: James on February 28, 2012, 09:52:56 AM
Wow, I leave for a week right after this forum is started and when I come back it's huge!

I'm up in Wisconsin, and am slowly changing my life from a "normal" consumer to an ERE type with low consumption lifestyle.  Got a ways to go, and have found that MMM brand of badassity is the perfect fix for my lazy ass.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kyle W on February 29, 2012, 05:15:10 PM
Hello I'm Kyle

I'm currently a student studying Child and Adolescent Development at the lovely CSUF

I did my part at started at a local community college.  My parents are quite mustachians themselves and saved up enough  money for my college education I should get out debt free, thank you parents!!

I don't have any debt but I do have a weakness for gadgets and buying stupid crap.

I currently run a small bookstore locally part time and love it, sales are fun.

I'm currently typing this out at our local Library that I rode my bike to, I was inspired by some of the recent posts so I I drank the medicine and I feel good. 

Also tried the raw oats in normal cereal, a little chew, a lot more filling.

Anyway that's me
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Aloysius_Poutine on March 01, 2012, 12:10:14 AM
Hey everyone, I'm 28, married, very close to having a first child, and very close to finishing my university degree here in Victoria, BC, Canada.

I've been awful with money my whole life. I've been in some form of debt continuously since I was 16 years old, when my parents lent me money to buy a dirt bike. I think they wanted to teach me a lesson about how it feels to be in debt. They probably didn't expect me to think, "this isn't so bad- and now I have a dirtbike!"

My wife came from a frugal family, while I'm from a family of high income spenders. She convinced me to start changing my ways, and this lead me to this whole financial independence idea.

I'm about $30K below zero on student loans, and I have a $175K mortgage on a condo, which I'll one day need to swap up to a house (around $500K).

I'm firming up my career path decision in the coming months. Regardless of what career I pursue, I plan to work for 15-20 years and live off the nestegg of 50%+ savings.

Anyway, nice to be here. I love learning the way of the 'stash!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Daley on March 01, 2012, 01:34:35 AM
Howdy everyone, I'm a bit of an internet recluse and privacy/security fiend... been in IT for over a decade and looking to shift gears elsewhere, re-inventing my life as I'm going along on a shoestring budget. Married, no kids. Minimal debt excluding the wife's student loans (which still makes me break out in a cold sweat seeing).

I probably won't do much around these forums beyond occasional lurking outside of pruning and tending this particular mega-info-dump thread (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/communications-tech-isps-voip-cell/) I started detailing how to gut the living daylights out of your communications bills. Hope you all find it of use. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jarvis on March 01, 2012, 08:20:51 AM
Hi, my name is Jarvis.

I'm 26, married to a fantastic girl, and we have a chubby little 3 month old baby.  We're currently in San Francisco because I got a sweet deal on a well-paying job with living expenses and a work vehicle provided.  Needless to say, we won't stay in San Francisco when this I'm through with this job.

We've been working hard and saving since we graduated from college (she's a nurse, I'm a health physicist).  We're about a month away from hitting 200k net worth, which we're quite excited about. 

I don't have an exact date in mind for financial independence, but it's probably 4 years away.  We're planning to wait to have a second baby for about 4 years, and I plan to either work part time or not at all when baby #2 arrives.

I enjoy working out very hard.  I currently do the olympic lifts and barbell complexes for cardio outside in front of my house.

I also thoroughly enjoy modern boardgames, as showcased at www.boardgamegeek.com.

Mustachianism is my lifestyle, and I like it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: orangeclocker on March 01, 2012, 08:36:50 AM
Hi, I'm 32, in a committed relationship, no plans for kids. My girlfriend and I both work in healthcare in Minnesota. We are aggressive savers and just refinanced our townhouse; we will have it paid off in less than 10 years, making FI shortly thereafter a very real possibility. We have a 27ft sailboat on the Mississippi (Lake Pepin) with plans to upgrade after the GF's school loans are paid off in a couple years. No debt besides the house and her school loans. The goal is to spend much of our retirement sailing - just not sure where yet.

We also very much enjoy motorcycling (well, she enjoys passenger-ing) and are in the midst of planning a 3 week late summer trip through the SW US.

I'm into photography (with a very anti-mustachian addiction to buying lenses), swimming, biking, running, snow sports, and making things with my hands...wine, food, woodworking, mixed media art, roasting coffee, etc.

I stumbled upon MMM after stumbling upon ERE not long ago. Looking forward to insightful posts and discussion.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: K on March 01, 2012, 01:24:35 PM
Hi! I found the forum this week after I was searching for solutions to my habit of spending money. The Mustachian philosophy sure did the trick! I had never thought about "retiring" from my 40/week computer job -- now, I have been inspired to make this happen before I have kids!
My wife and I already practice many of the Mustachian ways, but I am seeing many more things we can be doing to maximize our 'stache.
In the spirit of Maximum Mustache March, I have challenged myself to ride my bike every day -- even in inclement weather.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ultrarunner on March 01, 2012, 09:38:29 PM
Hey All!

I'm Chris, live near Boulder, CO  (seems a few others are also in the area... great to see we aren't all the stereotypical Boulder trust-funders!). 

I like to run 50 and 100 mile trail running races (ultramarathons) for fun, hence the username.  My parents apparently dropped me as an infant.  Repeatedly.  :)

I stumbled across the "True Cost of Commuting" article a few months ago and it really resonated with me.  Been hooked ever since.

  - Chris
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: redeyedtreefr0g on March 02, 2012, 08:26:09 PM
Hi, I'm froggy.

I am a 27-year-old girl working as a school bus driver, a job which I generally love since answering that radio advertisement 3 years ago.
I left high school with dreams of becoming a pilot, and unfortunately lived close enough to one of the top aeronautical schools in the world to actually act on that dream. I also had my future-husband (3 years younger) at the time I graduated high school, and I lived with him and his family since wearing that cap and gown.

Given the choice, I'd have never gone to college. It was one huge long period of stress and craziness, and not just from family issues. Trying to work as close to full time as possible while also going to school full time with a 5 hour block of flight time set in the mix as well... it's a wonder I didn't do something stupid like crash a car due to fatigue. In any case, I ended up not being able to hold to the strict teaching methods required of flight, so I ended up with a bachelor's degree (because I'm stupid/stubborn and wouldn't quit) in general Aeronautics, with minors in Aviation Safety (my choice) and Aeronautical Studies (those pilot classes with no certifications to go with them). I have no idea what to do with that.

I now have somewhere in the neighborhood of $187,000 in student debt, and am doing nothing to pay them off. I was out of work for a very long time due to living situation after getting my degree, and when I did get a job and tried to contact loan people to make payments, they all wanted $200 a month EACH and I only made $4-500 a month. I stopped communicating with them at all...


My husband and I have been on our own a few times, but always ended up back with family. One time it was an emergency to support his mom after she found her boyfriend, and his dad finally understood that she seriously didn't want to be with him (they'd been divorced since I met my husband) and stopped paying for her to live where she was. Another time we needed help and moved in with his grandfather. Then we moved out on our own, and jobs got messed up. We moved in with my mom to mutually (theoretically) help each other out with decreased costs. Mom lost the house and we were all evicted...

It just seems like a good idea to live with others, but then somehow we never actually save anything that way. But when we are out on our own, it seems like the income is just barely enough to cover bills, or maybe it's really not and the credit card just hide it well until the lease is up, exactly the same way.



Right now I am working, and my husband is not. He had major trouble finding work out here once we moved from Florida to Oregon. I was able to just step into my position from one county to the other, while it seems that everything he is able to do is a field where licenses are required... for whatever reasons he hasn't found permanent work.

He decided to go to college to get the paperwork to back up his considerable skills in business (he was always considered too young to hold a management position, which I know he would absolutely excel at), and perhaps move from that to a culinary degree as he has a passion for cooking and some dreams of owning or running a restaurant. I'm paranoid that he'll dig himself a hole similar in shape, if not the size, of my own. We used excess financial aid to repair our car (1995 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 decommissioned highway patrol car, we also have his first car a 1980 Camaro) and pay down some credit card balances.

With me having no income over the summer, paycheck money withheld last year (to ease the gap between May and August), that paid for our move, did not last very long. We are staying rent-free with the friends who attracted us to Oregon in the first place, but we felt the need to not be leeches and paid for groceries and such on credit, even when we had no money coming in. Our balance on the cards is a little over $5,500, 81% of the total credit available, and I don't like it.

To make matters worse, we realize that we don't like this tiny little town, and will be moving again, this time to try Colorado in Longmont. My whole immediate family followed "the grandchild" to a couple hours from there also, but that isn't why we are going there, just a perk (I'll be close to my TWIN again, squeeee!)

I'm worried like never before, because I know I won't have an income (from my desired job) over the summer, we won't have extremely nice friends to put up with us for "free", it'll be somewhere near $800 to move, and I have no idea how we can manage all that especially with credit cards so high. My husband manages the money so I'm sure he has a plan, and somehow it will "work out", but that doesn't help my anxiety about the whole thing.

So yeah, there's my long introduction in written form, and I'll go back to lurking...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Osprey on March 03, 2012, 01:56:00 AM
Hi everyone!
I'm Osprey and I've been lurking since the True Cost of Commuting article. I am also demonstrably dense because a few months after that I signed up for a 40-minute commute. It's all sinking in though and I have been making changes. This forum is great when I can limit my time on it...
Long live Mustachainism!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sulaco on March 03, 2012, 08:45:51 AM
Howdy,

I'm Jon, 30, currently living in Seattle with my wife of well over six years. Sometime in the next few months our son will come home - we are waiting for him to receive an exit visa so he can finally have a permanent home.

I have given our family a goal to be FI by February 1st, 2018. It's definitely a stretch goal, but is mathematically possible :D

This summer I got into stock trading, then read Consumer Detox. I liked the idea, but not the book - I found Jacob's blog posted on hacker news one day and came across MMM a short time later. I really liked the case studies because it allowed me to measure my own spending habits, as well as get several tips along the way.

My wife has had this ability since birth - she generally won't spend an penny more than necessary. She's still sceptacle that we can replace our income with passive sources within the next six years, but happy that I've become allergic to spending money.

Since finding MMM I've read Debt is Slavery (a nice short intro), Your Money or Your Life (a textbook for sound financial living), and I'm working my way through ERE (the nitty, gritty details).

For the first time in my life I feel like I have all of the "stuff" I need (too much, actually). Interested in growing my dollar follicles into an impressive 'stache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gerard on March 03, 2012, 09:07:49 AM
Hi folks,

I'm Gerard. I live in Newfoundland (the far east of Canada). I grew up cheap/poor, but spent many years with a non-frugal spouse. I'm in the midst of paying off a lot of back debt, which combined with pay increases should leave me able to retire in about 5 years (aged 57). But I love my job (university professor), which I started late in life, and I might stick around longer.

Speaking of which, I can't imagine the stress involved in carrying over $100K in student loans. Folks, please consider university in Canada, or at least think about moving to go to school! Graduate tuition at my university, for non-Canadians, is $632 a semester.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kaeldra on March 04, 2012, 02:08:31 AM
Another Seattle-ite here (transplanted from SF Bay Area) - I'm Tracy, a 26yo graphic designer working at an environmental consulting firm. Minimal debt and a good bit of savings currently, but thinking about buying a house soon... although me and my partner's dream is to build an off-the-grid earth-sheltered house in the Cascades - as soon as we can either not work or work from home. I love hiking, digital painting, photography, and beading. Looking forward to sharing the journey to FI with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MountainMan on March 04, 2012, 09:15:22 AM
I'm the MountainMan.

I don't live anywhere near the mountains, but I'd like to someday.

Aiming for financial independence within 10-15 years.  Sooner if I can manage it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rich M on March 06, 2012, 06:57:23 PM
I'm Rich(ard) and ride a bike in Boulder, CO.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Imperator on March 07, 2012, 10:08:07 AM
Hi!

I'm Imperator. PhD student in the UK. Very frugal. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LalsConstant on March 08, 2012, 07:22:27 AM
Oh, an introductions topic.

Let's see, I'm a 30 year old recovering idiot with 2 college degrees, no debt, small savings, and a life goal of saving 20% of everything I make in tax deferred space, saving another 20% after tax to pay cash for cars and real estate and surviving the zombie apocalypse, giving 10% away to causes I care about, and living on the last 50%.  This isn't quite what early retirement people do but it's similar.

I am... not even close to that goal , but I'm doing way better on all of these goals than I was 8,4, even just 1, year ago.  After factoring in the effects of taxes, I'm something like 11%, 9%, 0% and 80% on those proportions!

But baby steps people, I've just barely learned to not have debt after all.  Fortunately I'm single so no one has to suffer my foolishness but me.

Annual income currently in mid 40s, but for most of my adult life it's been around the low to mid 20s.

Anyway  things about myself: 

I'm a pessimist, as I question everything from whether I've in fact read an actual account of a truly, well funded 30 something year old retiree who didn't have an 8+ figure net worth, to the wide spread assumption growth stocks return 12% a year regardless now and forever, that you can look at a P/E10 ratio and magically know how that investment is going to perform in the future, to how early retirees can be so negligent in planning for the inevitable zombie hordes shambling through the streets and countryside.

I look at the early retirement community, small as it is, as being two degrees of magnitude above my current level of badassity.  I believe in a concept called strategic stretch, and I try to implement it by looking at what other people are accomplishing, and then saying how can I bridge the gap between what I'm doing, and what they're doing, and maybe get closer to being better than they are.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SMC on March 08, 2012, 07:58:28 AM
Hi I'm SMC.  I found MMM through ERE and read every article in less than a week.  I found that i could really relate to MMM, it turns out I have a lot in common with him.

I'm a civil engineer in Alberta, Canada.  I'm 24 yrs old, my goal is FI by 40.  My passion in life is mountain biking, which isn't exactly the cheapest hobby, but it makes me happy!

I should add that I never even thought of early retirement until I read ERE/MMM, I always just assumed I would be working until 65.  However I don't particularily like working everyday, and I'm already a pretty frugal person, thus the idea of ER quite appeals to me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CNM on March 09, 2012, 11:25:16 AM
Hello, I'm CNM. 

I'm not FI, but getting there slowly.  My spouse and I paid off my student loans yesterday ($60K) but we still have our mortgage (~$200K) and another $25K of the spouse's student loans to pay off.  AND we are expecting our first kid in August. 

Former Boulder resident.  Current Santa Fe resident.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tjt on March 11, 2012, 11:46:45 PM
Hi I'm TJ and I live in San Francisco.  I found MMM and ERE through a comment on Get Rich Slowly.
I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I'm sure it could be worse.  The thing that bothers me the most though is how much time I've wasted.  That's part of the reason ERE and MMM appeal to me.  I can at least repair the damage asap. 

I'll be posting for advice on cutting spending and finding better paying work/more work.

Thanks everyone for all your great posts!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nz on March 12, 2012, 02:31:12 AM
Hi, I'm 47 and hope to semi retire by the end of this year.
 I'm a teacher in New Zealand and live on a couple of acres on the edge of a provincial city. I have a pretty serious vege garden,chickens,pigs and a cow(beef not milk). Love reading peoples stories on their way to financial independence and nice to know there are kindred souls throughout the western world.
Came to MMM via ERE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nolajo on March 12, 2012, 04:29:12 PM
I'm a 24 year old indentured office servant in New Orleans. It's been about three years since I graduated college, and while I'm not thrilled with my day job, I am thrilled that my net worth is now about -$6k. While it'll be a bit before the student loans are actually paid off (that net worth calculation includes some retirement/investments/savings), I'm pretty pleased, since I started about $35k in the hole. That only represents saving/paying down debt to the tune of about 40% of my net income, but I'm getting there.

I do enjoy reading some personal finance stuff, but never got all that into ERE. I actually found MMM after Lifehacker posted his article about being hungry (if memory serves). Now, I've got to say that it's my favorite PF site, barring the occasional article at Get Rich Slowly. The combination of financial security, regard for the environment, and encouragement of bad-assitude really works for me.

My post-college 'stache has been growing a bit based on a few things:
- I live close to work and bike most days (I haven't actually bought gas in a month!)
- I've added a second job that I actually do enjoy
- I managed to slash my electric bill by about 40% this past month by womaning up and turning the heat off
- I've mostly managed to adorn my home and myself on a shoe-string, leading to great surroundings without consumer debt!

My biggest pitfalls are:
- Number one biggest - I like living by myself. I had a couple of bad Craigslist roommates and had no desire to do that again when no one I knew/liked needed a roommate when I needed to move.
- Eating out/take out. I'm happy to cook with a friend, but the day to day drudgery of it has never been great. I'm currently trying to figure out a system that works for me to reduce my eating out.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NoviceMustachian2012 on March 14, 2012, 06:08:05 PM
Hi, I'm Toms. I'm unemployed, have debt up to my eyeballs and just joined this awesome and epic forum. Hope to learn the Mustachian ways.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jwystup on March 15, 2012, 07:13:18 AM
Wow, there are a lot of posts to read. I have to admit, I didn't read them all...

Hi, I'm Jen and I'm 26. Last year, I got a new job (one I don't hate, same field though) an hour from my hometown. Bought a house 2 miles from the new job (squashing that commute). I found MMM when the article about how much a commute costs you was posted on lifehacker (very relevant!). I recently started riding my bike to work, this week it has been every day since we have amazing weather. I have some fenders ordered so that I can ride in the rain too!

As far as spending habits go, I've always been responsible with my money. I had a budget from the time I had to pay my first bill. But I always spent all of my money. Even when I started making a professional salary, I spent it all after paying the bills, keeping a small savings cushion. Now we're (me & live-in boyfriend) working on cutting out waste and saving money where we can, simply NOT buying things we don't need has saved so much! I recently paid off my car and the money that was going there is working on paying off student loans. I also have that new mortgage to work on.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: colbiwon on March 17, 2012, 07:00:12 PM
Hi, Jedi Master Colbiwon here, just found the MMM blog a couple of weeks ago through the comments over at the Get Rich Slowly blog. 

Get rich slowly has been a huge motivator for helping my wife an I get out of debt, but I haven't even been over there since I found MMM.  I had to read everything from the beginning, and I just finished today.  I have to say that MMM's straight forward, no nonsense approach is refreshing.  I am so sick of peoples complainy-pants attitude about how all there financial problems are someone else's fault.

MMM keep laying down the law.

Master Colbiwon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spacecoyote on March 19, 2012, 01:52:48 PM
Hi everyone, I'm Nick - a 26 year old software engineer from central Pennsylvania. I've been a bit of a lurker to the MMM blog for a few months, trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can so I decided to jump into the community here as well.

My wife (a high school spanish teacher) and I have been discussing some ER possibilities of late due to high stress levels at her job and lackluster opportunities at mine. We're generally pretty good with not buying excessive stuff but could definitely do better to supercharge our 'stash. Our goal is to be mortgage-free in about 4 years, which is a little far-fetched but not altogether impossible. After that, we want to save up for a B&B in Costa Rica :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FactorsOf2 on March 20, 2012, 08:02:37 AM
Hey All!  Sonya here. I'm also acting as proxy for my DH David.  We're both PhD students in CT (Physics and Statistics, respectively).  Can't even remember how we stumbled across MMM, but were instantly hypnotized by the spinning mustachioed money on the header turntables. 

We just passed the debt=0 mark and are now putting away hefty savings even while those around us bemoan the impovernished state of graduate students. "Wake up people, 30k/yr/person is a shit ton of money!"

Nice to meet you all :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hamilton Beachbum on March 20, 2012, 12:02:56 PM
Hi all

I'll summarize the boring details:
-37 years old
-married to my beautiful wife
-stable dual income both in IT
-no kids, no intentions
-paid off primary residence
-rental property with a small mortgage, will be paid off Apr 2015
-migrated here after discovering Jacobs site
-late start realizing FI is possible, so we estimate about 7 years until we reach the goal
-I enjoy beer, bowling, chillin' on the beach, and the company of my great friends and neighbors

I'm here to learn some Mustachian techniques and to share some of my ideas.  I have come to realize that I was born with basic Mustachian instincts, but MMM and Jacob really helped me get the whole picture straight in my mind.

I'm looking forward to contributing to the forums!

HBB
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Economically Humble on March 20, 2012, 05:11:43 PM
Hi All, I've been reading mr money mustache and think really great.  I sold my SUV about a year ago and now ride a bike... I'm in better shape and my bank account is thanking me.  I still have much to learn and I'm tracking my own experiences and thoughts over at EconomicallyHumble.com, a fledgling site.  I hope to get to know some of you in the years to come! PB
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kudy on March 20, 2012, 09:04:35 PM
I'm afraid that I won't remember all of you, but I tried to match details to names/faces ;)

I'm Kevin, 29, in Northern Colorado; I have no debt, and very little savings so far. I'd love to soft-retire by 45.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gangr on March 22, 2012, 08:29:20 PM
Hello everyone.

I lurked around ERE and have read Jacob's book a few times. I am married to a wonderful women and we are foster/adoptive parents so, while I do have kid(s), the number has a tendency to vary. I would consider my level of Mustachianism to be "cleanly shaven," but we hope to pay off my wife's student loans this month and will only have our mortgage and stache to focus on in the future. My formal education is in accounting, finance, and management, but I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PaulTecumseh on March 24, 2012, 01:05:54 AM
Hi I'm Paul and I'm from Tucson, AZ. I'm 25, single, and have one awesome daughter who is about 15 months old. I found this site back in January and I have greatly enjoyed reading and learning as much as I can from it. I'm nowhere near most of the people I see on these forums when it comes to careers/education/investments because I have little to none to speak of. However, I am excited to work my way towards all of those things and earn as much time as I can with my daughter and the rest of my family.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Brotherbryan on March 24, 2012, 09:51:31 AM
I'm Brotherbryan.  Working towards FI because love freedom in general. Slave to none.

B.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cdttmm on March 25, 2012, 07:37:27 AM
Hi all -- I'm cdttmm.  I've been an avid reader of all things personal finance related for the past 8 years.  Love MMM and have been following since the beginning.  Been hanging out here on the forums but haven't been posting much yet.  I reside in lovely New England with my partner, 3 dogs, and 2 cats.  I retired for the first time at 36, but have since returned to work for a start-up.  I'll probably try to retire again sometime around age 45, but I don't expect it to take.  :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YoungAndWise on March 25, 2012, 06:22:04 PM
Hello, I am Willis.

Nothing unusual about-16 high schooler, deep south, and I just came over from Early Retirement Extreme.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Blaise on March 25, 2012, 08:55:51 PM
Hello all. I'm blazini (real name Blaise), a 30 year old CPA currently working as an accountant for a real estate company in Northern New Jersey.  Contrary to popular believe, not all accountants do taxes.  I have a wife (27 yo school social worker) and a daughter (1 month old, unemployed), and want to have at least two more kids in the future.

Our financial situation: $130k per year combined salary (holy crap that's a lot of money!), $67k in student loan debt, no mortgage yet since we rent(ed). Once the baby was born we moved in with my wife's parents to save money, and share food and household expenses with them. 

Our goal is to have one of us quit their job and stay at home raising our kids, and then pay off student loans, get a house, pay off the mortgage, build up a stash, and retire in 10-15 years.

The biggest obstacle to this, in my opinion, is the high cost of housing (including property taxes) here in NJ. As MMM pointed out in one of his articles, a typical 2,000 (or smaller) sq ft fixer upper home in this part of the country can run around $400k easy, and property taxes are $12k or more a year. Perhaps I'll convince my wife to relocate somewhere less insane, but for now we'll keep on trucking.

P.S.  Love the site, found it from the comments section of GRS. Rock on fellow Mustachians!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: C99 on March 26, 2012, 01:33:04 AM
Hi,
I'm going by "C99", just started reading MMM and ERE a couple weeks ago and it's all just blown my mind.  I'm 49, been working in IT with a good income for 25 years, no kids.  If I'd paid attention to this stuff earlier I'd be FI already.   I've been just a little too careless with both expenses and investments.  I read Your Money or Your Life back when it was new, but since it was all based on getting a guaranteed 8% on treasury bonds, I just assumed early retirement wasn't possible any more except for those who luck out on stock options or have truly gargantuan incomes.  Boy, reading about the lifestyles of the smart and frugal has been really eye opening! 

I'm working my way through the ERE book and the archives on both sites and starting to track my savings & expenses.  I also started cleaning up my financial house by moving savings out of money market into stock and bond funds.  I had the vague idea that those types of investments were just too risky nowadays, so I've been earning just about zero on big chunks of my savings for years. 

I picked a goal date for FI of 2017 at the latest, since that will make 30 years working anyway.  I hope I can hit it sooner, but the health insurance thing may be the blocker for me.  I'm unlikely to be able to purchase insurance due to pre-existing condition.  Hoping the upcoming 2014 changes will help with that.

Looking forward to learning more and connecting with like-minded folks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kriegsspiel on March 27, 2012, 01:47:41 AM
Hello.

I wanted to wait until I read the blog from the beginning before I registered on the forum (also, I didn't notice it).  Anyways, I am currently a Captain in the US Army, and hopefully will be getting off active duty in a couple months.  You could say I am still a noob to the world of personal finance, I used to just not really care how much money I had, whether I had a budget, or anything like that.  I started a Roth IRA when I was deployed to Afghanistan, and just thought transferring my money into the account would make something happen, I didn't even know I had to pick stocks to buy!

Luckily, I have never been a big consumer, so I have no debt except for a 2% loan from USAA that I'm still paying off.  Unfortunately I also bought a new 2011 BMW 328i after I got back from Afghanistan.  I bought it cash, so I am not paying it off, but I wish I hadn't.  Having a nice car is too much pressure :)

My plan is to start budgeting/saving more, time now.  My goal now is to live on about $19,000 a year (roughly 25% of my income), which seems very doable after reading for a while.  When I get back to the US, I am going to put the BMW up for sale and get a more economical car that I'd feel more comfortable driving.  I don't have a job lined up, so I will move in with a friend and do some part time work until I'm hired somewhere.

SO TL;DR version: I am new to the whole thing, despite not being 22, I'm still pretty optimistic.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: veronica mars rover on March 27, 2012, 08:08:38 AM
Hiya, here's my stats:

- Late twenties
- Married
- Young kids
- East Coast
- Graduate degree, but not having a lot of success breaking into my field (and laid off almost two weeks ago).
- In so. much. debt.

I'm on the fence about making some radical life changes so that I can manage my debt and start sleeping again. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs MM on March 27, 2012, 10:23:26 AM
Welcome everyone!!  I love reading these introductions - it's great to see people coming from all over with all kinds of different situations.  Awesome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zemblamatic on March 27, 2012, 02:10:37 PM
- Mid 30s from the UK
- Software person in our beloved financial services sector (boo!)
- Married with several children

Found MMM through ERE and various UK personal finance blogs after cold-sweat moment realising I had no plan or particular provision for the future. Time for a plan.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chamboo on March 30, 2012, 08:34:35 PM
Hello,

I'm a self made millionaire at age 29, and while I'm extremely frugal (and enjoy it), I have shamefully lived the other side as well (though thankfully short lived).  I am now looking to find more fulfilling work and investing ideas.  Thanks for having me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HumanCalculator on April 01, 2012, 10:03:48 AM
I'm the HumanCalculator,

I work with numbers and IT. Had a mustache at square 1, met a girl, shaved the mustache, lost the girl, moved across the country, rediscovered myself, was jobless for a few months, accumulated 12k debts, moved back to square 1, met a great partner, spent too much,discovered MMM, paid off debts in 3 months, growing a mustache again, will be moving in a house together, feels this is gonna be a challenge for my mustache.

I also love cake.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KimPossible on April 02, 2012, 06:51:07 AM
Hi, I'm KimPossible.  I'm 38, married with two kids.  Work full-time and have one side business and working on starting another one.  My (full-time) career is sucking the life out of me, and I don't expect that to improve in the future.  As a result, I'm paying down our debt as fast as possible and trying to create alternate income streams.

The good news is that I make a lot of money.  The bad news is that we owe A LOT of money.  It's all tied up in our house, aside from some student loans I owe the parents.  We don't have any credit card debt.  Unfortunately, we remodeled our house several years ago, and it turned into an epic project.  (A very expensive one.) 

I got interested in simplicity and decluttering a few years ago, which led to a significant lifestyle change.  I've always been interested in personal finance, but the change to a simpler life was the best personal finance change I could have made.  I stopped shopping for fun several years ago, we don't really eat out, and I've discovered the fun of thrift store shopping for clothes for myself and the kids. 

My goal is to pay off the huge debt, reach FI, and quit the day job.  I'm looking at a few years until getting there, but I'm hoping that the other income streams will help.  I discovered MMM a couple of weeks ago and have read through all of the posts.  They've been a great kick in the pants!  Thanks, MMM and Mrs.MM--you've been a great inspiration already :)

It's nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FI@2022Jem on April 02, 2012, 02:34:24 PM
Hi,
My name is Jennie.  I am 25 and married (husband age 40).  I am finishing a masters in social work in a month.  Husband owns a small business, makes enough to get by and never wants to retire.  My goal is to reach FI then continue to work on my own terms.  We have a small condo and a rental property with positive cash flow (2 morgages).  I have about 30,000 in student loans and slightly more in retirement.  Husband has only recently started a roth and views the rental as his retirement.  I have been hooked on personal finance for about a year and found MMM last week.  i'm so excited to be here!  thanks for the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. Tiny Stache on April 03, 2012, 06:38:14 PM
Hello everyone. I am a 35 year old software geek living in Seattle, WA with my wife. I am a relatively high salary earner, although that is a more recent phenomena. I spent most of my twenties working in non-profit before going back to school for a Computer Science degree and the software career that followed. In the last 5 years my income has increased approximately 650%. I have made some smart decisions, like paying down debt. Unfortunately I have not kept a tight hold on my expenditures and I did not spend a lot of time looking ahead.

I have been a reader of mrmoneymustache.com for some time but have only recently decided that financial independence is a major goal of mine. I am just starting to take steps to reduce our expenses and build up my stache (hence I am Mr. Tiny Stache). It is very daunting. Without some major reductions in living expenses or some radical increases in income I am looking at a 15 year road. Not sure that still qualifies as "early retirement."

I have a number of challenges to navigate as I pursue FI. I am currently a renter. My wife and I plan on having kids soon-ish. While most of my debt is gone there is still an appreciable amount of student loans in the family (currently deferred while my wife finishes her Phd).

I'm still sorting out what I want to do once I hit FI. It will probably be similar to what I do now but with my own agenda. I might not even quit the day job but instead renegotiate the terms.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Blindsquirrel on April 08, 2012, 06:28:32 PM
  Really like your site. I am 44 years old, married, we are DINKs but have 3 awesome cats. Live in the semi sticks of Ohio. I made many mistakes in finance but we are doing way better than. Have been on the frugal side all my life and am looking for the freedom and security of being in a bullet proof financial situation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gooki on April 11, 2012, 05:01:18 AM
Hi I'm Dave from New Zealand.

31, married (awesome wife, with a frugal streak), one kid and a second on the way, currently living of one income.

We are debt free, own our own home, have paid off both student loans, yet reading MMM has helped me focus on what I want to achieve in life. I have fond memories of having my father around all the time when I was younger, as he took seven years off work to build a boat in our backyard. I want to do the same (not build a boat), but be home for my kids when they get home from school, be around on the weekends, and be able to afford to take long holidays with them.

Living in NZ means not all the numbers posted on MMM are applicable, but the attitude sure is. And owning some shares in a US listed company (the one I work for), keeps me interested in US economics.

PS as  user interface designer, a bone in my body twinges slightly every time I visit this site. I hope as the popularity grows a few resources can be spent making the visually appeal as awesome as the written content is.

PPS I'm a hoarder - I have a problem buying audio equipment, and electronic gadgets. I've managed to stop buying new things, and it's now time for me to take the next step and sell my existing hoard that is never used.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lex on April 12, 2012, 03:20:25 PM
Hi,

My name is Lex and I live somewhere in continental Western Europe. Late thirties, married, two kids, job that pays well. Despite my more or less poor upbringings I worked my way through university and got interested in the whole frugal movement out of sheer necessity. Dollar stretcher, Amy D., YMOYL and recently MMM and ERE, the works. Managed to avoid the biggest financial mistakes, also thanks to my wife who has never read any frugal literature but who comes from a farmer's family where being frugal is ingrained in the DNA.

The time not spent working or with my family I read, ride my bikes (not simultaneously) or study foreign languages, although I notice that the older I get, the harder it becomes. I tend to mix up the languages I acquired after childhood.

In a couple of months we might be moving to another part of the world, which might be the subject of a new topic to get some input.

I don't have any plans to reach FI in the near future, although I might change my mind in a couple of years. I love my job, even with its ups and downs, but I get this ridiculous amount of European vacation so I have more than enough time to enjoy life.

The MMM blog and forum are great and provides some real things to think over, although not everything applies to the situation here in Europe. There are, as far as I know, no blogs or sites of similar quality on this side of the Atlantic.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CatM13 on April 16, 2012, 07:05:46 AM
Hi! I'm Cat. I'm 34, married and have a 6 year old. We've made some bad $ decisions in the past, but we are trying to learn from our mistakes and we are closer now than ever to having no debt (except for the mortgage). Everything else should be paid off by the end of the year :). I found this site through ERE and I like the tone better. I finally finished reading through all the posts and decided to check out the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Phundit on April 17, 2012, 03:24:43 PM
Hi there!

Neophyte Mustachian checking in. Here are the vital stats:

*Age: 24
*Gender: Male
*Location: San Diego, CA
*Occupation: Lesser IT Nerd
*Dependents: None
*Debt Status: Debt free as of March 2012 (some trust loans remain, with 0% interest--doesn't count)
*Current Objective: Build up emergency fund
*Next Objective: Buy a house while the market is down

I've been diligently fighting the rice-and-beans battle against student loans, but only recently found MMM and decided to pursue FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Guardian on April 17, 2012, 06:35:06 PM
Hi,

I am Jason and I'm a 22 year old living in the Phoenix Metro (Arizona). I haven't figured out what I want to do with my life career/job wise and that's my biggest source of stress. I'm a runner (anything from 400m to running Ragnar Relay(200+ mile relay race)), have an amazing girlfriend who I plan to marry when the time is right, and I'm a very curious, analytical person. I'm nearly 20k in debt from trying to figure out what I want to do in college and it brings me down every day. I feel if I had an exact path that I wanted to follow that didn't involve more debt, I'd be happier and able to just put myself into it fully. Yet I lack that path.

I've been reading MMM since the first articles and have shared nearly every article with friends and family. Looking for help/advice :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LindseyBob on April 18, 2012, 03:39:15 AM
Hi all,


I'm Lindsey, I'm 24 living in Witney in the UK - are there many other Brits here? I live in a tiny apartment (read: shoebox) with my boyfriend (no kids) and we're both climbing the career ladder as scientists.


I came across MMM a few weeks ago at just the right time - I've spent the last year getting myself of the right financial track and now I'm picking up speed! We have just cleared our debts (except student loans but as somebody else has already pointed out - its different in the UK so they don't really count as debt) and now we are are somewhat of a blank mustache canvas!

Looking for any good pointers for someone just starting out from scratch.

Cheers!



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stephanie on April 19, 2012, 12:19:29 AM
Hello,

My name is Stephanie.  I am 35.  I live down the Front Range from the MMMs in Manitou Springs, CO.

I found MMM through an article on biking in the winter.  Which I thought was crazy!  But I kept coming back for more.  Now, I am offically hooked on this blog.

The ER lifestyle is a great continuation for me of the Live Simple / Zen lifestyle I have been practicing the last few years.  You might be amazed how much extra "stuff" even a minimalist can own.  All my friends laugh at me when I complain that I have too much stuff, still.  But my philosophy is unless I am activley using a 'thing', it needs to go.

Thanks to MMM, I got a much needed kick in the butt to actually BE, instead of coasting on my past minimalism victories.  Just sold two items on Craigslist.  Awesome.

Starting of with just about $0 - in part due to bad financial decisions.  The attitude of why save, when I could choke on a biscuit tomorrow.  :-)

My goal is FI in 10 years or less.

Love the MMM community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HowMuchCanAKoalaBear on April 21, 2012, 02:53:33 AM
Hi I'm an Aussie 50yrs old retiring this year, found the forum through Jacob's site...:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jaspel on April 21, 2012, 03:37:30 AM
Hi! I've been trolling for a while and thought I should join on in.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sparky on April 23, 2012, 07:51:14 AM
Hi, I've been wandering around and posting for awhile, but I should do this :)

I'm Sparky, I am addicted to travelling, my girlfriend and eating food from around the world. In my real life I'm a industrial electrician in Alberta Canada.

Also, I've made 2 pies in the last 3 days and consumed all of it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spi on April 23, 2012, 05:55:39 PM
Hi I am spi. I found MMM through ERE a few months back and finally read through all of the posts last week. I really like the writing style.

I am an almost 30 year old software engineer and am married to a teacher. We live in the Boston area. Our only debt is student loans which we are paying off as quickly as possible. I have been fairly good with money and haven't had any debt besides a car loan and student loans. Though I didn't really track my spending for the first 4 years out of college so I didn't know how I was actually doing. Doing a lot better now and attempting to live more of the non-consumer lifestyle.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Happystache on April 25, 2012, 08:32:32 PM
Hello - brand new and happy to have found the financial equivalent to the honey badger - I plan on fully embracing the mustachian way of life - San Diego style.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bank on April 27, 2012, 09:45:49 AM
Hi, I'm David.  My stats are that I'm 36, live in the Boston area, married for a little over a year now, no kids, 1 dog, 1 cat.  No debt (although that will change, at least temporarily, as we are closing on a house soon), and a stash of about $300K.  I work as a corporate finance and corporate bankruptcy consultant -- hence the name I chose.  My wife is a teacher at a private school.  Together my wife and I make a great salary (over $200K) and we've been following MMM since the True Cost of Commuting article. 

If you think that our 'stash is small compared to our income, you would be right.  I could make complainypants excuses for why this is --- all of which would be true, but which would also be beside point, because MMM and early retirement are about the future, not the past!! 

In that vein, I'm here to support you all in your journey to FI, and to receive the well-deserved punch in the face when I need it.  As is the case for many savers, when I go out in the world, I can easily be misled into thinking that I am a super-frugal ace who has the world by the tail.  When I come here, I am inspired by all of you who have done so much more than I have, and done it on a lower income.  It makes me want to work out my frugality muscles harder, and makes me less likely to spend money just because I can afford to or because spending is easier than the alternative.

My wife and I are still discussing what early retirement will look like for us, but we are on pace to have all our "middle finger" money put away within 8-10 years at our current consumption levels.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Plainview on April 27, 2012, 10:03:18 AM
Hey forum, I'm 27, from England originally, and I moved from Berlin to New York in January.  I've been developing a frugal side for about 7 months now (since coming across the Commuting article, just like the commenter above) and in two weeks will be starting my savings and investments in earnest.

I'm also dead keen on the wood work/welding/DIY side of things - I gouged, drilled and coated my first project this week and now have a kitchen chopping board to show for it.  Very much looking forward to learning from this community and hopefully contributing something back, too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Baboo on April 27, 2012, 10:24:51 AM
Hello, I'm Baboo.  I've been married 10 years, have 3 kiddos.  We both work full-time (he's a chef, I'm in HR).  I discovered MMM via his Mrs  on a "Mommy" forum and am loving it.  We're knee deep in debt, but I am completely inspired to make steps toward mediocre debt, then zero debt.  We live in Western Maryland, where the seasons bring beautiful, drastic changes.  Happy to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: $_gone_amok on April 27, 2012, 06:21:39 PM
Hey everybody. My wife and I are in our early 30s with 2 kids. We live in a high cost of living area in Northern California, even though we make decent money, we still feel poor given how much money is spent on mortgage and day care. We would like to semi-retire in 15 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kdms on April 28, 2012, 02:58:32 AM
Good morning....I'm Karen, and came across MMM yesterday afternoon and was so struck by the post 'your debt is an emergency' that I spent the next three hours figuring out how to shave $100 a month off our combined phone, wireless, and internet bill.  (Which tells you how just how ridiculously high it was to begin with, and we just hadn't given ourselves the kick in the pants we needed to fix it.)  We're from Ottawa, ON, and have one toddler, a very depressing mortgage, and a very tight income vs expenses ratio each week.

I came across mention of MMM while reading comments on a homeschooling blog....which was my number one reason (up until now) to live frugally.  (It still is the number one reason, but is no longer the only one.)  Come hell or high water, we are determined to find a way to homeschool our son when it comes time for him to be enrolled in school (in around 4.5 years).  Ideally, we'd both like to stay home, but would also be ok with figuring out how to live on one income, with a slightly later goal of FI.

Neither of us are so enamored with working that we couldn't live without our jobs....so we're beating at the debt every way we can, but have made some bad decisions (some of which we didn't learn from the first time and thus turned around and made them again...sigh) and it's taken us an atrociously long time to grow up and truly accept the folly of consumerism.  We've managed to squash 25K out of 30K consumer debt since last July, but that last 5k is dragging and I'm hoping to learn as much as I can from more experienced mustachers and boost the flagging morale around here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: darkelenchus on May 01, 2012, 03:13:32 PM
Hello everyone! Mid-30s, married 8 years, living in Milwaukee, WI. My wife works at a title company and I'm currently an adjunct college professor, but looking to venture into online business. We both have a natural tendency towards frugality (haven't owned a car since 2007, simple vegetarian homecooked diet, etc., thrift-store shopping, etc.), hence no outstanding debt beyond our mortgage, which we'll be paying off at the end of the month. Then we'll immediately begin strategizing ways to grow the 'stache!

I've been following the blog for awhile (since the guest posting on Early Retirement Extreme last May) now. It's really been great! I'm much more actively aware of my frugal tendencies and the site has really helped me see how turning them into sustainable habits can be incorporated into the goal of financial independence. Just dipped my toes in to the forums. Lots of great discussion and as rich a resource as the blog! I'm looking forward to reading up and participating!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BZB on May 01, 2012, 03:28:34 PM
Hi, I'm in Houston, TX. Mr. BZB and I both work full-time, have a toddler. No debt, renting a house, both recently finished grad school. I found MMM thru ERE blog. Haven't progressed very far in my journey yet. I'm trying to combine Your Money or Your Life program with the inspiration and encouragement I find here and on ERE forums. Have not had The Talk yet with Mr. BZB about mustachianism or YMOYL - just filtering it thru my own head and trying to change my own behaviors first. Am currently on the first step of YMOYL.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dicey on May 02, 2012, 01:25:26 AM
Well, damn, I think I'm older than all of y'all and I don't even qualify for a senior discount yet! I admit, it was all the cussin' that attracted me to your site. I've been a long time reader of TSD, GRS, ERE, MvD, MMM (and others) in roughly that order. I think MMM commented on one of those blogs and I followed the profanity to this comfortable, yet provocative place.

I've always been frugal underneath my pretty dresses. I also live a relatively clean (read: boring) life. My momma was griping at my potty mouth the other day. I said to her, "Momma, I don't smoke nor drink to excess nor do drugs nor gamble nor ask you & daddy for money. Will you please just ignore the blue cloud around my head and love me anyway?" Her answer, I leave to your imaginations. I shall just say that the apple, it's a' sittin' right up under that there tree.

TSD's and GRS's voices have changed, Jacob has un-retired and largely stopped posting, MvD doesn't post regularly enough and is still in the debt dispensation stage which doesn't resonate as much with me, which leaves MMM as the king of non-sellout FI bloggers. And the world.

I've never been in piles of debt, other than mortgage. I live in a high COLA, so my mortgage is big and I do not aspire to pay it off. What I do want is FI. I had cancer when I was 20 and as a result have a deeply rooted need for financial security. Retiring early is a secondary goal.

I have a theory that it's far easier not to gain weight than it is to actually lose it. I think debt is the same. I've got the frugal gene (refer to tree overhead) and have always been good at saving. What I suck at is what to do with the money once I've saved some, and figuring out how to pay for my self-funded retirement. As James Taylor sings, "That's Why I'm Here". Thanks for lettin' this old gal hang around, tryin' to learn something. And for the cussin', too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Clean Shave on May 02, 2012, 04:12:12 AM
Hey all,

I'm The Clean Shave (currently the entire face, my goal, figuratively speaking, is to grow a mo). I occasionally reply on the MMM website as The Dutch Clean Shave, but I've ditched the national indicator over here since I've no ambitions to stay put.

Recently graduated in international business (BA), with a focus on marketing. I have since learned from experience how immensely unentertaining and unethical it can be, so I'm looking elsewhere for the long term.

As a kicker, due to my studies I'm also pretty well versed in all things related to finance, trade, consumer psychology and what not. This leaves the path open to all kinds of other fields in business management, so I've recently enrolled at a university in Sweden for a Master's degree (did you know Swedes, Norwegians, Danes and Fins let Europeans study for free if you cover cost of living?) to move the focus of my educational and professional background to another interest of mine: the IT industry. Also, I won't lie about the fact that I'm interested in learning a new language and getting to know the culture.

To cover above mentioned cost of living and start with the smallest of stashes, I work for consulting companies in branding and help run a couple of websites.

In my free time I climb, run, cycle and read, and I intend to add swimming to the mix if time permits.

Cheers,


TCS
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: QuietContrary on May 02, 2012, 08:06:19 AM
Hi there,

Just registered today, though I've followed the blog since that time last year when Lifehacker posted MMM's article about the cost of commuting.
I live in a small country in the west of Europe where, as a nation, we're coming to terms with a dreadful spending spree that lasted the best part of a decade.
Now I'm lumbered with a mortgage on a one-bed apartment and facing the prospect of new property taxes and charges for basic services such as water. (Yes, I know such levies are common in other countries, but they're a novelty here.)
Over the past 18 months, I've paid off small-scale debts (credit card & car loan) and built up a small savings cushion (roughly, 1.5 x monthly salary) but I'm saving for a holiday in Australia (a good friend of mine is getting married and she's asked me to be bridesmaid) and I'd like to build my savings 'stache a little more.
Here in this little country which sounds a little like Iceland, there's a definite distaste for frugality: it's seen as running against our national character and something that only sappy English and German people indulge in. I have one good friend who is cash-conscious - but on the whole, it's very difficult to have a serious discussion about how to mind your money when (like me) you're single and all you want to do is spend all your money on nice frocks, fun holidays, and jugs of sangria.
Help me guys!

QC
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: clarkai on May 02, 2012, 12:09:26 PM
Hi, my name is Anna, and I've been reading MMM for a year now. I'm 23, married, and have a house + mortgage that we inherited. I came from a penny-wise but pound foolish family (meaning we bought second hand clothes and appliances, but my dad had an hour long commute to work and no savings), and my husband came from a family where neither of the parents were very good at money management. So, I've got a pretty good handle on the "smaller" aspects of frugality (buying used, buying to last, no car loans etc) but not so much on the bigger aspects, like investing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: annaliese on May 03, 2012, 10:46:48 AM
Hi there,

My name is Annaliese (if you can't tell from my username, ha). My husband and I have been reading MMM for a few months. I found it from a link someone put on a friend's Facebook page. It was crazy when I first started reading, because it felt like I was reading things my husband and I had written...so I have to say we definitely feel good to find people who feel the same way in our crazy society! A very brief background: we're 30 (me) and 32 (him), have two kids (8 and almost 10), we don't have a tv, we love our bikes, we're non-religious, popular culture makes us sick, etc etc etc...I could go on, but I won't. =) I also have a blog about our family/money/frugality which is fun for me because I like helping others. I am glad to be joining this group and hopefully I can get my husband on here, too!

Annaliese
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frutopia on May 04, 2012, 08:18:14 PM
Hi, I'm frutopia, and I've been an avid reader since the Cost of Commuting article I found via Lifehacker. I'm mid 20s and work in finance, where I got caught up in a lot of the status symbols that people love to brag about in my field. Bought a nice house and paid for an expensive wedding just as I found out about Mustachianism, so I'm starting from near zero but with a fierce desire to do things the right way from now on. I'm also learning how to lovingly bring my wife around to these ideas. I look forward to learning lots from you all.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: debthater on May 04, 2012, 10:34:34 PM
Hi!  I love MMM and MrsMMM and all of you that post in the forum!  I have learned so much and feel like this community makes me feel normal.  I feel very abnormal at work because of my MMM interests and values.  I love to cook and bake.  I also run and bike.   I LOVE coupons, thrifting, and garge sales.  I view shopping for something I need as a fun adventure. 

My husband and I are naturally very frugal.  We graduated with 6 figures of student loan debts.  When I came out of grad school the job market had tanked.  I was lucky enough to land a string of great jobs.  However, I knew that I could have not been so lucky.  Out of fear, I have always lived on less than half of what I made.  Now I enjoy my lifestyle but do worry that I should be spending even less (we save 50%+ of our after tax income plus max out 401ks but have a nice income so could be doing even better).  We are proud that the students loans are insignificant compared to what they were initially.  My husband loves his job and does not want to retire early.  He likes the idea that I could stay at home with our kids with our current spending.  I like the idea of tightening things up even further so we don't have to worry in the event that he looses his job. 

I have found some great tips here and advice that I think will help us to save even more.  Can you believe I had never been to Costco before reading the MMM shopping report? LOVE it now!  I can't wait to learn more from all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: XcaliburGirl on May 12, 2012, 06:57:44 AM
Hi all!

I'm in my late-twenties, married, no kids, and plan to be functionally debt-free in the next couple of months. No real savings, though for the first time in a while we have two decent incomes. I've always had mustaschian tendencies, but through the influence of my more "live in the moment" husband and recent salary increases, I've been allowing lifestyle-creep and neglecting savings. When I got my first job at 18, I was disappointed that I had to be 21 to take advantage of my company's 401k. Then, somehow I made it to 27 without ever contributing to one. My excuse was that my company didn't offer matching until this year. Of course, that just meant I wasn't saving for retirement at all. I think I might need to punch myself in the face.

I started looking at personal finance blogs recently when we suddenly decided we wanted to buy a condo, but had no downpayment. I'm not sure if the fancy condo and my newly-remembered early retirement aspirations can mesh well, but for now, I just want to save a significant portion of our income.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: illy5603 on May 15, 2012, 02:39:54 PM
Howdy,

My name is Chad. I am a recovering car guy and gadget collector. I don't like working and want to stop as soon as possible. I am doing well on the income column and am here to to work on the expenses column.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: flygirl on May 19, 2012, 03:26:56 PM
Hi! I'm M, I turn 26 in two weeks, I live in Boston with my...er..."clean shaven" boyfriend. I learned about MMM from the cost of commuting article - I was already biking to work, but I was thinking about the future and maybe someday living in a suburb and how I STILL WANTED TO BIKE TO WORK!

I was raised to always save half my income (starting with babysitting money, etc - for college) and sorta never got the message that not everybody does that. When I graduated from college, I paid off my loans (ahh! terrifying!) in like 18 months by living with my parents for a year (nice folks!) So I'm debt free, but I don't make much money, so my stache is growing slowly (but I'm starting school on the company dime in September!). Beyond my existing emergency fund, I'm saving 50% of take home, split 40/60 index investing and Roth 401k.

I'm not going for true ER, I mostly just want to have opportunity money around, maybe build a tiny house, maybe get a real house, and ideally move to a 4-day work week asap. I like my job right now though, so that's awesome!

hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zoot Allures on May 21, 2012, 04:57:58 PM
Hi, all--new reader here from Portland, Oregon. I'm glad to have found this site, which is a lot more entertaining and interesting to read than most of the PF sites I've come across. I'm fairly new to frugality, let alone aspirations to FI, so I have plenty to learn. I can tell you that when my HELOC and car loan (older Honda Civic hatchback) are paid off by year end, those monthly payments will immediately start going to my 403(b) instead. Dare I say this is a rather mustachian move on my part?

I'm a new landlord, having recently decided to downsize to a small apartment while keeping my house as an investment property. I may move back into it someday. In the meantime, I seem to be clearing about $200/mo. above my mortgage. I'm using a property manager because I was a little nervous about landlording and wanted as few hassles as possible, but I imagine I'll get tired of giving away that $1200/year at some point. Anyway, now I'm daydreaming about downsizing even further or getting a group house with like-minded/similarly situated people. I'm 41 and have lived on my own for most of my adult life, so it would have to be the right situation for sure.

See you all around.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: yomimono on May 23, 2012, 07:59:45 AM
Hi. I'm a long-time MMM lurker.

I'm a 26-year-old woman living in Madison, WI.  I'm currently employed as a firewall programmer for a company in Texas (I telecommute). 

I discovered Mustachianism-lite via some other personal finance blogs in 2006 (before many of them became watered-down "10 tips to reduce your car insurance bill" tripe), when I was working a job I hated for the local power company.  I "retired" from that job on 15k savings, spent it all riding bikes around the country, went back to school and generated 20k in debt, graduated last May, and made my last student loan payment on May 1st of this month.  I am now $0 in debt and have a positive net worth for the first time in about 3 years.

Saving comes pretty easily to me, but I know very little about investing.  I'm hoping to learn about unorthodox investment vehicles from the folks here who are further along in their journey.  I'm very interested in making investments locally, which have some concrete benefit here for all - socially responsible investing with some teeth.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stashette on May 23, 2012, 04:45:22 PM
Hi, I'm Stashette from Indiana!  I love biking, traveling, and dreaming of FI. 

I've been a huge MMM fan for several months now, but I'm still pretty new to the forums.  One reason I love this site it that it refuses to just be average.  I am so tired of personal finance sites that just recommend paying off debt and maybe putting 10% to retirement.  Heck no!  I like a challenge and MMM delivers.

I've already had lots of life changes from this blog--I got a new job, I got a bike (um... two bikes, actually), and rarely drive my car anymore.  I'm sure there are more in store!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Will on May 23, 2012, 05:50:54 PM
Hi, my name is Will, and I live in Vancouver, WA.   I just recently found out about MMM and I must say: I LOVE IT!  Great attitude in so many places, very entertaining and so informative.  I found out about MMM from some comments I saw on GRS.  My goals (for now) are to be credit card debt-free by next May (if not sooner!) and car loan debt-free 2 months later, then throwing a crap-ton of money into investments!  Maybe 10 years from now I can be retired too!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hazel on May 25, 2012, 03:08:18 AM
Hi my name is Hazel Im from New Zealand and have been reading the MMM posts daily for around 2-3 months. Im a 26year old reformed anti-saver and love my new frugal lifestyle.

Im attempting to get rid of my student loan (which is interest free) and save for my first home and reading these blogs is a fun way to keep on track.

Thanks
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Spartana on May 26, 2012, 01:17:25 PM
Hi - I'm Spartana,  a female, spartan living, early retiree. I retired at 42 after years (mostly at sea)  in the U.S. Coast Guard and then a few more years as a government employee. Have a small combined military/government pension and healthcare benefits and live a very frugal lifestyle. Divorced and child-free, I have no debt (never really did except for a short term mortgage I paid off rapidly), I do alot of budget travel and adventure type sports (biking, kayaking, hiking, running, climbing, etc...). Sold the house awhile ago and am footloose and fancy-free to travel with my little rat-dog right now. Plan to travel for now and then "eventually" buy another place - a small, tiny, tiniest, dinkiest home I can - paying cash of course! Waving "Hi" to all the other's here from the Financial Integrity Simple lIving Forums where I first heard about this site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EarthSky on May 27, 2012, 10:10:09 AM
Hi I'm EarthSky, and just recently discovered this site through the Simple Living Forums (hi Spartana, and others!)  I'm a single mom striving to live a simpler life through decluttering/downsizing, living frugally and deepening spiritually.  My greatest challenge is how to do this with children, as most of my 'stuff' is keepsakes (their school work, art, prized collectibles from nature, etc.)  I'm also working toward FI, but have a long way to go to retire debt from cross-country moves, cost of living with spouse with no money management skills, and divorce.  I'm at a new juncture in my life, so looking forward to sharing and learning from this group!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MooreBonds on May 27, 2012, 12:05:55 PM
New to the forum - heard it recommended over at the Early Retirement forum (courtesy of Nords).

Am a 35 year old male, single (hopefully married down the road), having enjoyed nearly all of my life in St. Louis. Well on-track to be FI by my mid 40s. Only debt is a mortgage. Lived far below my means in my 20s and early 30s, which helped pad the 'stash and let me loosen the strings a little bit when I bought my house 3 ago (but still live more below my means than the majority of my peers outside of forums like this).

When I'm not enjoying my free time with managing my investments and some outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, a bit of cycling (when I finish remodeling my basement), I "enjoy" my day job as an engineer designing building systems for a consulting firm. Although I would definitely not work if I were FI, my job is fairly interesting and enjoyable enough to make me say that it isn't a drag like some people have to put up with at their careers. Of course, there's the usual BS that comes along with many work places, but overall, it's good (except for the 401k investment options!).

My user ID is a combination of ranking Roger Moore as my favorite James Bond character, as well as passing a certain financial goal a few years ago and transitioning my portfolio to add in a greater % of fixed income (roughly 20%-25%).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jake D on May 28, 2012, 12:32:13 AM
Jake from Perth, Western Australia.

Just finished reading the blog from day 1 to current post, came to the forum to fill the time now that I have to wait in between posts.

29, married, with a 2.5yo girl and a 6mo boy.

Stopped driving my car  (our second vehicle) the 3 or so kms to the train station about 3 months ago. I've been either walking or cycling since (only to the train station, Perth's rail system lets me travel about 20 minutes on the train to a station basically under my desk. It would take about 90 minutes to cycle, then shower/dress otherwise). Loving the fact that I put about a quarter of a tank of fuel in my car every 3 weeks.

Picked up a bike trailer for free from facebook 2 weeks ago and my girl loves cruising to the shops with me when I need to grab milk or bread or whatever.

Wife is definitely on board with living a frugal lifestyle. Our biggest expense is our mortgage, but we both see it as an investment, as we won't have to pay a dollar of rent ever again sometime in the next 5-10 years. We pay an extra $150 per weekly pay into our mortgage.

The Australian public health system makes it safe enough to not pay for private health insurance, so I pay the equivalent of  private health premiums into a high interest saving account, earing about 5%.

Interest payments on investment residential mortgages are tax deductible over here, so we moved out of the house we own, rent cheaper and pay the difference into our mortgage, receiving tax deductions at the same time.

My next big change is downgrading our primary vehicle. A ford falcon station wagon. Probably as small as our family needs dictate, and bought quite frugally about 6 years old and paying cash. We can bank about $5k or so by selling it and buying the same model a couple of years older (from 2004 to 1999/2000) with an LPG conversion already in place. (In Australia, our cars mostly run on what we call Petrol, and Americans call Gas, For about half the price per litre, and a small compromise on mileage, we can get them converted to run on LPG, which stands for (liquefied petroleum gas, i think) This was very common a few years back as the government provided incentives to do so, in some cases making the conversion free. It was massively popular on Ford Falcons.

I also have a shitty personal blog, but I wouldn't recommend you read it, it's mostly me whinging/venting about pointless shit.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BunnyBoi on May 28, 2012, 08:50:37 AM
Hi

I am from the small South East Asian country of Brunei, a college student and is currently 17 years old.

I discovered MMM when I found NoMoreHarvardDebt (NMHD) through Yahoo.

My single mom has been frugal her whole life and has passed down such skills and thinking onto myself so when I discovered MMM, I learnt of how such techniques can be applied to a more 'extreme' form.

However sadly coming from a country that has a very different situation to that of which MMM is located in. I do find it very difficult to apply of which I had learnt from MMM specifically but I love the challenge this gives me.

I hope to one day to have my own family and hopefully pass this down to them.

I love how what I have already learnt from my mother has been shown on MMM, and more the fact that there are groups of people here who want to discuss how they use such thinking to apply in their lives.

But currently just hoping to finish my education first before I even go near the word retirement xD.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Donovan on May 30, 2012, 04:42:53 PM
Hi

I'm an Indiana resident living out of 2 houses (my parents and my fiance's parents) depending on the day of the week.  I'm 22 years old, but due to a school transfer still have 1.5 years of school left...yay?  I'm studying Software Engineering and just got another nice scholarship to help out, but still...no fun to be here for more time.

I found MMM from a Lifehacker article not long ago, obsessively read most of the old posts within three days, and am now hooked.  This is such an amazing idea!

In addition to my studies/work, I rock climb (indoors at school and work), lift weights, teach Muay Thai at school, play classical guitar, and grow some mean strawberries and roses ^_^

I'll be around :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: judycoco on May 31, 2012, 04:51:05 AM
hi -  i'm 53, have my son's PLUS 45K student loan to pay off (been just paying interest fro the past 10 yrs).  have defined benefit pension plan from govt job. can "early retire" from job at 55 losing about 30% of monthly payout but gaining 100% of freedom or collect 100% at age 60.  decisions to make...

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: simonsez on May 31, 2012, 05:10:16 AM
Hello, I'm Dillon.  I am 26 and live in the DC area.  I am a federal worker with school background in economics and demography.  I grew up in the St. Louis area and am an avid sports fan.  My student loan debt has been a stressor at times due to the sheer amount and time I thought I would be paying it off for many years (delaying children, home ownership, FI) but this website does provide good perspective and being FI and happy are within easier reach than I originally thought.

I like to think of mustachianism as akin to the economic concept of maximizing an individual's utility based on a complex set of variables (the traits that make us all different) in any given situation (this is called life).  The reinforced financial and life perspectives on this website can show that often times individuals are irrational actors and are not optimizing their happiness or financial situation (often highly correlated).  In other words, sometimes humans aren't maxing out their utility and it can feel good to get punched in the face from time to time as long as you realize how to avoid getting punched in the face in the future (or get better at avoiding at least).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Money4Nothing on May 31, 2012, 08:45:26 AM
Hi All.  I'm Chris and I stumbled on MMM earlier this year and have really enjoyed the material.

My "retirement" began about 3.5 years ago and it seems to agree with me (I'm in my mid-30's, so I guess I have time to change my mind).  After spending my professional career buying commercial real estate as an acquisitions officer for a large investment company, the financial markets were kind enough to give me some time off to reassess my priorities and to consider alternatives to the standard 9 to 5 narrative.

Recently, I've been spending my free time traveling, skiing, reading, biking, hiking, playing guitar, volunteering, and enjoying a simpler, more mustachian, lifestyle.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jbhernandez on May 31, 2012, 02:44:50 PM
Joe here from Queens NY. That's one of the outer boroughs of New York City, just in case.

I read "Your Money or Your Life" way back when, as well as some of the Rich Dad books, but the information I've found here is first rate (cost per calorie, for example). Kudos to MMM.

I'll tell you more about later , but for now just wanted to let you know that I ran some errands on my bike. Had to WD40 the rust off, but it rode just fine. 2.5 miles total. Now I just gotta get rid of at least 1 car. Two car family in NYC is totally unnecessary.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: happy on June 02, 2012, 03:47:52 AM
Hi,

I've been reading ERE and MMM since the beginning of the year, and wish I'd figured this stuff out years ago. Actually at times I've been pretty frugal but then fallen victim to consumption creep over and over :(
I'm 53 year old single mum with two teenagers, NOW with a plan for FI just before 60. A month or two ago I committed to 50% saving. I've worked part-time for 17 years:  if I can't stand my job any longer I reckon I drop my hours  even more in 3.5 years.

Being new to moustachianism I'm due for hard punches in the face for housing, commuting and food.....ouch! If I can just improve in these areas maybe FI will be even sooner.

Anyone else here from Down Under?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: happy on June 02, 2012, 04:03:21 AM
Gidday Jake D from Perth WA.  I missed your location when I posted a few minutes ago. Any other Aussies?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brianmeadows on June 03, 2012, 09:26:43 PM
HEllo my name is Brian I have been reading this blog since the real cost of commuting which in a round about way help my wife and I buy a house a few months later. We are now on our way to mustachism and loving every minute of it. Live in Southern California which just goes to show you can get to financial freedom anywhere
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: c0ffee on June 04, 2012, 11:27:49 AM
Hi. I'm Jeff, and you can count on me. Oh, wait, that's what one of the kid's toys keeps repeating.

We have the typical stuff -  two incomes (well once The Boss returns from mat-leave), 3 kids, mortgage, vehicle loan (oops!), and RRSP/RESP. Looking to figure out the best way to dump the debt and maximize the savings.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jake D on June 04, 2012, 08:04:20 PM
Gidday Jake D from Perth WA.  I missed your location when I posted a few minutes ago. Any other Aussies?

I was about to tell you Gooki was from Australia, but I just checked his his location tag and it says NZ. Either way, he's pretty active and a lot of his numbers are closer to Australian ones than the US/Canadian ones. (Interest rates etc)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Maddie on June 05, 2012, 02:57:21 AM
Hi

I'm Maddie from New Zealand.  I started reading ERE a few years ago and came over here when J passed the torch to MMM.  I spend a lot of my free time obsessing thinking about and planning for FI. 

I have been saving properly for about 4 years (late bloomer - spent too long studying (pointless things), then had a volunteer job in a third world country for a few years, then took a year off to travel and bum around and burnt through my savings & even, for the first time in my life, racked up a small amount of CC debt.  Thankfully managed to pay it of in 4 months, the motivation was seeing them take large chucks of interest off me).  The awesome lesson I learnt from that was that I NEVER want to be in debt again.  I started to get really serious about being FI in March last year, saving over 50% of my take home pay every month since then and doubling my networth in that time.

My man and I (and non-mustachian cat) are in this together.  He's just made us a program to track our expenses and do all sorts of fancy things (can't use Mint here).  Before that I had many worksheets tracking my and then our networth and other things. 

We only just seriously started tracking expenses in May.  Our joint monthly saving goal is ideally 75% but more realistically between 65-70%.

We are 33 & 34.  I want us to retire by the time I am 40....  I think we will have a better idea as to whether this is achievable once we have a few months of tracked expenses...

Our goals now are to learn about and start investing (scary).  I wish we had Vanguard here!

Oh and surprise, surprise we are both INTJ and work in IT :D...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CG on June 06, 2012, 09:16:58 PM
Well, I don't say "Hi" but "Hello" as although I've lived in Australia since 1975 I am still very English in my habits, having grown up with parents who lived through the Depression.

I don't drive and have never owned a car. I do my shopping by bike but mainly travel by tram at senior's concession rates (free at the weekend).

I have always rented. I have no television, I drink 'cask' wine (same as 'boxed'), heat water for a bath once a week, use the communal washing machine, and dry clothes on the line.

The older I get the more I feel the cold, even when wearing umpteen layers of wool indoors, plus ‘wrist-warmers’ and woolly hat. My trick is to use one of these very low wattage panel heaters http://www.thermofilm.com.au/products/bliss/bliss.htm (http://www.thermofilm.com.au/products/bliss/bliss.htm) under my desk, and top up with whole-room heating only in the early morning and after the sun sets.

Then I do my reading in bed with two hot water bottles, and a shawl around my shoulders.

I'm what's known in Australia as a 'self-funded retiree', with a sufficiently low income that I qualify for some extra benefits such as telephone and the new carbon tax allowance. I occupy myself doing the books for my son's small business and some (volunteer) editing and proofreading. My extravagance is travelling to the UK once a year to visit my sister, but I usually add on a holiday in European country that I haven't been to before, to make the long-distance travel worthwhile.

Do I qualify as Mustachian?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gooki on June 09, 2012, 08:38:10 PM
Yes
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JamesAt15 on June 10, 2012, 11:54:10 PM
Hi all,

 I am another James, and I live with my wife and two small kids in Tokyo, Japan. I've been here about 15 years now after moving from the States, and will probably be here for the long haul. I am in my early 40s so really early retirement is probably out for me, but it would be nice to be able to retire at 55 instead of 68, let's say.

 Living in Japan has its own financial idiosyncrasies. Interest rates are low - our 35-year home loan is now at 2.85%. It was at a variable rate of about 1.6% before, but we switched it to a fixed rate to lock it in. On the flip side, most savings accounts will earn you about .01% yearly interest on your balance. Buy a one year time deposit and they'll bump it up to .1%.

 I hope to improve my frugal skills and work on improving our savings and investments and get my little employees working for me a lot harder than .1%. Cuz I am pretty sure that is just not going to work. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lavender on June 12, 2012, 10:01:48 AM
Hello Mustachians,

Just got caught up on reading all the blog posts from the last year and some. Love this community...it puts into perspective a lot of things that have so far been kinda vague and uncrystallized in my head and sorta gives me a kick in the butt (or a punch in the face) to stop being a wimp already and DO IT!

By way of introduction, I'm a 33 y/o female, married, two kids (4 and 3 years old) and a stepson in college. I would have loved to quit working when the kids were born but couldn't as I was on a work visa and it was either work full time or go back to my home country. I'm using the 'forced' work period to build up a small 'stash - a little difficult for the following reasons:

a) my husband and I both work in academia, so the pay kinda sucks, considering we are 'highly educated'
b) stepson in college + two kids in daycare = bleeding at both ends (college tuition and childcare expenses)
c) the husband, although environmentally conscious and not at all spendthrift, is not at Mustachian levels, and is much older (he's 50) so does not want to be told what to do; also, I really cannot and won't question or interfere with his spending decisions with regard to his son.

Despite these, here's where I am (I tend to think of my finances in the singular; although we do joint tax returns, we have separate bank accounts, split household expenses more or less equally, and for the present, he takes care of college and other expenses for his son while I take care of daycare and saving for college for our kids).

Retirement - ~100K (I tend not to take my husbands retirement savings into account when calculating mine, because of the age difference and the other circumstances - there may well be nothing there for me when I am 'retirement age'. If there is, then bonus!)
College savings - ~15K
No car loans, 10 years left on low-interest (3.2%) mortgage with current principal balance of $157K (husband makes these payments ~$1500 per month).
Grocery bills are probably ~$500-$600 per month, again, husband pays these
Daycare expenses ~$1000 per month
Utilities average $350 per month
I put away about $4000 in retirement/savings, and another $1000 into college savings per month.

My husband loves his work and plans to continue at least until our mortgage is paid off. I plan (now that I am off the visa hook) to quit working full time in a few months, and just do some freelance work (scientific editing) and pursue my passion (teaching dance) both of which should bring in enough money to pay the bills and continue saving while allowing me to spend more time at home with the kids. (I currently do both these side-hustles in addition to my full time job, and save more than 100% of my main income stream into retirement and college accounts, using just the side income for expenses).

What do you Mustachians think of my situation? Am I somewhat Mustachian, or still very clean-shaven? Trying my best to maintain marital harmony and live Mustachian-ly :)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lavender on June 12, 2012, 10:10:22 AM
PS: These amounts are what I have been able to save over the last 11 years (I first landed in the US in 2001 with $0) on an average annual salary of 35K. Been married for about half that time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CuencaSolo on June 12, 2012, 08:19:04 PM
My last intro post disappeared, but it was too long anyway.

I'm John, dba CuencaSolo on this and a few other sites.  I'm a single guy of 63, retired in Cuenca in the Andes of Ecuador for nearly two years now.  Before that, I maintained ancient mainframe programs at Dallas City Hall.  ("Cobol?  You mean I get to work on the new stuff?")  Only for 13 years, and Texas cities don't allow some of the scams you hear about in places like California or Illinois, but my civil service defined benefit pension would still embarrass a gangster.  That was more comfortable back when most big companies had traditional pension plans, so government employees did not stick out.  Now I have to blush as I say:  Thank you, Dallas property tax payers!

I'm good with crossing cultural boundaries, and pretty good at languages, so it was an easy decision to cut my basic living costs in half by moving to a relatively pleasant Third World country.  I won't be getting a car here (walkable small city, usable buses and taxis.)  Other than that, I would rate myself low in Badassity and high in WussyPantsitude.  I rent in a secured condo building, with weekly visits from a cleaning lady, and call for a repair person if I need anything much more complex than changing a light bulb.

I'd be glad to give details on living costs and ways of doing things if people are interested, but this is an extension of the basic MMM themes.  My lifestyle here is an instance of what you do after FI, rather than how to attain it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Blondie on June 12, 2012, 08:32:11 PM
Hello.  My name is Carol and my DH is Ian.  We are not the target market for Mr. MM, however, since I found him while googling early retirement, I have not been able to turn away.  I read back through the articles and most comments.  I absolutely love the philosophies, cheeky attitude and best advice available, including relevant and thoughtful comments.
We are retiring at the end of this year, me at 56 and him at 58, and moving to a small village in central Mexico where a beer is 60cents and 2 large bags of wonderful produce is about a buck and a half.  I am looking forward to continuing to live my aspiring Mustachian lifestyle.  I sincerely wish I had young, hip people talking to me like Mr. and Mrs. MM 30 years ago.  All the advice I got as I floundered through my financial life was sales pitches on mutual funds and very little on how to get the Saving Money Punch in the Face I so desperately needed.  I raised my 2 sons mostly alone and got to the $90k salary range in time to meet my 3rd and last husband and move to a small town in southeastern BC, Canada.  I work at a small government job now that has more than met my needs for the past 4 years: small, DB pension.

I have raved about MMM since I found him, in particular to my sons who are most definitely in the target market: 30ish, high earners, single and needing sound financial direction they can relate to.  I, sadly, was a lousy role-model.  Son #2 is a MMM subscriber and we often talk about the latest article.  He told me on Sunday, his goal for FI is when he turns 40 in 12 years.  Now, we have to work on the #1 son.  At 32, definitely needs the Punch in the Face.  Maybe we could do a MMM make-over.

Thanks very much for doing this, you are truly an inspiration.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jbhernandez on June 13, 2012, 11:14:06 AM
My last intro post disappeared, but it was too long anyway.

I'm John, dba CuencaSolo on this and a few other sites.  I'm a single guy of 63, retired in Cuenca in the Andes of Ecuador for nearly two years now.  Before that, I maintained ancient mainframe programs at Dallas City Hall.  ("Cobol?  You mean I get to work on the new stuff?")  Only for 13 years, and Texas cities don't allow some of the scams you hear about in places like California or Illinois, but my civil service defined benefit pension would still embarrass a gangster.  That was more comfortable back when most big companies had traditional pension plans, so government employees did not stick out.  Now I have to blush as I say:  Thank you, Dallas property tax payers!

I'm good with crossing cultural boundaries, and pretty good at languages, so it was an easy decision to cut my basic living costs in half by moving to a relatively pleasant Third World country.  I won't be getting a car here (walkable small city, usable buses and taxis.)  Other than that, I would rate myself low in Badassity and high in WussyPantsitude.  I rent in a secured condo building, with weekly visits from a cleaning lady, and call for a repair person if I need anything much more complex than changing a light bulb.

I'd be glad to give details on living costs and ways of doing things if people are interested, but this is an extension of the basic MMM themes.  My lifestyle here is an instance of what you do after FI, rather than how to attain it.

Hello John,

I love Cuenca, Ecuador for that matter, and it's a great place to live. I'm going to guess you are paying $300 for that rental?

I would not call it Third World, but I can understand why others might. Here a a few pics from my most recent trip in March for those who may want to look.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9452251@N06/sets/72157630058245337/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/9452251@N06/sets/72157630058245337/)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Uncephalized on June 14, 2012, 02:10:57 PM
Hi!

I'm Uncephalized. I'm 24, recently married to a lovely young lady, and a mechanical engineer working in Phoenix, AZ. I don't know my net worth, because my parents and relatives are compulsive investment-account funders and so by the time I graduated high school I had more stocks, IRAs and investment accounts than I knew what to do with. I mostly ignored them for several years because I had no clue what I was supposed to do with them. Then I spent a bunch of it to live on for a couple of years when my parents were no longer supporting me and I was finishing my degree, then unemployed for 6 months.

So now I'm in the extremely exciting process of figuring out how much I am worth--which happily, despite my former cluelessness, seems to be a significantly-positive amount--as well as exponentially increasing my Badassity. I'm figuring out all my accounts, combining, streamlining and simplifying my investments, and paying off the relatively small amount of credit card debt my wife and I accrued recently related to our wedding expenses. I read MMM obsessively from the first post to the current one in about 4 frenzied days, and now I'm putting his principles in action! I want to be self-employed well before 30, and financially independent not too long after that. But for now I'm sticking with my pretty-cool engineering job, 'cause it's easy money, baby!

I want FI because I always have ideas and concepts for inventions to create, businesses to start, stories to write, and a million and one things I want to DO! and FI is the only way to have both the money and the time to do them! We're also planning to start a family in a few years, and I want to be around for my kid(s).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: winfield on June 16, 2012, 01:14:28 PM
Hi, I am new to the forum after reading the blog posts from the beginning over the last month or so. I live in Central PA and recently became motivated to move towards a more mustachian lifestyle even before learning of the term. I spent 3.5 years driving 90+ miles one way to work 5 days a week after meeting who is now my wife online. Luckily I have found new employment and spend only 28 miles 5 days a week on the road. Having endured a 4 hour round trip for that period of time gave me a new perspective on time, life, income, spending and basically what really makes someone happy. Thanks in advance to everyone involved in making this blog/website a success as it has been my companion in the last couple of months for driving me towards a more sustainable future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Will on June 18, 2012, 01:05:05 PM
As a relative "noob" can someone please explain what the different colors of the little squares under our names represent?  And what about the number of squares?  And what are all the different levels?  I've seen stubble, handlebar, magnum, etc., but what is the "ranking" of those?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on June 18, 2012, 01:15:50 PM
Stubble 1-49 posts
Bristles 50-99 posts
Handlebar 100-249 posts
Magnum 250-499 posts
(edit: Senior Mustachian 500+ posts)

You get another square for each named rank you achieve. Moderators and admins have administrative powers (the banhammer, but also splitting, merging, and moving threads), and they get more squares than that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Worsted Skeins on June 20, 2012, 06:39:37 AM
It was only last week that I learned I was Mustachian.  I have been calling myself a Frugalista, a term that dates back to Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette newsletter (which eventually evolved into a series of books).  All this was before the Web, of course.

My husband (in his 40's) continues to slog away in the corporate world, but our frugality has allowed me to work for pay only when the job suited our lifestyle and my personal goals.  I homeschooled, I do a lot of volunteer work in my community, and I have the time to cook from scratch, sew, knit... I am the Chief Financial Officer of this household.

After our Dear One graduates from college, we could retire---or change our lives so that my husband does consulting work part of the year.  Hence I was thrilled to discover this community which should inspire us as we run the numbers.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: apple on June 22, 2012, 06:54:55 AM
new moustachian here.....

im a young professional in canada (28), immigrated here 12 years ago from southeast asia....sponsored my dad and stepbrother last year...

had no discipline with money and had tons of debt ... which causes me great stress...so i've been reading tons of money blogs and found MMM...

background:

due to PAST bad spending habits, im currently paying close to $500 in interest, per month and $1500 debt payments...to sum it up

future is looking bleak...i've been trying to get out of this terrible cycle for 5 years but had to buy a house last year for us to live in...which came with a ton of costs....

trying to do the cash spending only but very hard...i no longer buy clothes, shoes or anything else that is not a NEED.....

hoping in 3 years I can pay this off and start saving 40% of my income

a stressball until then
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tiamat on June 22, 2012, 05:23:58 PM
Hello, I'm Tiamat. I'm a fan of simple lifestyle types of forums and enjoy the support I find in them. I'm looking forward to posting here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Parr0thead98 on June 22, 2012, 07:58:43 PM
Hi, I;m Pete, married, 2 kids.  Looking to be a Moustachian in Summer 2013!

Found this site from Nords over on www.the-military-guide.com.

On track to retire at age 47 next year, but wife will be rejoining the workforce out of a desire to get back into Nursing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CuencaSolo on June 23, 2012, 09:16:35 PM

Hello John,

I love Cuenca, Ecuador for that matter, and it's a great place to live. I'm going to guess you are paying $300 for that rental?

I would not call it Third World, but I can understand why others might. Here a a few pics from my most recent trip in March for those who may want to look.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9452251@N06/sets/72157630058245337/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/9452251@N06/sets/72157630058245337/)

Good call on the rent.  I have seen much higher asking prices lately in the Gringo Tree email list, but I hope they are atypical.  I pay:

$280 rent
  $63 condo charge (includes central hot water and propane for the stove, both luxuries here)
  $39 cleaning ($9 a week for about 90 minutes)
  $22 internet (pretty slow, down for hours at least once a week)
  $15 purified drinking water (in 20-liter bottles, $2 including a tip when the guard brings it up)
  $10 electricity (with a charge for street lighting!)
    $4 water, sewer (and maintain public parks!)
    $3 landline phone (plus a bit every 3 months to buy minutes for a cell phone)

$436 monthly total.  That's in an apartment of about 700 square feet, nominally 2 bedroom 2 bath.  One bedroom is really too small to use that way, and the master bath shower leaks, so I use the other one.  No heat, which is normal here even though overnight lows are often 50 or a bit less.  You wouldn't want AC; it rarely gets close to 80.

I might as well include some other prices in case anybody is curious:

Small supermarket close by, big one 20 minutes walk, poor discount store 40 minutes.  Veggies 50 cents to $1 a pound, except stuff like asparagus at $3; fruits $1 to $2 a pound; meats $4 to $8 ($1.50 for the greasy hamburger!).  Lots of the temperate zone produce like apples comes from Chile; many packaged goods come from North America or Europe, at a typical markup of 25 to 50% over home country prices.  Most irritating ripoff:  Kleenex, made locally under license at nearly 5 cents per tissue.

City buses 25 cents (crowded mostly when the school kids use them, very rough ride); taxis from $1.50 to $5, they cruise and there's lots except when it rains.  Gas is $1.48 a gallon, $1.05 diesel, but the government is looking at the cost of maintaining that subsidy and hyperventilating.  Starchy lunch specials in restaurants $2 to $3 (cheese and potato soup, rice with small servings of meat and salad, token dessert like Jello, glass of fruit juice with purified water.)  Good coffee grown nearby just went up to $3.50 a pound.  No bargains on wine, all imported; mediocre beer is reasonable.

Doctor visit $35 (that's high end, English-speaking specialist); dental checkup and cleaning $25.

Third World is an obsolete abbreviation, yes.  This is a much nicer place to live than some other countries falling in that category.
   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: liquidbanana on June 25, 2012, 12:48:15 AM
I'm liquidbanana. I live in a horrid but cheap place called Oklahoma. I live with my five year old son and my sexymansoulmate. We've got the frugality thing down, but not the making money part, but we're working on it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Daley on June 25, 2012, 09:19:47 AM
I'm liquidbanana. I live in a horrid but cheap place called Oklahoma. I live with my five year old son and my sexymansoulmate. We've got the frugality thing down, but not the making money part, but we're working on it!

A fellow sufferer! Hooray!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Russ on June 26, 2012, 06:39:51 AM
Hi everyone, I'm Russ. I'm just finished my 3rd year studying mechanical engineering, and will be graduating next summer after a semester-long internship and one more semester of classes. Being a poor college student, I have the frugal thing down pretty well; I do, however, have more stuff than I would like, and am working on downsizing. I probably won't do that much posting, but when I do, you'll see me in the DIY and Ask a Mustachian subforums since I'm a lot more interested in the lifestyle than the analytical finance right now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nevinera on June 26, 2012, 06:50:47 AM
I'm Eric, and you've all made me tremendously excited about my future! I don't even *like* owning stuff!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: John Spartan on June 26, 2012, 06:44:29 PM
Hello All,

I discovered this website sometime around January.  I've been lurking around since then trying to learn as much as I can.  I am a 4th year pharmacy school student who is graduating in May 2013 (with piles and piles of debt).  I'll give my situation eventually and see if there are any kind souls who'd offer me opinions on the best way to attack it.  I just wanted to stop in and say hi first and read around the boards to see if something similar to my situation has been posted.

Have a great day!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: matchewed on June 27, 2012, 08:45:37 PM
Hi Everyone,

I've been reading this website and several other financial/FI blogs since 2008 when I started researching Roth IRA's to begin extra savings for retirement outside of my company's 401k. I'm 31, single, I live in CT and through the awesome knowledge gained in the ERE website and MMM I plan on hitting FI in 12-17 years. I work in Manufacturing performing a Quality Assurance and Compliance function. My net worth is 100k.

Most of what is discussed and advised in here are things I was doing on a small scale and seeing real results. Sadly I'm not much for contributing, which makes me feel somewhat conflicted as I owe so much to this community (I learn just as much from discussions in the comments and forums as I do from the articles). Some of my goals for this year is to teach myself to do winter bike riding, take up some volunteer activities, and save enough money for a down payment on my first home.

I just want to end with thanks. Although I don't speak up much I do truly appreciate this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kibatsu on June 28, 2012, 04:47:03 PM
Hello everyone,

I finally decided to sign up after lurking around the blog and forums for a week or two. I had heard about MMM around the /r/frugal community on reddit or one of the surrounding subreddits, came over to take a look, and loved what I found. Early retirement / financial independence has been a goal for me for a while (I'm 21, so I have the opportunity to do things right from close to the beginning) but hadn't realized it could happen so quickly.

Anyway, I'll be finishing up my undergrad math degree in Ohio next year and hope to get into Michigan's statistics graduate program. With some effort I cut my monthly expenses from around $900-1k to $700-750 over the last year or so and with MMM it looks like I can shave off a little more waste and put that low spending rate to good use toward FI. (Holy shit my apartment is set to 10 degrees warmer (88) than it ever was last year and I'm fine with a small fan and a steady supply of water!)

Hope I can find a way to give back to the community for their enlightening help!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on June 29, 2012, 07:17:51 AM
Hey, college students in Ohio are alright in my book. Any chance you're in Columbus? We're trying to put together a meetup (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/columbus-oh-area/) if you go to that college in Ohio.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moose on July 02, 2012, 09:05:02 AM
Jay here. Graduate student in Boston in my late 20s. Been frugal all my life, except for a stint in NYC.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nords on July 02, 2012, 11:54:30 AM
Nords here.

I'm a long-time member of Early-Retirement.org and Bogleheads.org, and I see a few familiar names here. 

I'm finally getting around to filling out my profile and putting up an intro post.  Thanks to MMM for the forum, and for sending a new blogger from here over to take a look at my blog!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Echo on July 03, 2012, 10:46:57 PM
Hi everyone, my name is Robb Engen and I am the Echo half of the Boomer & Echo blog that I write with my mom, a retired financial advisor.  I live in Lethbridge, Alberta with my wife and two daughters (oldest is 3 and my youngest was born three weeks ago).  My wife stays home full time with our kids.  In 2008 she was diagnosed with MS.  She's doing fine, but the diagnosis at such a young age really made us stop and re-evaluate our life goals and finances. 

I left a 10 year career in the hotel industry where I was working 60-80 hours a week and travelling every 4-6 weeks, and now I work at the local University doing the marketing and business development for our Athletics program.  It's a 7 minute drive to work (you wouldn't want to bike or walk with the 100 KM/HR winds we get here), I'm home for lunch most days, and home by 4:45pm every day.   

My mom and I loved talking about personal finance and investing, much to the chagrin of the rest of our family and friends.  We started our own blog to continue the conversation with other like minded people who wouldn't be so put off by talking about money.  I never understood why money is such a taboo subject.

I found the Money Mustache blog through the Wisebread Forums and I'm really enjoying the badassity, which is rare in the personal finance blogging world.

I'm really looking forward to learning and contributing here in this community.

Cheers!


Robb Engen
www.boomerandecho.com (http://www.boomerandecho.com)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: carolinakaren on July 05, 2012, 12:08:28 PM
Hello Mustachians!

I found you all by way of ERE.  Started here in February this year and read through all the posts.  I haven't been using the forums all that long, but am very glad I checked them out, because there's tons of good info in here.  I'm nowhere close to FI, but my only debt is my mortgage of $137,000.  (My goal right now is to get rid of it!!)  I am a CRNA...since almost no one has heard of that, it is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.  I'm divorced with no children and have a great boyfriend who is beginning to grow a bit of a 'stache himself.  I've always been interested in money, and how to maximize it's usefulness.  I think I started searching for personal finance blogs after reading YMOYL.  That's the book that really lit a fire under my ass, and I've been chasing FI ever since!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mobius on July 11, 2012, 12:27:34 AM
Hello all. I am the unending force known as mobius. I am about to be 30. Married to a beautiful woman that I actually really like too (seems a novel concept) and I really enjoy cycling.
I've always been a bit more frugal than most of my peers, but I'm extremely wasteful by mustachian standards.
I'm also really lazy.
I'm here for encouragement to reduce my expenses, increase my savings, quit wasting so much time with mindless entertainment and maybe some advice on a new career.
I also found this site a few months ago via ERE. And I had only been reading it for a short time before I realized the torch had been passed to MMM.

Thanks in advance for all the knowledge and inspiration you guys/gals will provide.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: militaryincome on July 12, 2012, 09:07:26 AM
Hello!

I've been reading the blog ever since a friend posted the cost of commuting article on Facebook.
I graduated high school in 2007, spent a year in college, decided it wasn't for me at the time and joined the USMC.
My parents, who albeit provided with an awesome quality of life, always tended to ignore monetary issues.

I got married this April and want to ensure I can provide an awesome, low-stress life for my family.
I am looking forward to learning more about investing and growing my 'stache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsD on July 13, 2012, 01:43:02 PM
Hello, everyone.  I'm MsD, husband is MrD.  I don't recall how I found the site exactly, but I enjoy it very much.  We've been saving for a long time and have just made the leap into early retirement. 

I have moments when I freak out and think, "what the *bleep* are we doing!?!"  I like to come here and read and remind myself that just because what we're doing is rare, there are others who are doing the same thing.

MsD
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mustachecat on July 13, 2012, 01:54:59 PM
Hey all! I'm mustachecat. I'm 27 and I live in New York with my dude and two cats, one of which actually has a mustache. It's not as big as the one in my avatar, alas.

My dude and I are getting married later this year, and we've started gunning for early retirement. We've been together for six years, and it definitely stings to know that had we been smart with our money from the start, we would be so much closer to financial independence and the lives we want. But, hey, better now than later.

I can't remember when I started reading MMM, but it's been my favorite personal finance blog since the day I discovered it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: elincolnp on July 13, 2012, 02:27:54 PM
Hi Everyone!

I always thought I was just a cheap-skate, and never really imagined a life where I wouldn't have to work until...forever. But ERE and MMM definitely opened my eyes to not working~gasp!

Now, only 6 months later, I'm about to buy my first rental investment property, sell my car, move to a cheaper city (Boston to Portland, OR), and I've pretty much stopped shopping and eating out completely. I was always great at saving money, but it feels so much easier when there's a goal in mind (like getting to keep my own time!)

I just turned 22, work as a marketing consultant, and my fiance and I are aiming for FI in 8 years. I was homeschooled as a kid, and I know first-hand that there's nothing more valuable then spending everyday playing with your parents/playing with your kids. I'm so excited to have the chance to spend that kind of time with my own kids.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kisserofsinners on July 16, 2012, 03:49:02 PM
Hey there,
My name is Rebekah. I'm 33, married, and the wife and i have just been forced to really look hard at our finances. Our land lords are selling our SF apartment. We've chosen the hail mary pass; we're going for it!

However, we were both raised really poor and without any real money education. I've been working (starting with spreadsheets in 2006) growing my 'stach. I clawed my way out of debt (for the 3rd damned time) over last summer.

I know we're doing really well, but my optimism pumping two people is hard. I love the blog and love having other kids around who know i'm not crazy.

Thanks. Looking forward to joining the ranks.
Peace
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FausseBourgeoise on July 18, 2012, 08:23:20 PM
Hi guys and gals!
Turning 25, in long-term relationship with a guy set on professional school(he comes from money; I don't), Canadian (raised in Vancouver suburbans), grad student, I teach. Speak a bunch of languages. Have +8 to disguise self when speaking to francophones as they believe I am from France, but I have never been there. Love to cook. Facing $6,198.77 in student loans from my undergrad. Trying to figure out how to kill it in the face while paying full time student fees and still writing papers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sylly on July 19, 2012, 11:02:34 AM
Hi!

I'm Sylly, and yes, I can be a bit silly at times.

Found my way here from No More Harvard Debt a couple of months ago. Been slowly reading through the backlog of MMM posts, and lurking in the forums every now and then. I'm drawn here by the intelligent discussions as much as by the message of the site.

Financially not too bad off (no debt, good paying job), but still building my nest egg, since I didn't finish grad school and enter the workforce until 30. Currently in early 30s, with major expense(s) in the horizon (some sort of wedding, and then a house). Compared to most Americans, I'm frugal. Compared to most Mustachians, I still have fat to trim. In this forum, I'm mostly looking to build up my knowledge of retirement planning & investing and to be inspired to build my frugality muscles by observing the examples of those more muscled than I.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheFuzz on July 20, 2012, 10:33:06 AM
Hello!
My name's Chris. I'm 23 and living in Seattle.
When I moved out here after college, I started off my mustachian journey with $1500 in liabilities and $0 in assets (having lived off my meager savings before finding my first job). I have a lot to learn but I'm making progress (Net Worth is well on the + side now!). Thanks to all of you here for serving as inspiration. I will do my best to add value to this incredible community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CindyHartman on July 21, 2012, 10:33:05 AM
Hi!  I ran across this forum yesterday whiled googling "average grocery bill for 2 in 2012" - and found out I'm spending way above average.  So a new project in the works for me to bring that under control. 

I'm a Realtor in Jupiter Florida, and my husband owns a home inpsection business.  We moved to Florida about 3 years ago - and plan to build our businesses through our retirement... love it here so far.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ShanghaiStashing on July 24, 2012, 12:57:57 AM
Hey Everyone,

I found this forum / blog a few weeks back and love it. I'm 28, living with girlfriend, Canadian who has recently been expatriated to Shanghai.

We're working towards financial independence at 35. No debts currently and we don't own a home as we sold our Toronto condo when we moved to Shanghai.

We both grew up in incredibly frugal families (My mom cooked everything from scratch so I didn't even know what Kraft dinner was until I was 13 and went to a friends house and ate organge pasta)!

Anyway, great to meet you all through the computer.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ludwig on July 24, 2012, 03:57:08 AM
Hello,

My name is Julien, I live in Perpignan in the very south of France.

I'm 29 years old, I have a wife and a 2yo son. I work as web developper in a firm who's making dating web sites and I'm freelancing a lil bit.

I found this blog 2 or 3 weeks ago following a Ryan Carson post on hackernews and it was like an eye opener, I'm spending way too much money on things I don't really need.

So I'm starting my journey on mustachism road ;-)

Nice to meet you everyone.

P.S: forgive my bad english...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: It Figures on July 24, 2012, 07:30:22 AM
Hi, I am a married 43 year old mom of three children in Hamilton Ontario.  I love this website and I check it out as often as possible.  Every time my husband and I even consider a dumb purchase, we inevitably realize we have to punch ourselves in the face for even considering it!  Thanks Mr and Mrs MMM for being such awesome role models:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jdoolin on July 25, 2012, 09:25:53 AM
Hello,

My name is Jeremy and my wife and I are newly converted Mustachians.  We're very excited about our future and our new lifestyle and within the last three weeks (the time it has taken me to read all the MMM posts from first to current) we have made big changes and huge plans!  FI within 12-15 years looks probable for us!

Look forward to being part of the community, learning from everyone and trying to contribute myself!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanuckExpat on July 25, 2012, 12:04:29 PM
Hello everyone,

Approximately thirty year old Ph.D. student from Baltimore (at the moment) here. I discovered the blog originally due to a post on the Bogleheads forum (this post specifically (http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=92522&start=50#p1335162)). It must have been the combination of the content and the writing style, but I really liked what I found and eventually ended up reading through all the posts and most of the comments (it's usually quite rare for me to read any blog comments). The next step seemed to be finding my way over to the forum. I'll try to keep to mostly harmless.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kimbl on July 26, 2012, 07:51:07 AM
Hello, everyone!

My name is Kimberly.  I found MMM about 4 months ago and have read almost every post from the beginning.  I've recently been lurking on the forums and hope to start participating.

About me - I'm a 40s something, single female with 2 youngish children.    My relatively recent divorce caused some pretty serious upheaval in my personal finances that I'm slowly bringing until control.  One of the downsides of being the parent that decided to mostly SAH and only work part-time.  I'm fortunately a naturally frugal person and a budding minimalist so things are not nearly as rough as they could be.   I have a sizable mortgage (planning on selling in the Spring) and no other debt.

The MMM postings and all the informative comments are inspiring.   I don't have any expectation at this point of reaching FI any earlier than normal, however, I am starting to feel that I will be a able to provide a good quality of life for my girls and me and fund my own eventual retirement by following much of the advice presented here. 

I look forward to our future interactions.  Be well!

Kimberly

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cook for Good on July 27, 2012, 12:28:57 PM
Hi everybody! I'm really excited to have found Mr. Money Mustache and all of you. I'm Linda Watson, the Cook for Good lady. I help people save money, eat well, and make a difference by cooking delicious, seasonal food from scratch for $5 a day per person or less using mostly organic ingredients and just $3.21 a day using good, thrifty ingredients. I found this site because MM1970 reviewed my book so kindly that just made me blush again when I looked up the link: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/brand-new-lady-mustache/msg15746/#msg15746 (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/brand-new-lady-mustache/msg15746/#msg15746) She grouped my Wildly Affordable Organic with one of my favorite books, Amy Dacyczyn's The Complete Tightwad Gazette.

For the last two weeks, I've been focused on my Summer Challenge a try. The polished Encore Challenge starts tomorrow and I though some of you might want to give it a try. It really shows how easy, delicious, and downright cheap it can be to cook seasonal food from scratch. The first week uses my 20 minute a day starter plan and the next week you cook everything from scratch. http://www.cookforgood.com/challenge/ (http://www.cookforgood.com/challenge/)

I live in Raleigh, NC, with my husband (or Taster as he's called in my book. What a brave man!). When I'm not cooking, I'm gardening, walking, swimming in the public pool, reading (mostly library books) and volunteering for community events. I'm looking forward to learning a lot from all the Mustaches! ... Linda
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ivormustache on July 28, 2012, 10:08:39 AM
Hey everyone.

I'm not exactly new to MMM but new the forum only. I'm a 26 year old South African guy paying off some student debt and enjoying the natural progression of my financial and emotional freedom I've gained by tapping into the MMM way of thinking!

I'm a rookie rock climber and obsessed with my own finances (in a good MMM way).

"Let what is be." - Eckhart Tolle
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wiferkhart on July 30, 2012, 01:43:46 PM
Hi - I've been a lurker for a while - getting inspired by the mustachians and then realizing that the husband and I are one of you. 

We homestead part-time in rural Wyoming but maintain regular jobs and a condo in Denver.  We're building a weekend/retirement home from found/recycled objects and working toward finding jobs that let us do what we love AND give us plenty of building time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ak404 on August 01, 2012, 10:41:21 AM
Hi, I'm Greg and I'm a bike mechanic who's waist-deep in debt from school loans.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nia on August 02, 2012, 02:33:45 PM
Hi there - I stumbled onto MMM quite by accident when I first started researching debt reduction. At that point, I had only just woken up to the fact that living beyond my means was not the smartest or most sustainable way to go about things, and I was beginning to look into ways to reduce my massive pile of debt.

I went for Maximum Mustache and started reading the blog from the beginning, and now I'm completed converted.

I'm coming from way behind… I'm not young, I'm buried in debt, and I have no savings to speak of. But I do have a few things going for me, like earning a good salary and the personal tendency to be like pitbull with a juicy bone when I really want something. And I really, really want an exit strategy from Cubicle Life.

So I created a budget and made a plan to get out of debt and start building a stash. Step 1 in my plan was definitely the most painful – I gave up my beautiful money-pit of an apartment in the city 20 miles from my job and moved into the spare bedroom in my mother's apartment, which just happens to be exactly 2.5 miles from the suburban office where I work.

Nothing says "I'm serious about this sh*t" like moving in with your mother at 40, right?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Relevant on August 03, 2012, 04:00:02 PM
Hi,

I'm Leo, age 51, and on target for FI in 4 yrs, 7 months, and 17 days. Although I didn't know it until today I've had mustachian tendancys my whole life. I'm an avid DIY from carpentry, plumbing, electrical, auto mechanics, taxes, finances, etc...

I joined the group to share and learn. I recently launched my own web site to help people with their IRA and 401k plans. All of the information on my site is free. I only offer one small service and I openly state in my about page that 50% of net profits will be donated to charity. My primary motivation is to help others attain a secure retirement and to share what I've learned over the years.

I am happily married with 1 daughter in college.

www.RelevantInvestments.com (http://www.RelevantInvestments.com)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Fleetwood Project on August 05, 2012, 10:51:07 AM
Hello all, my name is Peter, I am 20 years old and studying chemical engineering. I am just starting off my life as a mustachian, so my path to FI is a long one.

Fortunately, my parents were fairly good with teaching me financially. I will graduate with zero debt, and have been fortunate enough to put myself through school with help from my parents. Anyways, I am here to learn, and look forward to conversing with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: derekh on August 06, 2012, 07:51:58 AM
Hi, I'm Derekh!

I am 21 years old, currently a senior in college, working a part-time job, no debt, but with only 4.5k in savings.

I hope to retire by 30 to a farmstead and live self-sufficiently.

My current major goals are: trying to play the dating game frugally and find someone who shares my interests, getting a second part-time job, trying to tell my family I'd rather be a farmer than a barrister, etc.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: totoro on August 06, 2012, 11:29:22 AM
Hi there - writing in from Victoria, BC, Canada.  I'm 40 re-partnered and recovering from the financial hit of divorce.  I'm a pt lawyer working for myself with a combined family of four children.  We are looking at FI in seven years (we hope).   Both of us are frugal but not radically so. I am learning about all sorts of investments as I was focussed on real estate previously.  Love to see people share ideas - wish I had found this 20 years ago...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vieja on August 08, 2012, 11:46:30 AM
Hello everyone

I am 41 and own a business with my husband.  We have one child with 5 years left before graduation.

We started down this path as newlyweds 14 years ago because we found ourselves without much income around the same time.  Little by little we realized that early retirement is a possiblity.

Our retirement goal is 5-8 years away.

I am a firm believer that there is more to life than earning a dollar.  I also hate the sense of obligation that comes from needing to make money.  Bybeing frugal I can buy my freedom much more quickly than if I spent like those around me.

We don't have much of a social life outside of work but I love to read anything I can get my hands on and do online sweepstakes.  I won $26, 000 last year on a sweeps and used it for debt reduction!

I look forward to getting to know you all better.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mindaugas on August 09, 2012, 12:25:35 PM
Hey, I'm Mike and live in the Denver area. I have no retirement goal, just like to use this site and forums as encouragement to change my lifestyle, pay down debt, etc. I didn't get any good financial teaching growing up so I got to learn it the hard way. Like many other folks out there I have credit card debt, student loans, and car payments. But a year ago I found this blog and started to change. A few years from now I should be able to pay things off and live comfortably and worry free.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tc_traveler86 on August 10, 2012, 04:23:23 PM
Hi!
I'm Tanya, I'm an international grad student in the US.
Love the blog and will probably post a long version of my financial situation shortly looking for specific advice.  So far the general advice I've obtained from MMM blog posts, comments and forums has helped trim some fat from an already lean budget.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kkbmustang on August 11, 2012, 01:21:25 PM
Hi-

I live in Dallas, Texas with my husband and two kids. I found MMM from No More Harvard Debt and read it from post number one through present day in the last few days. I dream of FI but we have a long way to go and a lot to learn from MMM and you all.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JasonB on August 15, 2012, 11:06:02 AM
Hello,

I'm Jason, a 25 year old in the Northeast US. I graduated from a Big 10 school 2 years ago with over 57K in student debt. I'm down to about 52K now. I'm off to grad school in about a week. Luckily, my tuition is paid and I'll have a cozy stipend (more than my full time job paid). While I doubt I'll erase my student debt while pursuing a masters, I am determined to at least make a huge dent in it through all the badassity I can muster.

-Jason

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jaherman99 on August 15, 2012, 07:12:01 PM
Hey there!  I've been lurking around for quite a while.  I'm in IT like many of you here, down in the Tampa area. My name is Jeff, and I started seriously cleaning up my financial life about a year after getting a divorce from a marriage of 20 years.

I came out of the divorce with a boat payment, dock fees, a car payment, a two mortgage house and barely a break even budget.

In the the Last 3 years, I dumped the boat, paid off the second mortgage and car, refinanced my primary mortgage, read MMM end to end, and found myself a lovely new wife, I'm getting married in March.

I'm commited to retiring within 5 years.  Even though my new bride is more frugal than me (!!) she needs some convincing that we'll be FI so soon.  I'll get her on board, I'm sure :)

Looking forward to becoming freinds with you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yellow Desert Dog on August 16, 2012, 03:29:15 PM
I live near Phoenix, Arizona with my wife and 2 teenage daughters. I started getting interested in FI last December when I was offered a VSP. I declined then but when the VSP came around again in May I took it.  Still don't have our monthly expenses where I want them but making progress.  We used to spend at least $7000 per month, we have cut it down to a more reasonable $5,500 per month. So far things we have cut: 


I feel like we are slowing reducing our expenses but the big one that we are having trouble with is groceries.  My oldest daughter and I eat gluten free and she is a very picky eater.  We spend around $1,200-$1,500 per month on groceries for 2 adults and 2 teenage girls.  That cost includes cleaning supplies, paper towels, cat food and litter, etc.  We also overspend on miscellaneous stuff ~$400 per month (my wife still hits Starbucks occasionally, there is always something at school we just have to buy, etc.)

A big concern I have at the end of the year is health insurance.  As part of my severance package the company paid cobra the rest of 2012.  My oldest daughter has type 1 diabetes and the insulin/test strips are expensive! (~$3500 per year in medication). I am pretty concerned about this since she got the stomach flu in May and had a 3 day hospital stay.  I don't believe we can be denied insurance but suspect that they will charge us a lot more.

I stumbled across this site about a month ago and really like everything I have read so far.  I really am looking forward to learning more from everyone here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: elindbe2 on August 17, 2012, 09:07:38 PM
I'm a 25 year old guy who just moved into the city to start my career.  I feel like I have a great base to start from, so I hope to achieve FI fairly quickly.  I started with 0 debt, luckily my parents paid for my schooling, and I was never the type to abuse credit cards.  I work as a software engineer for a great company in downtown Chicago and make about 80k base plus an end of the year bonus depending on my performance.  So far, I've saved up about 25k and every time I put a few thousand more in I can feel my mustache starting to sprout.

I'm interested in financial independence for many different reasons, but some of the main ones are: freedom to work as I please, dislike for consumerism, a desire for simplicity, and being able to wake up every day to make a big, lazy breakfast and sip coffee while reading for a couple hours.  I also have become very interested in music and would like to devote more hours every day to practice.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: corcoran on August 27, 2012, 08:44:30 PM
A huge "Thank you" to both MMM and Mrs. MM for creating this website and sharing your stories and thoughts.  I have to say when I read the blog posts the thoughts feel like they're my own. Over the last 2 weeks I've read all of the posts from the beginning to May '12 and I figured it was time to register.

So about me: I'm a 32 year old California dude that has been dreaming of the stock market (and compounding interest) since I was 11 (watching the DOW break 3000). Glad to see that the goals I've been idly striving to meet are already a proven course of action thanks to the MMM Master Plan.

Thanks again for the providing detail, motivation, and focus that is helping me develop my frugal muscles and my badassity!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StashinIt on August 28, 2012, 11:58:27 AM
Greetings mustachians,

My name is Tyler, I am 28 years with a beautiful wife and our first child on the way!

We currently live in southern California but plan to move in the next year to somewhere more affordable. I then plan to start my own business and never work another day in my life (for someone else that is).

I've been reading for about a month now. I enjoy reading MMM because it is entertaining and it challenges me to look at things differently and consequently actually change my behaviors. I found this forum from a comment on Get Rich Slowly.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NunyaBidness on August 28, 2012, 06:13:05 PM
Hello Everyone

New Whiskey Forming Mustachian here residing in NYC. I was frugal and a heavy saver but I went through it with heavy partying during  the recession and unfortanetely lost the rest to grad school.
 Well I am graduating in December with a Dual MBA and  some debt but it is interest free (engagement ring and furniture).

I am looking forward to being car less in february when my girlfriend's lease ends in February. We are also ending our $180 per month gym membership in October and using that to pay off her debt quicker.  My girlfriend is not on board with some of the mustachian techniques such as getting rid of cable. Does anyone else live in a Half-Stachian homes?

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: madage on August 30, 2012, 07:51:48 AM
Matt, here. I'm 31 with a stay-at-home wife and two children aged three and five. We reside in Texas but are originally from Michigan (Go Blue! Roll the Tide!). I earn a good salary as an engineer for a large corporation, and although we do a better than average job of saving money, MMM's early retirement has inspired me to make several lifestyle changes to more quickly grow the 'stache. Also, the average American's rate of savings is worse than horrible, so comparing to average is crap.

My wife is typically supportive of proposed changes, though would prefer to generally spend the extra money freed up by said changes than supercharging the savings. It will take some work to break all of our antimustachian tendencies (about halfway through a 3-yr loan on a new vehicle (1.9%), a lengthy van-pool commute to work for me), but I'm looking forward to that sweet, sweet day when I achieve FI and no longer have to work for a living.

Thank you, MMM and Mrs MM for providing this excellent resource. I'm looking forward to participating in the great discussions here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dunks on August 30, 2012, 01:04:21 PM
Hey Mustachians!

I'm dunks, and I live in New England. My dream is to get to that magical place where my investment dividends can replace my income, and then I want to become a farmer/homesteader!

Would love to hear anyone's story if they have done something similar.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kkbmustang on August 31, 2012, 04:34:30 PM
I've been posting elsewhere in the forum for a week or so, but just read this string. I found MMM through No More Harvard Debt.  I'm married, 39, the Hubs is 42, and we have two kids (7 and 9) and one dog. We live in Texas. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tradies wife on September 01, 2012, 05:24:19 PM
Hi Out there,
Chris (34) and Belinda (32). Two lovely kids, 5 and 3. Checking out how you Americans do things differently, and what are the 'universal' badassity traits are. We are living in country Victoria, Australia.

From Mrs. Tradie. We are probably at a whole different stage, and I haven't found anyone yet who is doing a similar thing. We have been really frugal with our money, and managed to accumulate 'stuff' that generally makes us money. Like a couple of investment properties. I am currently on family leave from teaching Secondary students. This allows me to do casual relief work, while maintaining my job for up to 7 years while my babies grow up. Just got asked to make the decision if I want to return to work next year. To be honest, although the money would be handy I love spending time with my kids more.

Mr. Tradie is a Diesel mechanic, and we operate our own buisness. So work times are flexible. A huge amount of effort goes into the buisness, particularly around hay season. But then, it does allow him to do the occasional Kinder drop off and pick up, and have lunch at home a few times a week most weeks.

Our income is very small, but we live life BIG! I buy things with cash not credit. We grow food, we go fishing and camping. We are frugal. And I would also add that after reading MMM we have brought a family cargo bike, to become even more frugal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wendyimhome on September 04, 2012, 08:56:55 PM
Hi All,

I've been reading for some time; finally registered.  Really cool site here.  I like the Mustachian philosophy and writing style.  I'm a lawyer by trade -- believe me, it's no easy way to the Mustache.

I'll be posting from time to time, especially for moral support in the face of a spouse who is a bit of an Anti-M.

I'm trying to convert her with daily blogging on the subject, but, so far, with no success.  By the way, in a shameless, but Mustachian, pitch at free publicity, my website is http://practicalfrugalliving.wordpress.com/   It's a far cry from MMM, but I think it complements it well.  Looking forward to some interesting chats...




Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cambridgecyclist on September 06, 2012, 11:26:36 AM
Hey everyone; I'm cambridgecyclist, I'm 37 years old and I stumbled across this blog about two months ago. It really resonated with me since I've already been living well below my means, and it's inspired me to reach a new level of badassity by cutting down expenses even more! The most limited resource I have right now is time; the idea of getting more time to pursue my interests is incredibly appealing.

I live and work in Cambridge, MA. By day I work as a network designer and help build the Internet. I have a side hustle providing web hosting and programming services, which creates a small mostly-passive income stream, pays for my home Internet and cell phone, and generates the occasional lucrative but brief consulting gig. I've been commuting by bicycle for over a decade, with a break of a few years when I moved out of the city for a while. Outside of work I spend time learning new skills or practicing the ones I have. I'd rather create something than passively consume! In the last year I've learned how to TIG weld, built a crazy bicycle with eccentric hubs, built a bike trailer from scratch (in the process learning how to use a hydraulic tubing bender), built several bicycle-mounted stereo systems, learned CAD in order to make a 3D printed control panel for two of those stereo systems, rebuilt a half dozen bikes and sold them on Craig's List (not profitable -- break-even -- but fun), built an irrigated urban garden with ridiculously productive vegetable plants, converted a busted 9 speed bicycle into a slick singlespeed, made a bicycle with an electric plasma taillight and built a custom case for it (learning how to use a bandsaw in the process), and reconditioned a bicycle frame jig with the help of some friends. I've also built three huge workbenches with shelves and one freestanding shelf, picking up some structural carpentry knowledge in the process. I built a ZFS-based file server from mostly spare parts. I make award-winning homebrewed beer, cider, wine and mead (great for barter and as gifts, and easy on the wallet too).

My partner and I's biggest challenge financially is that the cost of living here is really high -- however -- we really love living here, our friends and community are here and family is close enough to visit on the weekends. We rent an apartment that is much nicer and less expensive than anything we could buy around here. Fortunately we both share the same outlook on frugality, although she's less comfortable parking money in dividend-paying investments than in standard savings accounts (we maintain separate bank accounts and personal finances, although we don't split hairs with joint expenses). She's got side hustles teaching Suzuki piano and as a hula hoop performance artist, and by day works as a project manager. We both make good money at our day jobs and have backup interests that can be spun up to generate more income if the primary jobs disappear (although that's unlikely to happen).

Reading MMM inspired me to track expenses more closely by signing up with mint.com and we've dropped over 50% off our monthly grocery bill in the last two months by being smarter about where we buy groceries. Otherwise it looks like we're somewhere between 4 and 6 years to complete FI with a comfortable buffer, although I'm itching to get there sooner!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JoieDeVivre on September 06, 2012, 09:57:53 PM
Hi, I'm JoieDeVivre, 26-year-old wifey to a wonderful guy and chief herder of 2 rascals under 3 years. I get the feeling we make quite a bit less than MMM's target audience, so by the time our income kicks up, we're gonna be freaking frugal ninjas!

Life is interesting around here with 4 generations under one roof--we rent a room from my parents, and my grandparents have recently moved in as well. It's not for everyone, but so far we scratch each other's backs and get along pretty well. I'm also quite amused when we go out someplace together; we make quite a procession.

I'm a recovering Dave Ramsey follower, although I'll never get over my allergy to debt (nor do I want to!). We have about $9000 in student loans to knock out, and then I'll start to breathe again.

Aside from keeping the kiddos from tearing the place apart, I like to make science experiments in my kitchen (kefir, anyone?), and I'm working toward becoming a natural childbirth educator. Yep, I'm one of those crazies who had her babies in her bedroom--and it was awesome! Ciao.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SilverForge on September 10, 2012, 09:46:34 AM
40-something fellow "waking up" from the "American Dream"... to the reality of serious issues... Gonna start a family- just bought the "MiniVan" (no kids yet- but if you build it- they will come philosophy!)... and wondering How to STOP digging the holes I am in... already learned one lesson- STOP DIGGING! HA!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pollyanna on September 10, 2012, 12:03:45 PM
I found this blog a couple months ago, but just registered today to participate in the forum.  I'm 55, married for 29 years, two grown sons 24 and 27 who are fortunately out in the workforce at good jobs.  We always thought we were being pretty smart money-wise, but if I knew "then" what I know now (and am still learning), I'd be FI by now.  We did pay totally for our boys' 4 years (each) of college, always participated in 401K (to the max after a few initial struggling years).  But we had a somewhat spending lifestyle and even now need to work on weaning ourselves from it. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Solo on September 10, 2012, 09:29:08 PM
Hi everyone. I've been following MMM for about a year now, ever since Lifehacker (if I remember correctly) linked to one of his posts and drew me here. Since that day, MMM has been one of my required reads each week as it overlaps with many of my own interests and values.

A little background; my wife, newborn son, and I (37) live in a fully paid off house the NY Metro area. With hard work, a little luck, and a lot of self control (I love technology, gadgets, and home theaters, all of which can eat into any well laid financial planning if not careful), we're debt free outside of a mortgage on a Manhattan studio apartment that I purchased in early 2001. We consider it our retirement home, or if that doesn't pan out, a very nice long-term investment. Even with the real estate bubble, it's worth double what it cost. :-)

I'm not one for getting involved in online communities, but considering the topics and lively discussion MMM generates, the genuine spirit to help one another, and the shared interest in FI and DIY, this seems like a good place to get my feet wet. I'm truly looking forward to participating and I hope I can help even half as much as this blog has helped me over the past year. See you around!
Title: Gday! .. an aussie version of Hi
Post by: vinaeco on September 11, 2012, 12:28:46 PM
Gday All

new to the forum, I'm an Aussie in the US making software so people can make better decisions financially..  we believe the key is to get your income, spending & debt under control.

Super interested in studies into the link between money and happiness and the difference it makes when people choose experiential consumption over material consumption

We hope our tools will help people get better connected to their financial reality (constraints!) and in doing so work out how to be happy living within their means

Look forward to connecting with people here and sharing my experiences!

Vincent
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: namimomoftwo on September 11, 2012, 07:16:23 PM
Hi, I'm Nami, a mother of two toddlers, married to a wonderful hubby for over 10 years.

I found MMM through Jacob's site and have been lurking till now.

MMM and his community are great! We can change the world~.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: josephpg on September 12, 2012, 10:23:31 AM
Hi, im joseph, im 20 and im living with my parents. I discovered this site through hacker news, and latched on recently as my family has experienced financial difficulties. im currently trying to save up money, i have 2000 right now, trying to get it to 3000 by the end of the month while learning how to live as cheaply as possible in order to attain a 50% savings rate when i move out. I have two jobs, one of which is looking to hire me full time in a few months. I also have a lot of family and some good friends. Im here for advice on how to grow faster and be stable, as well as what i need to buy and how to spend my time. I used to want to retire by 35 after getting a degree by 25 and working 10 years in software to save up all i needed, but my mind has been changing a lot lately. i hope i learn a lot here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ryan on September 12, 2012, 07:27:33 PM
Hey all

I am 20 years old, my wife is turning 19 on Saturday .  We plan to be FI around age 30-35.  Our current goal is to buy a fixer upper house and turn it into a rental.  Neither of us had plans for college so we went straight into the working world.  We currently bring home 40-50k and save 50-60% of that.  I grew up poor with a father who made poor financial decisions and she grew up on a farm.  So we are both very frugal and happy with the simple things in life. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: maryofdoom on September 13, 2012, 10:24:44 AM
Hi friends,

I'm Mary, as you might have guessed from my username. I'm 30 and my husband Spencer (name changed to protect his paranoia) is 32. We live in southwestern PA, right outside of Pittsburgh...or, as the locals like to call it sometimes, Pennsyltucky.

We are farther along on our FI journey than many people I know. Spencer's always been a saver, as evidenced by his holding two jobs right out of college and paying off his student loans before we even met. I went to cheap state school and had money left in my college fund for grad school, so when we got married in 2009, it was refreshing to not have student loans to worry about.

Right now I make $48k/year as an editor and technical writer, while he makes $40k/year plus an annual bonus as a draftsman/one-half his office's IT department. Our financial goals mostly revolve around paying off our house and car loan (I know, it's a dirty word around, but we're working on it as fast as we can).

I think we differ in our approaches to money. I think of money as a tool that allows you to do the things that you want to do, while he views it as a necessary evil that you need and can keep you from doing the things you want to do. He is very much of the mentality that "Once you get a job, you hold on to that job for DEAR LIFE AND NOTHING WILL TAKE IT AWAY," whereas I don't see the point of sticking it out in a miserable work situation until I'm 65.

We are also firm believers in the side hustle. I do freelance editing projects, while he plays drums in a moderately successful local swing band. His gigs paid for a lot of the activities we did while we were dating, and now they pay for him to get lunch at work throughout the week. I'm looking to expand my editing work through a variety of avenues, but we'll see how those work out.

Spencer's hobbies include woodworking, riding the unicycle, and playing bagpipes, while I enjoy reading and embroidery. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of the Mustachians around these parts!

(And yes, I was on Jeopardy! in 2010. I only won $1,000, but I had a blast.)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Angelfishtitan on September 14, 2012, 02:04:43 PM
Guess I should have started here, but whatever!

Hi, my name is Justin. I am 24 (going on 25, innocent as a rose), and hope to be FI at about 35. I will probably continue working part-time (at least for a little while) after that just because I do like what I do, just not being forced to do it. I live in the middle of Connecticut with my lovely wife, currently renting, but soon to be buying a house. I am part of a company that designs military engines as a project engineer (for people who don't know what that is, I manage project financials and make sure the project runs smoothly with all the other disciplines on it).

I enjoy brewing (when I wasn't renting), gaming of all the various types, and cracking things open to know how they work. I am happy to have found this site and the community that comes with it, it is a refreshing pace from most of the other finance sites.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dr. Doom on September 15, 2012, 02:50:05 PM
Hey

  Really happy to have found this community.  I'd been reading FIRE posts for a couple of years but realize my philosophy is closer to MMM, which is that I don't want to retire, but instead move toward meaningful and varied work which doesn't lock me in to 40-50 hour weeks. (which, after you've lived through enough of them, start to feel like an endless forced march toward death.  Probably because they are.)

I live in the Boston area, just hit my 35th birthday, and co-own a home with a great gal.   No kids.  We both have been working in computers (IT and software development) for 14 straight years and it's been old for at least 11 of them.  It's not that the work itself is completely horrible, but the politics, 24/7 system support, and relentless demands of the business grind everybody down over time.   

The good news is that, despite job hopping a few times, we've never had any gaps in employment and we're both on the frugal side, saving around 50-60% of our salaries yearly.   

However, we're in a period of limbo because
a) money hasn't been an issue in a long time
b) we've stockpiled a ton of assets in our 401(k) accounts, as well as outside investments (she has a paid off rental condo in Boston and I have a decent portfolio with Vanguard)
c) it's no longer exciting to just watch the money pile up.  We're confident and calm but also somewhat bored and need to make some decisions as to how to define and approach the next phase of our lives.

I have a feeling that the way to find the path forward is to embrace badassity. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PJ on September 15, 2012, 02:52:52 PM
Hi all! 

My name is Pam and I've been lurking on and off for quite a while, but finally decided to connect into the community.  I'm single, no kids, and I live in Toronto, Canada.  I have a very un-Mustachian number of pets (4 cats, 2 dogs), and live in a house rented from my parents.  I'm a vegetarian, an amateur artist, and I love to read.  Oh, and while trying to get my financial house in order, I'm also working hard on decluttering my home, and am active in the forums on the website unclutterer too (I'm PJ there too).  I actually think that the work I've done to declutter has been instrumental in clearing my head enough to tackle my financial mess too. 

I've spent most of my working life in the developmental disabilities field, but a few years ago I went back to school and got my Masters of Divinity.  I was ordained as a priest in the Anglican church in January, and have been working in a church in north/central Toronto since June 2011.  While going to school I made a lot of poor financial decisions and have accumulated a bunch of debt, which is spread between a line of credit and a relatively low interest rate credit card (why yes ... I have run around screaming as if I'm being attacked by killer bees, and I do find myself punching myself in the face repeatedly!) 

I'm not sure that I see myself even wanting to retire early, but I do want to have a better quality of life while spending less money and being more mindful of the environment, and also provide myself with financial security for when I do retire.  I'm definitely on board with some of the Mustachian ways of living, and can probably take on more of them in order to dig myself out of debt as quickly as possible.  Looking forward to the journey!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pippingeek on September 15, 2012, 03:43:01 PM
Hello to all the gang here

Been reading for a while, wanted to get caught up before I hit the forums.

I'm Pip, 37, single in NYC, $30k in grad school student loan debt (and of course I didn't complete the PhD, so I'm currently overeducated and underpaid) and about to take on $75k more, but that will put me in a program that will give me a $100k starting salary in a recession-proof health care career, so I think it's a good move overall. Rent could be cheaper as I only share my apartment with my cat, but I don't own a car, I bike to work 3 days a week (the other 3 days I take the subway into the city for school with multiple stops and often 14 hour days, so I feel entitled), don't have a tv, wear jeans and a tshirt to work every day, and generally don't really spend on anything nonessential but drinks with friends. And as a lightweight, the bar bills are not so bad, though I'm trying to cut out the drinking at least for a couple months.

Just starting to get a handle on money as it's only in the last few months I haven't been living check to check (was making about $18k when I started my job a year ago, am now one of the people running the place and making at least twice that, but it took a little time to get there), I was without a home for two months over the Christmas holidays, it's been a crazy year. And I just want to not be poor anymore, and be able to have the opportunity for crazy (to me in the past at least) ideas like investments and passive income. We'll see, I've got a long road ahead of me, both with school on top of a 40 hour work week just to get into a grad program, a massive loan to do it, and probably 4-7 years before I am out and working. But meanwhile at least I love my job and can choose my own hours, so that makes it a lot less like work while I'm trying to pay down my debt and find time to study and occasionally have a social life.

So hi! Glad to come somewhere with an automatic team on my side!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WootWoot on September 16, 2012, 12:01:32 PM
Hi, everyone!

I am 48 years old, married, college graduate who has no debt (woot woot!). I was unemployed for two years and am just getting back on my feet. I am happy I found a job but it pays less than my last job, and I'm afraid I won't be able to meet my obligations. Luckily I have a cheap home and paid-off vehicle. I'm wondering if I can make some changes that will lower my monthly bills, though. I *THOUGHT* I was living quite frugally...but maybe not (just posted about phone bills in another thread).

Nice to meet y'all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Darrell on September 19, 2012, 02:08:03 AM
Hello fellow forum fans.

My name is Darrell. My wife and two kids (17 & 13) and I live in Inuvik, which is in the Northwest Territories, Canada. I (and the kids) are Inuvialuit, and my wife (Stacey) comes from a Danish-Canadian heritage and was born in the beautiful province of Saskatchewan. I love Canada and have seen almost every inch of this country - from coast to coast to coast.

I'm in my early 50's (actually considered an elder in my culture, which fact still amazes me) and am working on overcoming a peculiar condition ... I've never, ever, worried about money. My family is completely debt free ... no mortgage as we rent (although we have owned a home before - loved the experience but will never own again - would rather invest our way to FI) and we are now discussing the concepts of "badassity" (I love the whole idea but am facing some resistance) and how to begin implementing this as our household culture. I've been reading the MMM blog (and it's varied tangents) for a couple of weeks now and am enthusiastically enthralled. I appreciate everything about the blog and especially love reading the comments sections - I hope to start contributing soon.

If any of you fellow Mustachians ever make it to my end of the world, let me know and please stop in ... I'll provide the low cost (five-cent) tour ... all are welcome here eh!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oxide23 on September 21, 2012, 11:19:17 AM
Hi Everyone, I'm 44, no college debt, but I do have a small mortgage. I do my best not to waste money on anything silly. I've always been interested in efficiency and high quality. To reduce my need for money I ride my bike as transportation(most places, but I do own a small car), installed PV solar panels and thermal solar panels on my house. I had my house insulated and sealed to save on heating. I heat my house with wood as much as I can. I also bought the smallest house I could find in town, within biking/walking distance to work and stores. I did about 90% of the fix up work myself. I replaced my yard with a vegetable garden and I keep bees and sell a little honey. I save (and invest) a bit under 1/2 of my after tax income. I like to live small because I really don't need all the stuff my culture tells me I need. I also enjoy fixing things. I don't really plan on retiring, but at 52 I should have enough to do so. I began saving seriously at 26. I live far below my means. In the event that I die before I retire, I know my family will be stronger for my lifestyle. I'm very happy knowing that. I have everything I need. I feel lucky and very happy with life. Good Luck everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 10moreyears on September 21, 2012, 06:27:03 PM
Hi, I found this site back in the spring and have been reading every post. Thanks MMM for the punch in the face! I have been reading PF blogs for several years but the content and discussions here are unmatched anywhere else. I have always been somewhat frugal but this site has lit a fire in me. I'm 50, married with 2 high school age kids. I'm ready to plan my exit strategy from the corporate rat race. Looking forward to participating in the discussions here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: J.O.S.H. on September 23, 2012, 03:13:56 PM
Hi, I'm Josh. I'm 19, about halfway to FI, and plan to retire on my 21st birthday, if not sooner. This stuff is pretty easy, no? :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ClimbingRocks on September 25, 2012, 12:20:51 PM
Sweet! People who won't think I'm psycho for ditching the car and buying a bike!

Hi, I'm Rebekah. I'm 30 and in the process of rebuilding from a divorce (I wanted nothing and that is exactly what I got). I'm planning to return to college in January to keep working on my engineering degree, and I have just found a full time job in addition to my part timer, so hopefully I'll be able to stop couch surfing and start building up some savings and retirement within the next few weeks. I've lived on nothing for the last couple of years and am looking forward to continuing that habit while I (finally!) start to re-grow my 'stache. It's nice to find people with a similar mindset :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Laina83 on September 26, 2012, 06:49:49 AM
Hi! I'm Laina. My husband and I are in our late 20s and are on our way to FI!We have a 15 month old and have been having fun proving that you can have kids without breaking the bank. We both work full time which is hard since we wish we could spend more time with our kiddo. At the moment we are chipping away at student loan debt and an auto loan (used 2008 prius), contemplating selling our second car (2007 yaris hatchback) and squirreling away all of our extra cash into index funds. We look forward to proving that we can retire before 40!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KulshanGirl on September 26, 2012, 10:46:07 AM
Hi all!  I'm Megan.  I followed a FB link to a post here and then sat and read the entire blog from start to finish.  WHEW!  I am glad to report that I am pretty good shape at this point, but I could use some help from here forward for sure!

I'm 41 and bought a house right before the boom, in 2002.  It's a tiny 600sf cottage with a low mortgage amount refinanced at a great rate, and it's within 2 miles of absolutely everywhere we need to go in an awesome pacific NW college town.  I couldn't rent for what I pay on my house now.  Score!  I am unmarried but live with my husboyfriend and our 2 year old.  We have separate finances, it's a long story but it's best for us. 

I have no consumer debt and paid cash my used 1998 Volvo XC70.  We both work full time so daycare is our biggest expense right now.  I know it's seen as unmustachian to have a child in care, and it was difficult at first, but now I have to say that it's wonderful for us.  She is happy, bright, independent, creative, and she LOVES her school.  She comes home every day looking like she got dragged through paint, gravy, pine needles and smiles.  I really do see it like she spends her day with "the village" with friends and beloved and trusted adults.  I know it's not perfectly ideal and I would love to stay home with her.  YMMV but I heart our daycare, and right now we both do need to work.

I make $40K per year, plus bonuses that end up being around $8K.  Between my contributions and my employers, I put 21% into my 401k. ($51k in that as of now) I am pretty frugal, and after all the bills are paid (husboyfriend pays half of expenses) and some is set aside for things like property taxes and insurance, I have around $600 per month left over, and about $1500 per quarter also from the bonuses.  In the past I have added to my "F-this" savings/emergency fund, ($12k in a savings account) but then it kind of piddles back out for this and that.

My biggest leak is that I am adult fan of LEGO.  *hides*  It is a hobby that brings me a huge amount of joy and happiness, and it's something that I can share with my child when she is older.  But man, it is spendy.  I have toned it way down though.  *punch self in face, etc etc*

The big question is ... What should I do with my roughly $13K per year?
1.  Max out my 401k or
2.  Pay off my mortgage in about 5 years or
3.  Stuff it into a Vanguard fund and let 'er rip or
4.  Some combo of those things

I'm not looking to leave my job any time in the very near future.  I love my life how it is now although I'd like to go part time when my daughter is in grade school.  I just want to know how best to deploy my employees.  Right now I have quite a few of them, but they just sit around.  :)

So gald to find this community! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: deselby on September 28, 2012, 03:34:17 PM
Hello forum! My name's Brett and my fiancee and I currently live in Boulder, Colorado, though we're originally from Northern California. After my unsuccessful PhD experiment came to an end in February, I was saddled with a big chunk of student loans and no job. Around this time I discovered MMM, and my fiancee and I both adjusted to a more Mustachian lifestyle, with the goal of eliminating our combined debt by year's end.

Now things are looking pretty good. I've got a full-time job (and some part-time work) and we're less than two months from being completely free of our debts, and we see no reason to change our habits in the future.

I'd say the most profound thing we've learned in the past several months is that living a life of delayed gratification, low consumption, hard work, and self-reliance isn't just a recipe for getting your finances in order. It's a recipe for leading a happy, fulfilling life, and early retirement is the byproduct!

Thanks to Senor 'Stache and family for the inspiration!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ErinG on September 30, 2012, 06:46:27 PM
Hi, I'm Erin! I'm a married mother of 3. I work full time outside the home and spend the majority of the rest of my waking hours parenting and running the household and worrying about the bills. I'm still trying to figure out what other interests or talents I have.
I've been reading the blog for a couple of months and just recently discovered the forum. Yay! I'm happy you're all here and I'm happy to be here! I think it's a great place!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GuitarStv on October 02, 2012, 09:38:01 AM
Hi!  I'm Steven, and have been reading the blog for a couple of weeks.  I'm currently living in the east end of Toronto, Ontario (Canada) with my wife.  We're both software engineers, and have worked hard to live debt free up to this point (excepting our mortgage, which we hope to have paid off in the next five years).  None of my friends, and few of the people in my life are very frugal, and MMM's blog has really made me feel better that there are other cheapies out there like me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crajoh71 on October 04, 2012, 01:42:44 PM
HI! im John,
Graduated college last year. I got a great job right after graduation and I am trying to retire by 40. Damn student loans.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kamikaze Emu on October 04, 2012, 01:56:49 PM
Hi, I am Jason.

I found the blog a few months ago and the timing could not have been better!  I just turned 31 and I am three months away from eradicating a $20,000 debt wall that I have been working on for the last 21 months.  The blog has been great for me as I was already in a semi-frugal mindset with my debt repayment goals and it has given me great motivation to put that debt away asap and start planning my exit strategy.  I hope to be semi-retired and living on my not yet purchased homestead in 15 years or less!  Keeping that in mind I find more and more motivation to push my savings rate higher and I am really looking forward to keeping my savings instead of seeing it go to debt repayment.

Cheers, and thank for all the help so far. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Erica/NWEdible on October 05, 2012, 10:57:08 AM
Hi, I'm Erica.

I'm really good at growing my own food, not taking on debt and not wasting food. I really suck at getting my electricity usage down and I live in a house that is more than we need but we love it. Oh...and I have an SUV. So, you know, maybe I have stubble, maybe not. :)

We're in a good place financially, which is something that became apparent from reading MMM and re-working my definition of "enough to retire". We are debt-free. I want to cut out waste from the budget and our lives for financial, philosophical and environmental reasons. Although I've never been the world's biggest shopper, for about the past 5 years I have become more and more disenchanted by *stuff* (buying it, maintaining it, cleaning it) and we are at the point where there is nothing we want more of except time.

We are shooting for ER (or perhaps semi-retirement) because my boy is two and we realized that my daughter mostly got the benefit of two SAH parents for her early years. It was *great* and I want the same for my son. We figure it's kinda now or never. Making that shift is more of a psychological thing at this point. ("Oh, you mean I *don't* have to play the bullshit corporate climber game? You mean I can just opt out of that whole system? AWESOME!")

I write a blog called Northwest Edible Life (www.nwedible.com (http://www.nwedible.com)). It's mostly about gardening, home preserving, cooking from the garden, keeping chickens, DIY home hacks, urban homesteading, etc. The gardening stuff has a strong Pacific NW bias because that's what I know. We talk about frugality and values-based spending too sometimes, but mostly it's how-to's and garden porn. :)

Thank you for this really excellent resource and all the inspiration that is built into the MMM blog and community. Solid work, Mr. & Mrs. MM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nurse Frugal on October 05, 2012, 03:30:16 PM
Hi, I'm nurse Frugal.  Trying to fight the daily struggles of my alter-ego: Mrs. Complainey pants, and trying to stay on track to be a bad-ass mustachian.  Husband and I are currently trying to pay off our house, hopefully by this time next year ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: prudence on October 09, 2012, 01:09:27 PM
Hi All,
I'm Beth and discovered Mr. Money Mustache about a month ago and have since read this blog from start to finish. At 50, I'm late to this game but eager to get to the finish line.  I have always been frugal but spent almost 20 years with a partner making bad financial decisions and I lost a lot of ground. Ive been divorced 6 years now and have gotten myself back on track.  I'm debt free except for a 15 year mortgage on a house I bought 4 years ago. I live in the very expensive northeast and work in IT.
I'm looking forward to more inspiration from all the badasses on this blog!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: yolfer on October 09, 2012, 03:47:56 PM
I'm Joe. I've been reading MMM and posting on the forums for a little while but forgot to do an intro.

I'm 32, married, 3 kids. We live in Seattle, WA at our "Urban Homestead" (with chickens and a garden).

When I'm not reading MMM, I enjoy being a dad, cycling, running, music, video games. For paid employment, I'm a software developer. Calculators say I'm to be FI in 10 years, but who really knows? I'm just enjoying the journey for now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wagonwheeljr on October 09, 2012, 05:59:30 PM
Hello, my name is Gerry and I am in pretty deep but with some sacrifice and planning I intend on winning my FI! This will happen!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: savingtofreedom on October 11, 2012, 03:21:07 PM
Hello,

I have been lurking on the site for some time now and I am looking forward to finally join the community.

I have always been a rather frugal person - other than my clothes hoarding shopping tendencies (always at 70 - 90 % off).  Husband and I have put away a pretty good amount but would like to build up as much as a savings cushion as possible and continue to cut the expenses to allow ourselves early retirement.

I am 32 and I am pretty confident I can make this happen by 40.

Looking forward to hanging out with some other frugal folks.

-savingtofreedom
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frompa on October 12, 2012, 06:34:28 AM
Well, I've been poking around here for months, and posting once in a while, so I guess I should introduce myself.  I am middle aged, been pretty frugal my whole life, but have been dealing with the financial consequences of big health problems for one of my children (I have two) a few years ago, followed immediately by a quite unexpected divorce after 25 years of marriage.  Wahoo, what a ride it's been! Also, because of my ability to live on next to nothing, while I was dealing with this mess, I really didn't have to make much money, so I didn't; now, I'm facing reality and looking to mega-ramp up my income and 'stache. I'm debt-free, including owning my house free and clear.  I really enjoy the quality of MMM's writing, and the depth of insight I find in his pieces as well as in the comments and forum entries.  Thanks all, you have already been an excellent source of information and support!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: flyfamily on October 12, 2012, 10:27:50 AM
'Hi' to everyone.

My husband and I have been together 20 years. We have two, school aged children.
We made a conscious, motivated change approximately 3 years ago to live more simply and prepare for husband's retirement from his 1st job.  We had relocated the year before, which meant that I had to leave my career of 10+ years.

I became a homemaker, which has helped our family downshift. We sold 1 of our 2 vehicles, and we paid cash for a motorcycle for husband to commute to and from work on. He's been riding for 2 over 2 years now. We also scaled back our housing costs to well below our monthly allotment and began paying off debt, to where we have now been able to live on less than 50% of our net household income! We still have more debt to repay (along with the 1 auto loan). However, we're on track to be completely debt free, have savings, all before his retirement. He'll have a pension (gov't), and we do not have long term plans as husband is in Aviation.. so we could go anywhere around the world. With that in mind, it's opened us up to the realization that we can live life on our terms, that it doesn't have to be defined by working 60+ hours per week or both of us working full time and spending it all on lifestyle and expenses.

A year after we began making changes, I was diagnosed with two incurable diseases, which my specialists are still trying to get under control. It really reinforced for us that the decision to simplify and carve out a future with less stress, was the right move.

We also have a family homestead, with our portion being 10 acres that we have a 1 bedroom cabin (electric only) sitting on. We don't have long term plans there, at the moment. However, wherever in the world we may end up after his retirement, it will give us a home base. The land has been in his family over 100 years, so it's an important part of their heritage.

That's about all.. enjoying the boards!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: inthebiz on October 12, 2012, 11:46:44 AM
This community is amazing. Thank you for building such a great resource.

I'm in the financial services industry and and recently moved from downtown Chicago (and the rat race if there ever was one) to a very rural part of the country - all in the name of the Mustachian way, I'd have you know.

I enjoy this blog/forum because it helps me stay grounded and learn ways to help the financially savvy and not-so-savvy alike, which is one of the main reasons I chose the career I did.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CarolynM on October 12, 2012, 12:31:47 PM
Hello, everyone!

I'm Carolyn and I discovered the blog yesterday (and spent my entire work day reading it!)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Self-employed-swami on October 12, 2012, 01:49:13 PM
Hello.

I'm a late 20's lady who is married to an awesome fella, and I've always felt the drive to cut out frivolous spending, and pad the FU fund. I own my own business, and am $67,000 away from having my mortgage paid off, and I think MMM can give me the tools to not only motivate me, but also get my husband more converted to FI philosophy.  He grew up in a much different type of household than I (My parents never had credit cards, and paid cash for things.  I also grew up hearing 'no' a lot) whereas his fam spent to the maximum of their credit allowances, and sometimes beyond, so the idea of 'depriving' himself  (not buying everything you want, exactly when you want it) is slowly becoming more normal to him.

I quit my office job 2 years ago to become self employed, and I have an abundance of time off because of it.  (Hence the swami title).  I love my job now, and I very rarely dread it.

This forum also seems to be filled with other awesome people, who understand that saving can be much more gratifying than spending.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 on October 12, 2012, 05:52:30 PM
Hi I'm Marty, from Sydney Australia (are there any other Aussies on here?)

Started reading MMM a couple of weeks ago. Start to end, couldn't stop myself reading the lot.
 
26 now, set myself the goal of being FI in 9 years. Notwithstanding the sky-high housing costs here I reckon I can still do it.

cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mustachianit on October 13, 2012, 08:58:08 AM
Hi,

I am Andria and my husband and I live in Chicago.  Started doing this last January and the changes are mind blowing.  I have never been so happy before.  ; )  So, grateful for learning about another way things can be done.  Hoping to retire at 54 which is better than 75.  Spending what I was spending before I do not think retirement would ever come.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moskit on October 13, 2012, 10:55:02 AM
Hi,
I'm from Buffalo. Started reading just a couple of days ago. Very interesting. I was never a spender, because always had to keep my nickels and dimes counted but it was very interesting to find out that other people share the same ideas of limited consumerizm.
I've immigrated to the US 10 years ago and finally have a stable source of income. Not huge, but enough to pay off all of my debts I accrued getting my aducation and let me retire at age 55 (this is a legal retirement age for women in Russia).
Looking forward to learn more from this forum.
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Geborgenheit on October 16, 2012, 06:07:53 AM
Hi just discovered MMM today. I am a Brit living in Germany with an American husband and our 3 American-born kids. We have done OK in some ways but we are far, far away from any level of financial badassity. Hoping to read and learn but firstly pay attention to where our money is going! We live in a country where frugality is celebrated and virtually everyone (except me) rides a bike.

We have no mortgage as we sold our house when we left the US. We own our cars and have never had car payments. We have a good start on savings (200k +) but we are 43/44 and we have no current financial plan and nothing planned for retirement. This is our wake-up call and I'm actually very excited to find this site as I believe we should now be able to create a blueprint to move forward with. We have been good in the past at working together toward financial goals (such as never having car loans, paying down debt and making necessary sacrifices). We lost the plot since we had kids 12 years ago however and although we haven't acquired new debt we also seem to have squandered a lot of money on ??

Humbled and hopeful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: weston on October 16, 2012, 06:15:23 AM
I'm Weston. I've been reading the blog since the very beginning and have been reading the forum on RSS feed for several months. I just registered a few minutes ago.

I'm 58, the father of 4 daughters with 2 granddaughters. I'm the sole shareholder in my own law firm specializing primarily in Immigration and Personal Bankruptcy law. My oldest daughter is also a lawyer and works for me. I was very pleasantly surprised by how many lawyers apparently frequent this forum.

At 58 I certainly don't believe that early retirement is going to be in the cards. My wife (who also works) and I have a less extravagant lifestyle than many of our friends who have lower incomes than we do. However, we have been in agreement for many years that one of our top priorities was to have our kids get quality educations without being burdened by excessive student loans. All 4 of them have worked during college but with 4 kids it was still a rather substantial burden upon my wife and I. I don't regret it for a minute, but now that our youngest is due to graduate next summer it's time to get real about putting more money aside for our retirements.

Hope to get a lot of inspiration and information.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. Moneymustcash on October 16, 2012, 01:21:50 PM
Hi,

I'm Mr. Moneymustcash, not to be confused with Mr. Money Mustache. I have just begun my journey to financial independence. I have already implemented many changes to my life and am enjoying the ride.

I live in Austin, TX
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Woolie on October 16, 2012, 02:04:38 PM
Hi all,

I'm a 34 year old single mom to a 3.5 year old little boy. Not long after my son was born I realized that my life needed to change. Since then I have been slowly minimalising my possessions and not spending as much money. Getting rid of the clutter has only increased my desire to have less, spend less and do more with my life.

So then I found MMM. And here I am to learn more, do more and be more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dr Dave on October 16, 2012, 11:33:39 PM
Dave here. I am vet(erinarian) and live/work in Arizona. Serious long time lurker and blog reader, feel the need to join right about now, funk soul brothers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: happy on October 17, 2012, 06:06:58 AM
Hi I'm Marty, from Sydney Australia (are there any other Aussies on here?)

Started reading MMM a couple of weeks ago. Start to end, couldn't stop myself reading the lot.
 
26 now, set myself the goal of being FI in 9 years. Notwithstanding the sky-high housing costs here I reckon I can still do it.

cheers

G'day Marty,

Yes, there's a few of us and I suspect a few more lurkers.  Every now and then an Aussie thread is posted, which is good, since there are some differences from US.. the high cost of housing within a cooee of Sydney being one of them.  I've found  The  General principles of Mustachianism  to be very applicable even so. Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mustache brony on October 17, 2012, 07:09:41 AM
Hi,

I’m Andrew. I started reading in March (when a friend linked an article), and am finally delurking. I’m 27 and have found the principles of Mustachiansim to resonate (although still working to complete my entire list of mustache changes).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: atlbrew on October 17, 2012, 02:25:15 PM
Hi, I'm Michael and I am 27 and have been married for 1.5 years living in the New Orleans, LA area.  Have been reading the site for a while and reading the forums but finally decided now is the time to become active!  I am looking forward to it.  Have always practiced close to mustachian ways and never realized there is an entire community like me until I discovered this site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: noob515 on October 18, 2012, 02:10:59 PM
Hello everyone!

I just found this site a couple of weeks ago, and it's been inspiring so far.  A little about me: married for 8 years, working in Washington DC with a ridiculously long commute (however, I only drive 7 miles to the train station, and my train ticket is largely subsidized by my employer)... we just bought a modest house for $225k.  Combined income of $115k.  My student loan debt is $70k.  We spent many years digging my husband out of credit card debt and paying off HIS student loans, so I feel like I'm just treading water, financially.  My goal is to pay off the student loans asap.  Beyond that, I'm not sure yet.  (besides the obvious - to retire early!)

Anyway, I'm very excited to start implementing some of the changes from this blog/forum.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalHawk on October 19, 2012, 12:01:46 PM
Hi! I have been reading MMM for a few months now. I'm married, my spouse and I are in our mid-20's. We have always been fairly frugal, and we will have paid off $108,585.20 + interest in student loan debt in 4 years, 6 months on an average income of ~85K per year living in major California cities.

I joined this community because there's no one in my "real life" who I can talk to about money issues. My current goal is to reach FI/ER in 10 years.

I'm excited to learn more and perhaps contribute to this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anguilla on October 19, 2012, 05:23:30 PM
Hello all, Anguilla here (cause I love the island) 32, single , with no kids, no mortgage or rent, only debt is $14k of student loans which I will pay off next May. Just started making "good money" this year so I can save $30k a year once I pay off the last bit of student loans.

Planning to retire by 50. I could do it sooner, but I want to buy 2 pieces of property cash.

My Dad retired at 62 and has about $200k saved. He never had a car payment, cell phone, credit card, paid cash for his house, and was just overall a great example of FI. He gets Social Security of a little over $1k a month, (health insurance paid by state government he worked for)but his monthly bills are Gas/electric, cable/Internet and verizon landline for a total of $400 a month. My mom also gets SS of $400 a month and uses that for the grocery shopping.

If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I would have NEVER believed retiring early was possible!
I would have thought Mr. MM was lying or something because everybody makes it seem like buying a $300k house and having a car payment and credit card debt are a MUST!


Anyway now that I got a good paying job, I need to make sure I stay on the path to retire early. Oh and I live in the Baltimore area which is less expensive than the DC area but I use to hangout out in DC all the time (better night life and money pit).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dionysiandame on October 20, 2012, 04:21:38 PM
Hey all, what's good? DD here, 28, married, no kids, one underwater mortgage, and no debt besides a car loan at $12,000 (I know I know!) and my student loan (which is at $7000 right now). My husband purchased the condo before we were together, but we've built a plan to crush our consumer debt before we start focusing on the mortgage. I have no credit card debt of my own.

I used to be one of those people Mustachians talked about, but as I've been reading and tightening my finances, I've gone from someone who makes over $50k a year and had NO savings, to someone who saves a little over $1100 a month and is still looking for ways to pare down.

Like some others, I'm in love with personal finance now, especially investing and saving, and there aren't many people interested in talking about these kinds of subjects.

Thanks for having me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jmw13 on October 21, 2012, 08:37:39 AM
Hi, Im Jessica.

I had planned to do a minimalist Oct-Dec where my husband and I (no kids) didnt buy anything new.  In my frugal blog reading I came across a comment mentioning MMM.  As I was naturally curious, I found the blog and have spent the last 7 days doing nothing but reading every single post.

We are in debt 92.5K not including mortgage (majority is student loan, but i no longer consider that "okay" debt).

In the last week, I sold my 2012 Toyota Tacoma that I literally drove only to and from my workplace 3 miles from my house.  I replaced it with a used commuter bike for $250 plus $100 in biking accessories (helmet, lights, locks, etc).  Did a test ride yesterday, I will survive the rides to work, but I am looking forward to my legs (and butt) acclimating to this type of exercise.

We also looking at dropping the overpriced cell phone bill (which has been driving me nuts for years) and eliminating our crossfit membership since we feel comfortable on our and will start building our home gym at far less per month.  Another shocking revelation was the cost of one diet soda and one rockstar per day that my husband and I formally indulged in when looked at over a ten year period, that is also out the window! 

I cant help but be sick with the waste of my last 13 years since I first starting working at 15.

We are very excited to be aspiring Mustachians and look forward to Financial Indepdence.  Goal is to dig out of the hole over the next 4 years, then get on the FI pathway for another 7 years, retiring at 39...  Are you for real?!? :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Self-employed-swami on October 21, 2012, 11:03:06 AM
Good job Jessica on selling the taco.  They are fabulous trucks :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ArizonaRed on October 22, 2012, 08:48:05 AM
Hello everyone I'm Bruce aka Red. 
I was introduced to MMM a year or so ago by a friend who was reading ERE.  I bookmarked the blog and proceeded to forget all about it.  And now having voraciously read through all the posts on the blog in the last 3 days I wish I had read so much sooner!

I'm overseas working right now (Independent Contractor doing security for the gov't) so I've been creating lists of things to do as soon as I get home.  Luckily my wife is much more frugal than I have been and is excited for the changes.

While I haven't been completely Anti-mustachian (We have no debt other than a house that was bought in 2005 in Phoenix OUCH!) I have squandered far to much money.  I'm looking forward to beginning to work my way to financial independence!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thurston howell iv on October 22, 2012, 10:10:25 AM
Hello, I'm new here. Been lurking for a bit but lately I've felt compelled to join the Mustachian ranks and maybe start learning something or being able to contribute.
I can't seem to get enough of this forum. It's Great.

Already started posting all over... Yippee.

When I get more brave I can spill the beans on my financial quagmire and see about getting some real world mustachian advice!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JulieB on October 23, 2012, 09:33:23 AM
Hi all, I'm Julie from France. I've been reading a lot of MMM blog posts and forum, and decide today to join the community. Hope it'll help me and my husband to become more mustachian and contribute to the discussions.
We have zero debt, a pretty cheap car we don't use a lot because I go to work walking, and my husband uses PT (in France we're lucky to have a very developped Public Transportation, and nice sidewalks to walk everywhere) . Unfortunately we don't own a home as prices in Paris are way too high, so we're trying to relocate. I'm an engineer with 3 master degrees and my husband's an engineer too with a physics PHD. We're not really well paid regarding American wages (a little bit over 5000€ for both of us) so we're looking for another position in a less expensive place than Paris.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mattgregg on October 24, 2012, 02:21:32 PM
Hello,

I'm Matt. I have been reading MMM for a couple months. I have recently decided to buy a house.

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Matte on October 24, 2012, 09:36:03 PM
I'm Matt age 24, Maple Ridge Bc (town of 50 000 about an hour from Vancouver Bc) I have been frugal and entrepreneurial since I was pretty young.  I must say I like this site of outside the box thinking.  I have owned 17 vehicles, 3atvs, multiple boats, and made a profit off importing, fixing, selling most of them.  I have been working multiple jobs since grade 11, Most of the money going to cars insurance and gas.  Did one summer in fort mcmurray when I was 18, 29 bucks an hour in 2007, first taste of money, bought a corvette in the USA, drove it for the rest of my college then sold it after graduation.  Graduated an engineering diploma program at 19, hired months later, paid off student line of credit that winter, bought a house that winter, middle of the recession.  Used my student line of credit to make the downpayment and build a basement suite.  Paying off the line ode credit well making mortgage payments forced frugality on me.  Now I'm married, working on net worth, awaiting my findependance day.  Aiming for fi 40, Canadian tax and cost of living does not help.  Currently I have been able to create a net worth of about 120k between house appreciation/improvements, savings, rrsps and minus my 1 percent loan on my truck, corp plan loa, cost less new then 5 year old truck, not too mustachian but nobody perfect. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: extralean on October 25, 2012, 04:26:38 AM
Hello Mustachians,

My name's Thomas, 26, and I've recently moved to Sydney after living in France for four years (I am Australian).  After reading every blog post, I am now focussing on building my 'stache and enjoying my life.

Looking forward to learning more as I sculpt my moustache.

T.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ruthiegirl on October 25, 2012, 09:01:48 AM
Hey Gang,

I am Ruth, mom to my four little people and super wife to my amazing husband. 

I am new to the boards here, but certainly not new to the low-spending, Mr Mustache lifestyle.  We have lived a life of bounty and happiness on a single income while we raise our kids. 

While we have been good about living debt-free, we have not been so great about building savings and that, my friends, is the next big adventure for our clan. 

Cheers! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jtmoney on October 25, 2012, 12:51:21 PM
Hi, I'm Jesse.  I'm a single, 27 year old graduate student.  I currently don't have much net worth at all, but I also have very little debt (under $3000, and not collecting interest right now).  I have about two years until graduation and my goals include FI by 40.  So glad to have a place for reasonable discussion in todays consumerist society.  Glad to be part of the MMM crew.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Captain and Mrs Slow on October 26, 2012, 06:58:44 AM
Hi Rob here

I'm Canadian, a house husband and married  to the same lovely lady for 28 years but no kids. Currently living in bike unfriendly Madrid and moving to very bike friendly Munich next year (hence the name Captain and Mrs Slow as we tend to be the slowest bikers around).

We paid off a ton of consumer debt over the past 7 years but paying debt off was a piece of cake compared to this savings thing, it is proving to be quite a challenge so hoping people here can help out.

We do own a small apartment in Frankfurt (will be paid off by age 65 and then give a bit of income) but currently rent in Madrid and will do the same in Munich when we move next year.

We won't be retiring early but I do expect our retirement will be comfortable.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Deano on October 27, 2012, 03:20:57 PM
Hi there, Dean here. My wife and I live close to Hamilton Ontario. I've been somewhat frugal for quite some time now but both my wife and I have found ourselves in well-paying jobs that have made us realize we're lucky indeed. We're looking to make the most of the money we make while still leading enjoyable lives...yes we realize this is possible!

We own a home (no, the bank still does, we're working on it though) and walk to work. We have one car between us...used and paid for. We both had some pretty serious debt that is now all gone so we'd like to make sure we never borrow again. I'm constantly dismayed by the culture of consumption we live in but I'm no monk. I enjoy nice things, I just make sure I don't abuse the privilege I have.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jrhampt on October 28, 2012, 10:08:30 AM
Hi, I've been posting in the forums for a while but have never introduced myself.  I found MMM through ERE.  I've also been a regular reader of GRS, FMF, and FinancialSamurai.  I liked a lot of Jacob's stuff, but his lifestyle was a little too spartan for me, and GRS wasn't quite extreme enough after I had paid off student loans and started to grow savings.  I think MMM has the perfect balance (probably because he is targeted toward higher-earning professionals who could really be saving a lot more than they are without even feeling a pinch in their lifestyles).

My husband and I live in New England with no kids and one evil cat.  We purchased a home 4 years ago and that is our only debt.  We do have three cars (two fuel-efficient at ~ 40mpg and one Jeep), which is not very Mustachian of us.  I'd like to get rid of the mortgage in the next 5-7 years while continuing to max out tax-deferred savings and contributing substantially to taxable investments.  Our savings rate is a little over 50% of gross and still room to grow. Together we have a goal of $1M liquid investments in 4-5 years. We continue to find more ways to optimize our consumption and lower our spending thanks to ideas from the blog and the forums, and my husband was recently able to switch to a lower-stress job with a small paycut.  He works in the energy industry, while I work in insurance informatics.  Hiking, biking, camping, and the library are our favorite low-cost activities.  We live almost right on the Metacomet trail and there are lots of great short hikes to do close to home.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pac_NW on October 28, 2012, 11:43:13 AM
Hello all - my name is J.  I am new to the forum and have been reading MMM for the past year.  I have been near the decision of semi-retirement for the past 18 months and still wrestling with how to go about it - the actual mechanics of leaving a job I love (but consumes too much personal time), making changes to become more self-sufficient (am very into urban gardening), thinking about a new career direction which allows me to spend "work time" on issues like the environment, and then the all important question of rebalancing my portfolio to support the next thread in my life.  Not quite "middle age" - prefer to think of the 40's as the new 30's.  Moved in the past 3 years to a more affordable locale than previous and work from home when I am not on the road (which is often). Also working on convincing my family about this new step as it is a big deal to "give up" a revenue stream in exchange for a new direction.  So, I joined the forum this weekend to really dive into these topics and explore them with you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: madmax on October 28, 2012, 09:22:45 PM
Hi,

I'm Max, I live in the bay area. I'm 26, recently married and I've been fighting a losing battle against the high cost of living in this area and just decided to take things to the next level by joining mmm. :-)

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NWstubble on October 29, 2012, 11:29:37 PM
Hello All,

Been lurking for a while now and decided it was about time to contribute and take part in a great online community. Late 20s, married, no kids yet. We had our financial awakening several years ago and have been debt free and building our 'stache the last few. However, I am all about the continual learning process and constantly seeking to optimize so I look forward to learning from all of you and maybe sharing some of our experiences as well.

Cheers,

NWstubble
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Scooby Doo on October 31, 2012, 07:47:03 AM
Hello everybody!

I'm 33 and live in Scotland - I got here via a link to the 'True Cost of Commuting' article, as my current commute has gone over an hour each way (it was 35 minutes when the motorway opened 7 years ago!), and I've been moving towards a Mustachian outlook over the last year or so in any case.

Now it's time for the next level, especially with a Scrappy Doo on the way!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Self-employed-swami on October 31, 2012, 09:34:00 AM

Now it's time for the next level, especially with a Scrappy Doo on the way!

Congratulations!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanuckStache on October 31, 2012, 09:52:01 AM
Hey All. I'm a Canadian currently living in the US (New Orleans). I've always considered myself pretty good with money, but went through a few things in the past few years that really shook me up financially.

I'm a 32 year old self-employed internet guy, and have made good money all through my 20's. I travelled the world and basically have been semi-retired since 23-24 years old. I unfortunately didn't save much money - I saved enough for a 20% downpayment on a condo which I bought about 4 years ago and had a few $k in the bank. I wasn't living large, but very much taking advantage of the lucky cards I'd been dealt.

Then, I went through a costly divorce which was very unexpected - right after I paid for all my ex's education - and the same month as that started, my business took a major turn for the worse (90% drop in income). Flash forward to about a month ago and I was sitting with about $80k in debt (not including mortgage). I was drowning and not making enough money to cover the debt payments. Then, I got lucky and managed to sell off a chunk of my business for $90k. It was hard to do (considering I could have sold it a few years ago for $500k+) but the market changed and so had my life. It gave me the opportunity to wipe the slate clean so to speak.

So today I'm sitting debt free, minus the mortgage (which has $310k left on it). I'm intent on never letting my financial guard down again, and being more diligent about saving. I have to admit despite being very frugal I definitely suffered from "lifestyle inflation".

Right now I'm in a good place. Great new relationship, and she's on board with the frugal lifestyle. Business is starting to pick up again, but still pretty far behind what I was making before. My condo is rented out and paying for itself, and our combined rent and utilities are only about $1000 a month.

Anyways, glad to join this community - Great information in here, and I'm looking forward to contributing some of my experiences as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nvestysly on October 31, 2012, 06:51:26 PM
Hello I'm nvestysly (invest wisely) - I bookmarked this web site many months ago and just now came around to reading some of the blog (starting at the beginning).  I like what I see so I decided to join.

I'm 53, DW is 50 and we've been retired for over a year.  Yeah, I know... kinda lame in Mustachian terms but soooo much earlier than most people we know.

Most influential book - The Richest Man In Babylon.  Second most influential - Your Money Or Your Life.  Lots of other good reading material out there.  I try to read a few books on the subject every year.

Hobby - travel in our RV and working with Habitat for Humanity RV Care-A-Vanners.

Thanks
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: togetoutoftheratrace on November 01, 2012, 02:17:33 PM
Hi.

I'm Adam, and I'm in debt up to my eyeballs.

Hi I'm Kevin and I'm with Adam :-)
I'm from Seattle and live in Texas with wife and two kids. Have a strong desire to retire early with passive income in Hawaii where my wife is from
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crystalwheel on November 04, 2012, 09:13:56 AM
Hi all!

I'm Crystal and we (husband Noel) live in Central Texas.  We are retired...me just since 10/15/2012...yea me!

We have two adult children.  Son 24 is graduating from UTSA in December, Daughter 22 - is still in school, currently lives with us but is planning to move out in January. 

Current total debt is $15450.57. 

This is for a Morgan portable building for my business and is being paid for by that business. 

I have until  April 2013 to pay $7,590.00 of that at zero percent and until September 11, 2013 for the remaining 7860.57...so I'ma pretty busy with that goal right now!

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RIVERMAN on November 04, 2012, 04:09:31 PM
Finally there are others who realize a difference between being 'cheap' and 'frugal'.  I am 34, married, two kids (6yo and 9 months) and live in oregon. My greatest advantage in life was growing up poor with a mom who was an accountant. I have stumbled into mentors in life who without knowing helped me appreciate the importance of time over making money but knowing you need the latter to enjoy the former.

Graduating from SO University  I have a degree I never use, though I in no way regret having it. I almost retired in 2007 at 29 not knowing the worlds 2nd depression was entering full swing.

Im a building contractor and have owned several rentals since I was 20. In the last few years I almost lost everything. I had 7k left in the bank and a paid for home worth 300k. I sold my home, invested in good real estate deals and began rebuilding net capitol again. Luckily, its not what you make, its how much you spend that helped me through.

I have paid off my house again, and now build spec homes with cash (as my credit was decimated as I lost all of my rentals) My net worth is around 1million again and I plan on building rental properties that are paid for. I plan to 'retire' in the 1-2 years.

It has been a real challenge but you can never stop believing or losing sight of your goal. Being frugal is a lifestyle with long term rewards that most people living for the 'now' cannot see. I am constantly learning and shaping my economic paradigm and find this blog encouraging and insightful.

thanks to everyone, keep it up!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trinny on November 05, 2012, 03:26:05 PM
Hey all,

My name is Ana and I've been reading the MMM blog for quite a while and finally decided to join this fine community of like-minded individuals.  I've always been a fairly frugal person and I enjoy finding non-traditional ways to solve life problems. 

For example, about a year ago, I started blogging my experience transitioning from a high carb (overweight and tired) lifestyle to a low carb one (30lbs lighter and full of energy!).  Any other low carbers out there?

I haven't blogged in a few months due to a hectic life, but I'm hoping to start up again soon and am thinking of doing a series on how to eat low carb on a Mustachian level food budget or something similar.  It's been quite an interesting challenge for me!

Anyhow, I've enjoyed all the tips and tricks I've found here to create an even better lifestyle and I look forward to learning more, growing my money mustache, and helping out wherever I can as time permits.

Glad to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Taminator on November 07, 2012, 10:33:20 AM
Hi all.  I'm The Taminator. I'm just about to turn 40 and live and work in downtown Toronto, Canada. I'm debt free other than the remaining mortgage on my condo, about $204k. I'm virtually obsessed with FI and ER and am now trying to figure out how to make it happen. I've just started a new relationship and we've got some pretty great ideas going forward, though the relationship is still too new to implement them. It does make me excited for the future. It's pretty awesome to be with someone (finally!) who is almost as committed as I am to the ways of the 'stache. Once we move in together sometime next year I will have to take on some debt but it's small and we can power through it.

I'm looking forward to learning even more about investing, primarily in real estate, from the forums.

The Taminator
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Phoebe on November 08, 2012, 10:46:21 AM
Hi I'm Phoebe.  I started out very anti-mustachian and racked up $65K of debt after graduating college, but have since paid it off and now have a pretty decent stache of about $250K.  My husband and I are 28 years old, banking about 75% of our income, and looking to find ways to bring out cost of living down even more.

I recently started a blog to document our journey:
http://allyouneedisenough.blogspot.com/

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rufus T. Firefly on November 08, 2012, 06:48:05 PM
Hello all.  I am a new to the forum but have been a follower of MMM for about a year now.  Trying to implement the great advise I read here from MMM himself and his loyal followers.  I'm 43, single parent of one adult/teen trying to make up for lost time.  I exhibited many of the bad habits read here and hope to slowly but surely make permanent changes for the better. I look forward to the learning experience!  I'm a Journeyman Chevrolet Auto Mechanic for 17 years/25 years total experience.  If anyone has auto service/repair inquiries, I'd be happy to help.  FYI, diagnosing vehicles online is pretty tough. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: forward on November 08, 2012, 08:12:19 PM

Hello,

I've been reading this blog/forum for the last month or so and I thought I should introduce myself. 
This site is a complete eye opener for me.  I have always been frugal but it was just my natural approach to things.  I would save some money and then spend a chunk.  Once I read this, I realized what my goal was and what I need to work for = FI and its actually achievable! 

In the weeks before I arrived here I was planning to buy a new (used) car.  Bad idea.  I will keep my 2002 for a while longer.  Funny thing is, its a CRV, and I always thought it is a frugal choice, I now realize, not so much. 

I am making some changes but one concern is that I tend to lose interest in things after a few months.  So I need to work to stay on here and allow the good people here to keep me motivated.

Thanks for your help.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Our UK Correspondent on November 09, 2012, 04:30:14 PM
Hi, Andrew here. Really enjoyed reading a lot of the material here and felt it was time to join in. Happily married, no kids, 2 good incomes and we are saving well for FI. I have learned a lot from the site, but interestingly, the main gains have been reminders of lifes very simple pleasures. As an example, I used to buy sandwiches, bottled water and tea (see my name) at work. Expensive, and consider the packaging I was throwing out every day. I now buy fresh bread every day from a local bakery, its delicious. I bring my own water bottle. I also bring my own tea. Cost has been cut fourfold, at least. There is no packaging, so good news for our planet. And, I am supporting my local independant baker, which feels like a good thing to be doing. FI is so much more for me than DCA, Safe Withdrawal Rates and Asset Allocation. Its really about sustainable living for myself and, hopefully, some of those around me.

Its an intrinsically satisfying way to live.

Cheers,

A
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: annabel on November 12, 2012, 06:32:30 PM
Hi, I'm annabel; 41 and divorced. I have been following MMM for at least a year now; at first I pooh-pooh'ed his style but now I take what serves me so it's all good. I'm actually starting to like him.

I have an excellent-paying job but I live in the Bay Area (super-expensive). Have a nice investment portfolio, a stash of cash, house not underwater (I bought when the market bottomed out), 4 year-old car paid off, no CC debt. My challenge is that thanks to my bad former partner choice I am now paying a ton of child support. I need to get through the next 5 years on breaking even with my revenue (maybe even saving some?) and watching my investments grow. I am currently working with a financial counselor - I was an extreme anti-mustachian and never even had a budget. I need a lot of hand-holding right now.

Long term goals are up in the air. I like my job and want to continue working and putting away money. I wouldn't mind retiring on a sailboat in the Caribbean eventually :)

annabel
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Iank on November 12, 2012, 08:04:06 PM
Hi I'm Ian. I live in central Illinois and have been following MMM for quite a few months now. A co-worker did a little financial presentation for employees and mentioned MMM to us. I immediately checked it out. Super awesome stuff here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: k9 on November 16, 2012, 02:57:51 AM
Hello all.

My name is K9. I'm from France and I'm thinking about growing my own mustache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DreamingofFreedom on November 17, 2012, 09:46:44 AM
Hi all!  I'm a fairly recent MMM convert.  I'm a 25yo with a fair amount of student loan debt, but I'm now looking at retirement in ten years. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: decisionprof on November 17, 2012, 09:34:03 PM
Hi - really enjoying everything I read here!  I've been a reader now for the last 4-5 months.  Have a Doctorate (Ed. Leadership) with a concentration in decision analysis.  The decision-making process we used in our coursework can be used whenever you need to make an important (and most often - financial) decision.  Examples - buying a car, house, taking a new job, moving to a new city - and even choosing a college.  I am currently a prof at a small private liberal arts college. I can hardly stand some of the stories I hear of students taking out huge loans and then deciding they don't even want to pursue a job in their major.  This week - a young lady spoke of a $109K loan she took out to attend this college and now has to pay back.  All I could think is that her debt was in line with the cost of a house in this city.  These types of decisions are LIFE CHANGING and she will most likely have to live with the payments related to this decision for decades.  I want to use what I have learned to help people make better - more informed decisions.  Thinking of starting "The College Decision Experiment" and sharing the steps of decision analysis with a group of families that might be interested and blogging our journey.  My child is a junior in high school, so I would lead the process and include our family as we work on this decision too!  Does anyone out there know anyone who might be interested?    Thanks to the MMM's for all of your work on helping all of us think about our lives in a new and different way!  Very exciting and important work!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mensa on November 18, 2012, 06:11:40 AM
Hi All:

I've been lurking for some time and decided I was being anti-social. I've enjoyed the many thoughtful discussions I've read in the forums, and hope to contribute, as well as learn.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PJ on November 18, 2012, 01:33:45 PM
I want to use what I have learned to help people make better - more informed decisions.  Thinking of starting "The College Decision Experiment" and sharing the steps of decision analysis with a group of families that might be interested and blogging our journey.  My child is a junior in high school, so I would lead the process and include our family as we work on this decision too!  Does anyone out there know anyone who might be interested?

Welcome to all the new members, from another relatively new member.  And @decisionprof, maybe you should start a thread to tell us more about these "steps of decision analysis" - I for one have had my interest piqued!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Herr Handlebar on November 18, 2012, 07:02:19 PM
Guten Tag,

I have been reading the MMM posts since May of this year. My wife and I started implementing some changes to our lives in June but she really got on board at the end of October. We are trying to hit a 60% savings rate but there are a lot of challenges between here and 60%. I'm on my 3rd career in this lifetime. I'm certain I will have a few more. I have worked in non-profit, banking and finally software development. The wife and I are fortunate this this career has been the most lucrative so far.

I feel like we found MMM and the quest for FI just in time. We are planning on kids, home ownership and all that comes with it. Planning for FI before these big changes gives me confidence we can do it with all the efficiency required to have fun and reach FI. We are going to be recording our experiences in a blog.

I'm very grateful for MMM's posts and the awesome community that has developed around them.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hatawa on November 19, 2012, 01:21:29 AM
Hi all!

I'm Natasha from Russia. Been following MMM for about a year and really love all the articles and discussions. Learning to grow my 'stache.
If any of the Mustachians are ever on this side of the world - drop me a line
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lara_shultz on November 20, 2012, 01:40:54 AM
Hi everyone! I am Lara and I just signed up on your forum. I want financial freedom and I think your site rocks! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Invictus on November 20, 2012, 08:05:47 PM


 Hey. New guy here. I've stumbled across MMM through a number of preparedness/FI centred blogs and found the community interesting and useful. Thought I'd check out the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SwordGuy on November 22, 2012, 12:23:52 AM
Hi,

My wife and I make $156,000 a year.  We finished paying off everything we owed last March after an eight year slog and a three year "big push".    We've just finished some splurging to celebrate plus doing a lot of deferred maintenance on the house.   We have a few thousand dollars more deferred maintenance to take care of in the new year and then we should be set for quite some years to come.

I'm 55 and my wife is 65.  She's planning on working to 70 as she's enjoying her job and I keep her young enougn no one's noticed she's at retirement age. :)  Both our jobs are relatively secure, mine is portable enough I can get work somewhere if an intown job isn't available.

I'm hoping to retire in 5 years when she does, if I can swing it.

We have circa $300,000 in 401K or IRA accounts.  I have no idea what it's doing in there.  I've spent the last few months reading up on investment options.  This site has been very helpful!  We have $60,000 in CDs that we can invest within the year. 

I'm hoping to move into dividend paying stocks via an index traded fund for the 401K/IRA money.  I'm not convinced city bonds are a good investment, I think a bunch more cities are going to go broke over the next decade as their underfunded pension plans start to really pay out to the baby boomers.  One task I need to do is consolidate the contents from the various accounts I've accumulated via different employers.

I live in a military town so the rental market is pretty good.  I would like to use the  $60,000 and some soon-to-be savings to buy a rental property outright - assuming the market for properties and rentals stays good.  I think if we work at it, we could buy 1 inexpensive rental home per year in cash.  Or, I might put 1/2 down on two and pay them both off the next year.    I want to see what happens with the defense budget before I invest too much in rental property, though.  I'm researching rental prices and home values to see whether I should aim for $60,000 starter homes or $120,000 homes.  I can spread my risk of a bad renter if I have more homes, but I'm (probably) more likely to get more bad renters at the $60,000 home rental price point.  Unless I can find some mustachians to rent to.  Hmmm...  I could do a rent discount to mustachian army members to attract a higher caliber of renter.

I'm maxing out my 401k ($22,500 plus employer match) and putting in $12,000 plus employer match into my wife's.  I think I should start maxing out a Roth for her instead of her 401k given she'll have to start pulling out the account contents in 5 years.

I still have several month's worth of reading to do before I start moving money around, but now I think I am on the right track with my research.

I'm looking for bikes now so we can start riding for health and errands, and so I can start commuting 1/2 way.   My city is extremely bike unfriendly.  Too many of the suburban areas don't connect so one is forced to bike on busy roads full of very bad young male drivers.  (My car insurance went way up when I moved here from the big city.) 

Anyway, that's where we're at.

I look forward to learning from all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kythuen on November 23, 2012, 12:41:23 PM
Hi!  I'm Kyth - single, female, 41.  My singleness is complicated by long-term housing partnership with my best friend (she owns; I rent) -- more like a marriage than a room mate situation in terms of flexibility and overall annoyance factor :), but more like a rental in terms of actual $$ ROI for me. 

I'm about $80K in debt between student loans and a new car I bought early in the year, before I had ever heard of MMM.  (But it's a Yaris!  So, there's that, at least.)  My only asset is about $8k in my 401(k).  I'm in a stable job I like with strong prospects for promotion, currently making $66K.  I'm just starting to live off only half my monthly take-home so I can pay down the debt (and re-hab my credit rating along the way).  If my math is right, I think I can be debt free at 45 and start getting serious about investing and possibly home ownership.  I'd like to be financially independent by the time I hit 55 - opinions on feasibility welcome!  I'll probably be posting a detailed case study as soon as I work up my nerve. 

I think I have the debt-snowball method down, but I'm a complete n00b about investments; I'm scouring every word written about it in these forums.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on November 23, 2012, 05:40:52 PM
If my math is right, I think I can be debt free at 45 and start getting serious about investing and possibly home ownership.  I'd like to be financially independent by the time I hit 55 - opinions on feasibility welcome!
Welcome, Kyth!

The math behind early retirement is shockingly simple (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/)-- it's basically only a function of your savings rate. If you break even at 45, that gives you 10 years to save up your nest egg. That requires a savings rate of 66% (http://www.networthify.com/fi), which is difficult but certainly doable. Feel free to start your own thread in the "Ask A Mustachian" (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/) subforum if you have more detailed questions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MidwestSeth on November 23, 2012, 06:27:56 PM
Hi!

Newly wed, 24, new career, new house, life is great. Student loans to kill off before long and start investing. This site will accelerate that whole process. Thanks!

Stumbled on this site and have been reading on it for a good couple hours. Within 2 hours I've decided to cut cable TV, my cell phone contract, and spend less on groceries. Can't bike to work(outside sales). But I drive a Ford Focus, intentionally for reliability and gas mileage, plus it was CHEAP. Glad I found this site.

Great Hub of Badassity!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sstonge517 on November 24, 2012, 12:25:51 PM
Hey everyone, I've been following this blog for a few weeks now and I figured it was time to stop lurking and introduce myself. So anyway, my name is Sean, I'm 27, single, and currently working as a software engineer in the Chicago area. Yep, that's right, yet another engineer :P. I recently bought a 2 bed/1 bath condo, and I'm happy to announce that my thermostat is currently set at a very mustachian 55 degrees! Well, that's me in a nutshell, I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: garnetfree on November 24, 2012, 09:30:56 PM
Been reading MMM for a long while. Can't remember how I found the blog but I love it.

I was in a black hole for the past few years and made some turns for the worse. Am back in the game and ready to be back in black.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Spruit on November 27, 2012, 09:12:19 AM
Hello fellow (beginning) Mustachians!

I've been lurking the blog and forum for about a year now and finally decided to say hi. I'm a bit of a wuss myself so it's great to read about people making a change for the better. You all provide such a nice source of info and surprising views, it is truly a pleasure to tag along. Because I'm from the Netherlands and have to adjust certain tips and tricks (IRA, 401K and what not) to dutch equivalents but it certainly adds new insights to my financial ideas.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cypherstash61 on November 27, 2012, 09:48:13 PM
Hi I am Bob

Looking forward to FI
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Otto Pilot on November 28, 2012, 11:32:27 AM
Hello all, I just finished reading through the blog, so now its time to jump into the forums...I'm a 36 year-old recovering attorney and reserve military officer living in Austin.  I've been preaching sound finance and assisting servicepeople get ahead of the credit and debt game for 10 years in the JAG corps on active duty.  Looking forward to joining the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jake P on November 28, 2012, 12:39:26 PM
Hi everyone, my name is Jake and I stumbled on to this site in January after making a new years resolution of getting my finances under control.  This site has helped a ton and also helps keep the wife and I on track when one of us starts feeling a little spendy. Thanks a bunch!  It has been almost a year since we started reading MMM, and we have eliminated 15k worth of debt, I put 100% of my last raise into my 401k and we are currently living well within our means and raising 3 kids on a combined income of around 70K.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sherr on November 29, 2012, 12:04:23 PM
Hello all, I'm Stephen. I loved reading this site so much that I went through the entire backlog of articles in about a month. My wife and I are fairly young so we have a long way to go, but we look forward to making wise choices with our money and being happier and healthier as a result. We live well within our means but I will be looking for ways to improve on that, including the new (scary!) prospect of becoming a landlord coming up early next year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: themush on November 29, 2012, 01:08:46 PM
Hello,

I'm Douglas, I found this blog via Reddit's r/personalfinance. I've been reading for a bit and figured the forum might have good information also. Currently have a negative net worth. But, after doing some researching and learning over the last few months - I should be debt free by this time next year. Last night I put together a comprehensive plan and used the retirement math post to determine that I'm about 13 years from retirement. Trying to increase my income to knock that number down to 10 or lower.

Any tips on how to increase income at 30 with seemingly no real marketable skills would be lovely.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on November 29, 2012, 04:26:25 PM
Not to be unduly snarky, but can I suggest spending less money?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thedrone on November 29, 2012, 06:08:13 PM
Name's Edward.

I actually stumbled upon this website when looking for a reason why NetworthIQ wouldn't send me my registration email.

I've been mostly anti-mustacian for most of my adult life.  When I didn't have debt (credit card, car loans), I spent all my money.  When I did have debt (credit cards, car loans), I paid it (trying to overpay where possible), but I spent so much overpaying was often difficult.  Unwise life choices definitely contributed to a lot of this difficulty.  I've always been aware of my finances, networth, 401k portfolios, and that I wanted investments that actually grew exponetionally one day, but I never made the correlation that my spending, not my income or my debts (though a contributer), was the problem with not acheiving my goals or making my goals seems VERY far off.

Fast foward to 2012 and I found mint.com.  I had been using a similar financial tracking service through BofA, but the budgeting through mint was so much easier to use, I could actually use it and stick with it.  Also, through mint's recommended services, I was able to shave years off paying $17,000 in credit card debt which in turn made it easier to pay off $23,000 in 2 car loans and a 401k loan through either outright payoff or lower interest rates.

It's possible to be debt free next year, but it's a long shot.  I will be out of all my crazy debt by 2014, though.

I have a long way to go, but I'm well on my way for retirement in 7-10 years.  It would be 5-7 if I didn't have so much debt.

All in all, I'm excited to continually learn, absorb, possibly contribute, and watch the 'stache grow!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs Firecracker on November 30, 2012, 07:10:59 PM
Hi, been reading the blog for a month or two. We are a family of 3, with a toddler, 2 jobs, and 3 mortgages (we bought homes separately before we met, and before the economic downturn). We're underwater on the places we bought when single and have a few other debts, but we're generally into leading simple lives so the way of the Mustachian appeals to us. We're hoping to pay off non-mortgage debts within two years or less and start building a bigger 'stache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: teacherman on December 01, 2012, 06:16:40 PM
Hi Mustachians! I am Aaron, 26, married. I am a teacher at a private school in New England. I never really entertained the idea of early retirement but I am concerned with financial stability and responsibility. I came across the MMM recently and have loved it! It is really helpful. So far the two biggest things that have stuck out to me are cutting down my cellphone bill (two iPhones--around $140/month--I hate that I love my iPhone:) ) and my auto-related expenses. Thanks for being badass!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Crash87 on December 02, 2012, 12:52:53 PM
Hello All,

A friend introduced me to the MMM website and there are some great ideas on here! I'm 25 years old and my goal is to achieve FI by between 10 and 15 years!

Hold me to it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nom_nom_babies on December 02, 2012, 10:44:21 PM
Howdy!

I stumbled here while Google searching for Paleo recipes on Marks Daily Apple.  This site is great, I've spent the last 24 hours reading and I'm hooked.

I'm a 22 year old single Air Force officer, looking to start becoming financially independent.  After all, that's the American Dream right?  My biggest challenges are student loans and stupidly buying my dream car.  Anyway, I look forward to growing financially and personally with the all of your sound and direct advice.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vbjoe on December 03, 2012, 01:17:33 PM
Hi Everyone! 

I'm a 29-year old living in Denver, CO and love the 'local' flavor of the blog.  I was about $10k into credit card debt and not making any real headway thanks to other debt obligations ($75k mortgage on a speculative land investment).  Thanks to the recommendations on this blog I'm down to $1,400 on the c/c plus I now own a car that gets 39mpg with no loan on it.  More changes to come as attempt to grow my 'stache!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RosettaStoned on December 03, 2012, 02:29:08 PM
Hello All,

I’m 30 yr old living in the Sunny SoCal/Pasadena area. I found the site through JD Roth and his More Than Money blog. With two little ones below the age of 6, my wife and I are hoping to save for ER/FI in the next 10-15 years.

The most tangible change we’ve made since reading MMM the last two weeks is we’ve finally committed to buying the bikes we’ve discussed buying off and on for well over 3 years now.

The Mrs. and I both come from homes in which our parents lived well beyond their means and are now in their mid-60s with no retirement to speak of. Our hope is to break the cycle and instill Mustachian values in our little ones.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Miss Stachio on December 03, 2012, 08:49:53 PM
Hello!

I'm a gal who was raised frugally by first generation immigrant parents and has been happily practicing frugality ever since.  I just got out of grad school (with no debt) and started 'real life' working with a much better wage but in a location that also has very high costs of living.  It's interesting talking with my colleagues - they eye me with suspicion when they find out I don't have a TV, a smartphone or an apartment with more than 2K/month in rent even though I think I'm spending like crazy!  To be fair, they might also be thinking I'm spending exorbitantly when they're making the "WTF?" face.

In any case, this blog has been great in helping me organize my often random thoughts about FI and environmental sustainability, especially by showing so many examples of folks defining what FI means to them and then reaching it.  It's great to have such a supportive community.  I'm excited to start making my plans for achieving FI and putting them into action!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kaytee on December 05, 2012, 11:02:39 AM
Oh, hi there.

Formerly up to eyeballs in debt, currenlt debt levels are hovering around my navel - annihilation rate - 45.8%. Concurrently, stashing some cash while continuing debt annihilation. Only ~$58K left, all student loans. All auto loans, medical debt, and credit cards have already been paid off.

Also, working as a civil engineer while also a 31 yo, married mother of a 10 mo who is occasionally spotted bellydancing, cooking, reading, gardening, and napping. Not simultaneously.
~Kaytee
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BrownStache on December 06, 2012, 10:36:31 AM
Hey everyone,

I'm a 25 yr old from NJ. Found the blog back in October and just finished reading every post, so I've started rooting around the forums in the last couple days.

I just finished grad school a year ago, and picked up $75k in student loan debt along the way, but I got a job paying over $20k more than anything I've heard of from undergrad friends so I guess it's not too bad. I should have my student loans paid off in 4 years.

I'm currently working for a consulting firm while living with my parents and not owning my own car. Using the "shockingly simple math behind early retirement," I'm looking at FI by the time I'm 41, even if I were to move out of my parents' place today.

Here's to the next 10 years of further cutting my spending and increasing my earnings for an even earlier retirement!

PS: RosettaStoned? Am I correct in assuming you're a fellow Tool fan?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RosettaStoned on December 06, 2012, 11:00:45 PM
PS: RosettaStoned? Am I correct in assuming you're a fellow Tool fan?

Yup :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Free in Ten Years on December 08, 2012, 05:33:51 PM
Hi there,

I'm James, I'm 27 and have been reading MMM for about 6 months. Since then I've made some fairly large changes in my financial life, and have managed to save about 75% of my salary since then. I am planning on being financially independent in 10 years (hence the name) and my partner is in on it too. After that I hope to travel semi-permanently.

We don't have any debt with the exception of a mortgage which we've reduced by about 30% in the first 4 months by following MMM's advice.

The funny thing is the more frugal I become and the more consciously I spend my money, and the more I do things for myself, the happier I become.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jonofd on December 09, 2012, 04:36:07 PM
Hello Mustachians!!!

I'm Jon, and obviously I'm new here. I'm married and just moved to Lexington KY about 6 month ago. I'm a full time firefighter/paramedic, it's my dream job and I finally get to work at it now. The guys at work remind me that I'm going to have to work 27 years to qualify for my state retirement, however after starting to read this website, I'm thinking I'll be able to start retirement way sooner!

Would love to get to meet anyone that involved here in the Eastern/central KY area.

Have a great day!

Jon
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kiwichick on December 10, 2012, 02:27:11 PM
Hi all,
Long time lurker, first time poster. My name's Tracey, I'm 26 and I live in New Zealand. Bought my first home on my own a year and a half ago, which was a huge achievement for me considering I was in debt up to my eyeballs a few years ago with nothing to show for it. Trying to pay the mortgage down as quickly as possible and achieve financial freedom.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Di on December 12, 2012, 09:41:49 AM
Hello everyone. Been lurking since July, really fascinating website that resonated with me from the very first time I read it.

My name is Daniel and I'm 21 years old. I have always lived a very frugal life, it's actually almost to the point now where spending money is psychologically painful. I live with my mom and I'm a 4th year college student with no debt. I go to the state college where everything is paid for. I also have more than $19,000 in savings and I use my mother's car to get around. I'm not really sure how I'm going to make money though since I have very narrow interests, none of which are particularly useful for income, and I'm thinking about leaving school altogether because I hate it. I also have the problem of living in a city with a high cost of living (Los Angeles). I think I might try being a dietitian or personal trainer or maybe I'll give the school thing one last shot and go into computer science.

At any rate, I look forward to learning and growing with everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Blackbomber on December 12, 2012, 12:36:50 PM
I've found the MMM blog two weeks ago, or so, and have just finished reading every post (even the ones I felt didn't apply to me). This couldn't have come at a better time, and I'm really fired up about eliminating the nonsense in my life, getting the finances back on track, and even the optimism and health aspects, which I hadn't considered problems of mine until considering it from the mustachian point of view.

So anyway, with becoming up to date with the blog, I've ventured over here to learn, and perhaps contribute as I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chris009 on December 12, 2012, 07:30:23 PM
Hello,

Someone pointed the MMM blog out to me and I'm a bit intrigued. I can't say I'm fully 'bought' into the idea, but I've been a fairly frugal person my life and I'm really the only person I know that saves most of their earnings. I'm hoping I can learn something. Even if I don't buy completely into the philosophy here, it can't hurt really to learn how to save more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: I_am_DLR on December 13, 2012, 02:00:13 PM
Hi, my name is Rob. I take pictures of things, and I suck at money.

I heard about this guy named Money Mustache from my housemate, and thought he must've been some sort of Cheap-o lunatic. But, dealing with a bout with boredom at work one day I decided to give the site a once-over. I read the first article and I was hooked.

Over the last 3 weeks or so I've read every article written, and my views on things have changed drastically. My journey to financial indepedence has just started. I'm 29, and though I have no debt worth mentioning, I've got basically nothing saved for retirement. I'm working a dead-end job with no opportunity for advancement, making $10/hr, and having to support myself and my girlfriend(who can't work consistently due to a chronic health problem).

I've recently been pushed(by myself mostly) to start making money in photography. I'm hoping to have my own business started during the first quarter of next year.

So, there's my story. Now, let's see if I can manage to add something useful to this forum. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustacheMike on December 17, 2012, 02:01:39 PM
I'm Mike. Just turned 30. I live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Love my wife. Love my job. Life is good. But I also love money, especially saving it and growing it. After coming to this blog, I realize that Conventional Wisdom can and should be fiercely challenged!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: motipha on December 18, 2012, 01:27:17 PM
Hei, I'm Timo.  I'm 33, started reading this blog maybe 4 months ago, and I'm so glad to have found it.  All my life I've been frustrated by the idea of having to work until I'm in my 50's, but felt like it was just a thing I would have to accept.  What get's bandied about here as possible is kind of what I wanted to do all that time.

So, starting a little later than I wished, but I'm going to try it.  40 is my target:  I want to be out of this by I'm 40.  I've got to find ways to get my savings rate way up, and I've got to figure out what I want to put that money towards, but I'm taking concrete steps:  The car is almost debt-free, and I'm getting my refinancing done sooner rather than later.

To add some fun to the process, my girlfriend is trying to sort out her own debt, and she's not as on board with the idea as I am.  not that she wants to keep working, but she's more pessimistic about the likelyhood of ever getting out from under the machine.  Things are changing, but we have some bumpy times because of it.  Still, I hope we will be one of those success cases.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Andrei on December 19, 2012, 08:26:57 AM
Hi,
I'm Andrei, 34, from Bucharest, Romania.
I've been reading MMM since Jacob at ERE passed the torch. So I guess i'm an old lurker :)
Big fan.
I've definitely improved my life since i became a Mustachian-in-training.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aces2 on December 23, 2012, 03:18:05 AM
Hello!

My name is Cody.  I found this blog around a month or so ago.  I'm addicted really, EVERY ARTICLE IS PACKED WITH SO MUCH WISDOM AND MONEY SAVING POWER!  Spent the last four years being a hardcore Dave Ramsey fan.  Dave is the man!  He got my wife and I (Natalie) out of $75K in debt in a little over two years.  Since, she has quit her job as a elementary school teacher, we've moved overseas (Air Force), and had our first child!  We are shooting for FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE by the time I "retire" from the AF.  We haven't quite reached $100K net worth, but are close.

Screw retiring at 60!  Shooting for age 38 in 11 and 1/2 years.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Christiana on December 28, 2012, 01:42:22 PM
Hello!  I am a stay-at-home mom to three children, soon to be four.  Our goal is not exactly early retirement, but a sustainable self-employment that we can carry on into old age.

I honed my frugality with five years of living on a graduate student stipend.  When we married, we had $50k in student loans, and took about four years to become debt-free.  Right now, we're in the middle of some serious household downsizing, and possibly changing jobs and/or moving somewhere more congenial.  I read MMM to revive my optimism, after a number of financial setbacks in the last few years.   

I write about my "something from nothing" projects on my blog.  I've also self-published two books so far, The Naturally Frugal Baby and The Serendipitous Sabbatical:  Rest in Unexpected Places.   

My husband created and now sells a guitar amplifier kit:  the Stella Amp.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kendallf on December 30, 2012, 03:15:56 PM
Hi folks, I'm Kendall, a 46 year old engineer from Jacksonville, FL.  I've enjoyed reading the MMM posts over the past few weeks; I found the blog via Mark's Daily Apple.  My wife and I have already been taking steps to simplify, become more minimalist, and be healthier and more fit. 

Reading some of the material here has switched a light bulb on in my head: hey dummy, practicing better frugality dovetails beautifully with all of the other stuff you want to do to be happy, and you should get busy!

So, my initial areas for (huge) improvement are: eating in (I'm shooting for one dinner out per week, taking my lunch to work), and car related expenses.  I like fast and impractical cars, and I have too many vehicles, but at least I carpool and ride my bike to and from work enough to drive very little anyway. 

Hope to learn a few things here, and maybe contribute in areas that I have knowledge.  I'm an avid cyclist, mechanic, fabricator, DIYer, and a few other more random things. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BlueMR2 on January 01, 2013, 08:14:19 AM
Hi, I'm Brian.

Looking forward to an early "retirement" (I get bored easy, so I'll always do *something*, but less of it and more on my terms :-)  ) despite having several expensive hobbies and only middling income (low for my profession overall, but not too unreasonable for the area I live in).  Other than the hobbies we don't spend a lot of money (have never had cable, have a $100 a year cellphone, no home phone, all the usual little items).  Been living the motto that "take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves".  Have essentially been debt free my entire life.  Had a mortgage for 9 months just because I didn't want to take an early withdrawal penalty (would have been a bigger loss than I paid in interest for those few months).  Hoping to learn some more tricks to help save a few more $$$ here and there to let me keep the expensive hobbies while still shaving more years off my need to work full time!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 147kerry on January 04, 2013, 04:46:13 AM
Hi I'm Kerry

I live in Sydney - Australia and am a single mum with three sons.
Am tired of working 'for the man' and am looking to become FI asap
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jba302 on January 04, 2013, 09:01:29 AM
Hello, I'm Joel. 29 y/o and recently married living in the Twin Cities. Been reading this page for the past couple of months and slowly getting lined up with a smarter financial lifestyle. We have about $20k in debt (the vast majority due to the wedding...) on 0% cards with a sub 1-year plan to get back in the black. Got a townhome that is becoming rental property and will be buying a long term home in 2 years (we want land for gardening and a better garage).

We have a hell of a lot of headroom to make improvements considering we make 140k/year and only have 2 kids part time (split custody with her ex). Looking forward to getting involved here and really kicking it up several notches.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GoStumpy on January 04, 2013, 10:35:24 PM
Hello Everyone!

Ventured over here from what I've been hearing on other forums, first I had to figure out what "MMM" was, but now I'm enjoying reading everything!!

I'm a frequent of YNAB's community, smartcanucks.ca, and a few others...

I'll be reading a ton tomorrow & hope to post my story soon!  Beginning the journey to debt-freedom!!

Keep fighting the good fight!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ihoo on January 05, 2013, 02:08:12 AM
Hello everyone. I live in the SF Bay Area and rent a nice apartment in down town Oakland. My wife and I own two rental properties in Seattle. One is in the process of being refinanced to a 3.125% interest rate and the other own we are hoping to sell when the market recovers. Once the homes are paid off and sold, we will be debt-free.

We currently save about 45% of our income or invest, we pay 30% on mortgages and use the rest for expenses. We have one car, and 0 bikes and feel that we are on track for greater financial independence in our forties. We are 34 now and are very happy and grateful of the progress that we've made so far.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tmac on January 05, 2013, 06:59:12 AM
I've posted a few times, so I guess I should come back and introduce myself.  :)

I'm just starting to think like a Mustachian, but I've always been fairy frugal. I live with my husband, three kids, two dogs, and two cats, in a small town in the southern U.S. The mortgage is just 10% of our income, but its an 1830s cottage that needs a lot of work. I'm 42 (as of yesterday!), DH is 45, and the kids are 16, 9, and 7. As for the pets, we're on animal attrition plan. We love them, but once they're gone, they will not be replaced.

We're not from here, and hope to move back to my hometown once our oldest graduates from high school. The cost of living will be higher, so we're trying to get on a solid footing before we go.

We are self-employed, and I work part-time in the business. We have three additional employees, so DH works from home most days while they take care of on-site issues. Family income is $100k

We're not big spenders on most things (clothes, entertainment,etc.), so I'm using a rolling tally of expenses to find areas to cut. I saw two months ago that our food costs were our highest monthly expense, so we've cut back a lot in eating out and got more savvy about groceries. After just a few weeks of focus, food dropped down the list and auto payments moved up, so we're selling one car and using proceeds to pay down the other. I can see that the insurance category will be next, so I reevaluated our life policies and am quoting new auto. This rolling focus seems to be keeping me motivated and helps with my tendency to get distracted by other projects.

Our personal debt is the mortgage ($50k on a $70k house) and two cars, bought used ($4k on $10k car, $9k on $11k van). No CC or student debt. We also have a low-interest loan from the purchase of the business from the previous owners ($24k, paid down from $200k 5 years ago). All of that will be gone before we move.

Finally, I do have a bike, but it doesn't fit well. Once that's remedied, I plan to get my biking on. I've questions about the logistics of that with kids and such, but they can wait for a more appropriate post.

Thanks for your help so far, and in the future!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CookerS101 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Budget_Ninja 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?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tayl7784naj 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 !!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: John74 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 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

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: R0GUER0B0T 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
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Viv A. Stache 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hoyahoyasaxa 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ed Mills 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 (http://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     
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: momo 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JRstasher88 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Skyn_Flynt 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. :-(
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mickmey 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!
Title: hello from Beautiful British Columbia
Post by: Madame Toastmaster 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hurricane0884 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GoCubsGo 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: atlantalee 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tripcode 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: turtlefield76 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. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: French Freed 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!

Title: UK Moustachian
Post by: MrMoneyMotivator 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 (http://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 :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ccwishon 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!)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ceh 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stashasaurus 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.

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 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 :)
Title: Read every article so time to join the forum!
Post by: PKFFW 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: William 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vanessa 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Purple 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

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tarantoga 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: earlybird 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Noblesse Oblige 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. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Purple on January 28, 2013, 01:42:46 PM
Good one Noblesse Oblige
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: babycakes6001 on January 28, 2013, 02:42:13 PM
Hi my name is Elyse and I am new into the financial business as a CSA.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: taxman 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: martynthewolf 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.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FattyLumps 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alex808 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
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: duckybelkins 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AccidentalMiser 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JamesL 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mountainman75 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bill76 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kenoryn 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Parkertom 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crazy jane 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NickG 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wooderson 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rural 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BPA 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. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sweet Tart on February 09, 2013, 10:19:04 AM
I've been reading MMM for the past few weeks and I'm finally ready to introduce myself.  I live with my DH and 16yo son in Seattle.  I also have a 21yo son who is a Junior in college in Boston.  DH and I have a goal of moving to Hawaii when our youngest graduates from HS and moves on to his next life adventure (college, work, travel?).  Alex808--I'd love to pick your brain about living mustachian on Oahu as we currently see that as our first stop on this adventure.

Sadly, we are far behind many of you in getting to FI (I am 50, DH is 45).  I got divorced 10 years ago after 11 years as a SAH mom.  I learned frugality along the way, but lost all of my savings in the divorce and just trying to get by.  I fully admit that I was not thinking things through at the time and just tried to survive without taking on debt.

I got remarried 5 years ago and also went back to school around the same time.  I spent two years getting the coursework I needed to take (and pass) the CPA exam and I have been working as an accountant for a private company for the past 2.5 years.  I just got my CPA license in October.

I freely admit that DH and I have not been living very frugally or mustachian at all.  We've come close along the way, but have let life's ups and downs get in the way of fully embracing this philosophy.  Well--no more!  2013 is the year that we buckle down and get our finances in order.

We've worked out a budget that gets us spending at about 50% of our income and February is our first month of implementation.  The rest is being funneled towards our debt--a 0% interest cc that we used to help our son with tuition payments and my DH's student loan.  We also have a mortgage on our home which is not underwater, but pretty darned close.  We hope to get out of the house without having to bring anything to the table when my DS graduates from HS.  I am actually really looking forward to living in a smaller place that requires less maintenance.  I bought my ex out of the house at the height of the market and have regretted it ever since.  But DH and I are leaving regrets behind us and moving forward!

We're also far behind in our retirement savings for our ages.  Right now we have ~$100,000 in various 401ks and we only contribute 4% each (up to our employers' match).  Once we blast our debt out of the water we plan to hit savings hard! 

I'm so glad that I found MMM and I'm excited to be implementing changes based on what I've read here.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Left on February 10, 2013, 04:12:07 PM
Joined today after reading here for a few weeks. Some of the things haven't caught on for me, but I'm trying to live frugally but with a standard that I can enjoy. Well being a single 27 year old, I'm able to put away about 1k/month which I figure isn't bad. This is after making my 401k contribution. I'm still learning how to invest what I save so I'm a little wet behind the ears as the saying goes. Well hoping to stick around here for more tips and community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: daniel099 on February 12, 2013, 02:04:07 AM
Hi everyone i am new here i am Daniel live here at Philippines and i am 25 years old.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Theadyn on February 12, 2013, 07:51:34 AM
Hello all, new here, have been reading for a few months.  Newly widowed 41 y/o with grown daughter.  Pretty much starting from scratch on the investing, although have been very avid frugalite for years.  Getting ducks in a row now to start working towards FI.  For now have been cutting everything lifestyle wise down (got expenses down to about 1k monthly, including mortgage).  Will need to concentrate on the earnings soon (getting over recent injury resulting in surgery and physical therapy, yay).  Besides the small mortgage (down to 70k), have a small debt from recent injury, less than 4k, to work on.

Still at a cross roads, I must admit.  Not sure I want to get back gung-ho into working tons of hours to build up a large amount or find a niche in life that I truly enjoy so it doesn't feel like 'work', let the creativity in that find the money for me...  if that makes sense.  My husbands recent passing and all the financial things that ensued has left me really craving security.  At the same time, I know life is wayyyy to short to be punching a clock for the man and not enjoying things that matter  Hence, here I am.  Love the thoughts and ideas floating around here.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: .22guy on February 12, 2013, 01:23:29 PM
Hi there,
I'm new here, great site with lots of practical information.  I won't bore you with all the details, but I feel like I'm doing pretty well with my journey to FI.  But I'll probably be posting some threads asking for some advice in the near future. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: forward on February 12, 2013, 04:01:40 PM

I have been on here a few months and have not taken the time to introduce myself and that's not right!  Finding this and related communities has honestly been a revelation for me.   I am 45 and have always said the words - I want to become FI but I never really actively did anything about it.  I have always been frugal and assumed it would happen or on the other hand it would not happen because it just isn't possible.  Now I understand it is and it is up to me!    I just was not very smart about things and I have been working since I was 14, wow I wish I had realized all of this sooner.

I have much to learn and much to do to make it happen but what an eye opener this has been!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ReadingLearner on February 14, 2013, 04:15:18 AM
Hello everyone :)

I would like to introduce myself: I am not a full "mustachian"  yet (only a wannabe for now :P), given that I have been very anti-mustachian until 2011 when i finally decided to start paying down by $23K debt! I have $10K remaining and am trying to pay it down this year.  I'm 29 years old and it would be nice to retire early. It is quite the challenge given that I have some expenses that I can't seem to get rid of (Canadian Cell phone bill, debt repayment schedule, live far away from everything,etc). I would like to be retired early (an official mustachian!) and right now, I am slowly developing the traits of frugality. I'll be moving closer to my work in a few months so that I can walk and save $100 from my monthly buspass. Also, my next step is to buy groceries by walking to the grocery store. Also, I don't know how to ride a bike just yet, but will learn in the near future :) This blog, however, has been quite the useful source! So glad to have found it! I look forward to learning and growing my badassity muscles with all you fellow mustachians :P

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HelloHuey on February 14, 2013, 06:58:15 AM
Hello!

My name is Huey and I'm a 22 year old living in Denton, TX.  I started reading MMM last April because my job allows me to surf the net, so I read the whole blog start to finish in a couple of months.  MMM really caused me to see each dollar as significant, and that has brought change to many aspects of my lifestyle.  I am lucky enough to be debt free, with my whole life ahead of me.  I occasionally go into debt for certain mustachian investment opportunities when they prevent themselves.   I'm currently working two jobs at 50-60 hours a week to get a head start on my nest egg, and I've put the majority of my savings into the stock market.

I'm excited to see where life takes me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rollin on February 14, 2013, 07:29:07 AM
To all MMM forum users I'm new here and would like to say hello.  I've recently found the MMM website via a bicycling forum that is about living car free - there was a link to the post that MMM offered about getting ready for bicycling in winter (really cool by the way - no pun intended).  I love the direction MMM it is going.

I've been frugal (to some degree) for most of my life - at least more frugal than the "norm."  Was debt free from June 2001 through October of 2012.  I owned two homes during that time and autos etc., but now own a third home that I had to take a loan out on (20% in cash though).  My plan is to sell the other two (maybe rent one) and payoff the one with a loan - and get back to debt free.

I have a good retirement plan (actually a number of "funds") that I started on when I was 24 (three decades ago) and planned on retiring at 50.  However, in deciding to take on a new family I agreed (with myself) to go another 10 years full-time.

I really believe that "your money is your life" and understand how much I trade in time to have certain things that cost money.  I sometimes forget about that path though, but it's sites like these - and forums like this one - that get me excited about getting back to and staying on my track.

A little about me.  Healthy, happy life with a large family.  Working full-time to support all - including three teens that are extraordinary, but that are also being exposed to the standard American lifestyle in more ways than I like.  Not everyone in the family thinks like I do (imagine that!) about money and life, but I do live the way I think I should* and eventually at least they will understand that there are options and alternatives to the standard way of doing things.  Then, it's their choice.

* For example, I believe that riding a bicycle to work is an option to consider, as is riding the bus.  I do these two and drive a vehicle to work, but the mix is probably 30% bicycle, 10% bus, and 60% SOV (single occupancy vehicle - except when we van pool to meetings  - I take as many as 8 at a time).  This in an area (west-central Florida - USA) that normally doesn't see "executives" doing that.  Sometimes I feel like Superman (or would that be Clark Kent at that point in time?) jumping into the phone booth when I arrive at the office at 7:00 am, change into my "normal" work clothes costume, and resume the life that an executive lives.  But, I feel that for those that "find out" that I do things differently, they also can at least see that they have a choice, or alternative to the "norm." I dream that they think to themselves - "Hey, I've known him for many years, he's an upstanding citizen, spends much quality time with his family, he seems rational, kind, and not at all weird.  Maybe there is something to what he does that I might start doing to better my life."  At least I think it betters my life!

I look forward to joining in on your online conversations.

Lastly, to register you really need to jump through some hoops!  I tried a bunch of different responses that would comple the phrase that was supposed to end in "Badassity."  Never had it so tough!

EDIT:  I now see the "Badassity" phrase right on top!  Face in palm now.

Thanks all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EarlyRetirementMild on February 15, 2013, 01:20:32 AM
Hello friends!

I'm James.  I found this website via a UK money saving website and have been somewhat hooked since January. Well done all!

Me and the family live a fairly frugal life in London and I shall be investing c45% of nett income this year.  FI date tbc but maybe another 9 years.  I have a strong 'don't tell me what to do' streak so FU money holds strong appeal.

I work as an occupational psychologist (I/O I think you'd call it) and am pretty interested in Behavioural Economics & the irrationality of our relationship with money.  Personally, I think that I work too hard for my money to waste it on shit.  However, I do like my cafes and taking my daughters for a 'babyccino' after swimming!

Anyway - thanks for the site and the good forum.

Hope to forumify with you soon.

James

PS - I'll be visiting Orlando on business this month - any insider tips for things to do and see?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: psychomoustache on February 15, 2013, 02:34:05 PM
I feel like with this site/forum - I'm going to have the support to make changes that I've wanted to my whole life - I just couldn't stick with it on my own.

We are starting late on the savings track - mostly because of our big trans-atlantic move 15 years ago when we sold everything we had in the States and just broke even after 9 years there, and started over here in France. I took a few years off to have babies, and am back to work now since only 7 years ago. DH is an engineer so he makes most of what comes in, and I am a psychotherapist/psychoanalyst in private practice making 800 euros a month net. (DH is French BTW)
So what woke me up (DH is not entirely on board with mustachian-ism, even if he is highly anxious and a bit obsessive about money)...we have been doing Dave Ramsey now for years, and made some progres (paid off all debt except the house for example) then just have stalled out. We still have very little in retirement and liquid. Part of that is we live in a socialist system and they save for us (NOT to make lousy excuses for our lousy behavior, but still) and part of it is - well we just kind of are lazy poops. Or whatever. Well me especially - DH is a pretty hard-core cyclist and NEVER takes the car. Me- I am scared of the constant Brittany rain which is of course ridiculous.

What shocked my system and got me here (after drifting through various money-savingy-type blogs this is the place that just punched me in the face where I needed it as the Man Says) is that I recently learned that the French government is raising my taxes on my private practice AND asking me to pay back taxes on the past 2 or 3 years. I don't have French diplomas, so they don't consider me to be providing health services here, so I don't get a tax break as if I were a healthcare professionnel. Bref, as we say here, it's not going to be worth it to fight the French administration.

I don't have much of anything myself in retirement, and DH has his French engineer pension coming (I know, pension-schmension) and we only have about 130K in an IRA sitting in the States. This is just not acceptable, and it's our own fault - and we have been Dave Ramsey-drifting along on our lazy butts too long. So I had an epiphany - we are now going to live on his (rather generous) salary, and completely save the little I make (and hopefully more) and also, (unfortunately) find room to pay the back taxes.
I am still very American and don't trust the French gov't to provide for us - besides - I just hate the dependency factor. I started my practice even though I was told there was no room for more therapists or psychoanalysts in our small town - and I am booked. So F that.

First the Bad news then - we are old (I'm 47 and DH is 53) and we have three kids, one is college age. The Good news, we have everything we want or need (health care is solid, college education here costs next to nothing, we live in a big old house with just one paid-for car). So I figure better late than never, and we can still do a lot with the time we have left to work (I would actually LIKE to work about 20 more years or so, though not necessarily as much).
Thank you so much for being here and I look forward to growing a freakin huge mustache. With little curls on the ends...for style.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: icefr on February 15, 2013, 08:15:41 PM
Hi! I've posted a bit, but I never got around to writing an intro post. I'm in my early twenties, a little over three years out of college. I moved to the States from Canada with a job offer after college and bought a condo last year, so I'm settling in. I'm not as frugal as many people around here, but compared to many of my coworkers, I'm pretty frugal. I love comparing my stash growth to MMM's! Now if only my spending compared to his better...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tujin on February 15, 2013, 10:08:13 PM
Just wanted to take the time to write a quick introduction.

Hi, my name is Terry, and I'm a (recovering) sukka consumer. I'm going to be starting a journal in that section, and I'll give more specifics there, but here are the basics: I'm 28, wife is 26, and we have an 8 month old son. We also have a rambunctious Chocolate Lab named Lucy, but we have curbed her furniture destroying habits, which is obviously an important thing. :) My wife and I are both Navy veterans going to school on the GI Bill. I had the good fortune of a 75k/year job pretty much dropping into my lap, (was previously attending school full time) so we moved out here to Phoenix, and now I'm enrolled at half time. Part of the GI Bill (for those who aren't familiar) is that you get a monthly housing allowance in addition to tuition and a book stipend. A pretty sweet gig, I've gotta say. Unfortunately my very consumer mindset (I had a thing for buying expensive parts for 'fast' cars) didn't feel like this was enough, so I also took out all the financial aid the schools would give me - which is a lot these days. Consequently, I have 30k in student loan debt. Being enrolled at half time keeps me from having to make payments, but I am going to pay them off sooner - but I'll discuss that in my journal.

What really opened my eyes was reading this blog (which a friend pointed me to after I asked his advice on how best to invest the 7k tax return I have coming (despite the fact that I have a lot of debt to retire) and really considering what he was saying. When we were living on 35k/year, our average daily happiness was pretty much identical to our average daily happiness here, despite the fact that we are making (and spending) SIGNIFICANTLY more money. I looked at what that difference in annual spending would add up to after 10 years, and lets just say it was enough to motivate me to start taking this seriously, and make big changes now.

So here I am! I was considering starting a blog, but right now I think that would quickly get pushed to the side as my life IS legitimately very busy. Look forward to learning and sharing my experiences with all of you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Filibuster on February 16, 2013, 09:40:27 PM
Hi, my name is Jay.

I make a reasonable living, and really got sick of not knowing where all of my money is going. I was browsing the personal finance section of Reddit, when someone mentioned this site. I thought to myself... "Hell, I've got a mustache, I should see what this fella has to say." So far, I like what I see!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bicycletraveler on February 17, 2013, 08:52:32 AM
Hi everyone!

I've been reading the MMM blog/forums for about 6 months now and decided it was time to say hello :) I'm 29, and I live near Boston. I've always been more of a saver than a spender (except when it comes to travel), so the Mustachian way of life isn't a huge adjustment for me. The three areas of my financial life that I do feel like I need to keep working on are food costs (too much take-out!), travel costs, and income. Finding a better-paying job has been a struggle, especially given that I like to take off for far-flung places (sometimes on my bike, sometimes not) for several months every year or two.

-BT
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Marantha on February 18, 2013, 04:12:27 AM
Hi I'm Maran Tha
hi to all here
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Goatee Joe on February 19, 2013, 08:14:36 PM
Hi yall!  I'm Goatee, found this site thru a random Facebook "like" from one of my buddies.  I'm originally from the mountains of rural Southwest Virginia, and my wife's a city girl from Chicago.  She and I live in Arlington, VA and enjoy biking, hiking, cooking, travel, and hanging out with our families.  I am a Fed and she's a teacher.  We're both fairly frugal, though she says I'm borderline obsessed with saving money!  I can't help it... for some reason I just always enjoyed having a stash, all the way back to when someone got me one of those plastic quarter banks when I was a little kid.

Been enjoying reading MMM since we stumbled across it this past fall.  This site is the exact tonic America needed at the exact right time.... lots of people wandering lost in the wilderness of mindless debt, really needing some punch-in-the-face guidance.  Then there's the early retirement discussion that's got me thinkin.... hmmmm.  Definitely one of the most useful resources on the internet these days... keep up the good work, MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: startingover on February 19, 2013, 08:38:24 PM
Hello!  I'm Startingover, because it's the best thing to do in my situation!  I am 43 and live with my boyfriend and his son.  We are all saving and working for early retirement.  (Lucky Boy, he's only  15)  We bake our own bread, pay extra on bills, bike and save, save, save!  I am learning so much from the others on this blog.  Thanks to MMM for bringing us all together!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: azanon on February 21, 2013, 05:14:23 AM
Hello guys,

I decided I'd like to participate on this forum because from what I've seen so far, this is hands-down the best blog on the strategies and mindset necessary to achieve financial independence (FI).  MMM blogs are nothing short of excellent, and are easily of better quality than most books I've purchased on the subject. 

Me?  I'm in my early 40s, have a wife and child, and have made substantial progress towards FI myself.  I'm ultimately going to need a bigger stash than MMM for two primary reasons: 1. My moustachian badassity is not nearly as fine-tuned as MMMs, and 2. I don't really have any sort of trade skills where I could earn additional income if the need were to arise.  Well, maybe that's too harsh, I probably could in a pinch, but it would just be easier to amass what I need now given my current income level.  In other words, when I pull the plug, I ideally like to be completely done with working for pay. 

Those differences aside, I share MMM's passion for FI, and also his desire to help others come to understand that time, family, and personal experience are so much more valuable than over-priced, space-hogging material possessions.   America, in particular, is severely stricken with an over-consumption disease of sorts, and this really saddens me because I believe that so many of us are missing out on a greater happiness.  Let's all work together and help individuals come to understand that there really is a better way.

Thank you,

Az
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ultimate Cheapskate on February 21, 2013, 03:45:05 PM
Hi -

I'm Jeff Yeager, aka "The Ultimate Cheapskate." I'm an author, freelance writer, and general pontificator about enjoying life more by spending and consuming less.  It's good to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kriegsspiel on February 21, 2013, 03:50:06 PM
That was quick, someone was just talking about you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cid47 on February 23, 2013, 04:57:02 AM
Hi all!

I'm new to the world of mustachianism, having discovered it just a little over a week ago when I stumbled upon the blog while trying to figure out if I'm paying too much in electric bills (I am, of course). In the past 9 days I have read all of the blog entries and most of the comments afterwards and can say with all honesty that my mind has never been so completely blown. So now I'm on the track to full mustachianism. Look forward to sharing this road with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Obgyn65 on February 23, 2013, 08:57:43 AM
Hello - I am obgyn65 and this is my first post. I am pleased to have found this website.

Take care everyone

Ob
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 1e7ksi on February 23, 2013, 03:18:34 PM
Hello all!

I am a current college student studying engineering at my local in-state university trying to graduate with minimal debt and be Financially Independent by 30.


Live Long and Prosper,
1e7ksi
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Last Best Place on February 23, 2013, 08:11:24 PM
Hello, I'm Carrie.  Married, 2 boys, early 40s, and we live in the last best place, which you'll know about if you've been here.

We have enough in retirement accounts to be fine when we get old, our only debt is a mortgage that we expect to pay off within a few years, and we both work jobs that we'd still do if we were sitting on a Buffett-size stash.  What am I doing here?  My husband put me onto MMM as a kindred spirit.  Love the blog.  It's affirmation that we and our friends (and family) aren't crazy, just differently motivated.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrMoneyMullet on February 24, 2013, 07:17:18 AM
Hi, all, I'm Mr Money Mullet (which I hope won't cause people to confuse me with the REAL MMM).

28 years old, full-time student in a top-5 MBA program. Current goal is to minimize debt from this program while setting myself up to save 50%+ of income once I graduate. Married with a toddler. Compared to the average person, we've been smart with our money, but compared to most FI folks, we're not very badass... :(

Looking forward to learning a lot and contributing to the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: diablopea on February 24, 2013, 05:31:19 PM
Hi.  I'm 41, married with a couple of cats.  My only personal debt is my mortgage which we're currently starting to snowball.  I have some business debt with a partner (my brother) but we're rapidly getting that knocked out.  We own 1 hair salon and 2 cosmetology schools.

I'm no badass but any working to adopt some of the practices.  I just found this website this past week.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 6birds on February 25, 2013, 11:52:14 AM
Hi, I'm Patrick.  I'm a former boat driver turned financial analyst after pulling my head out of my ass, paying $126K in debt, and finally paying attention.  If I remain on track, I will attain Financial Independence (deep sigh) in 5 years.   

I'm 41 with a hot wife and two amazing girls.  My life is good and steadily improving over time.

My focus is my family, and I've committed to providing the type of education that I did not have nor care to explore on my own.  I was convinced that the world of money was evil until I actually understood what money is and what it does.  Thanks for having me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mamaof4 on February 25, 2013, 12:42:22 PM
Hi!  I'm Torie.  A 37 year old mom of 4 girls age 13, 9, 7 and 3.  My husband and I live in Bakken Oil Country (google it, it's nuts) where consumerism is at and all-time high.  We are feeling the effects in an increase in grocery and fuel costs.  I turned to MMM to help me!  My hubs is a systems engineer and I am a server at an awesome locally owned restaurant. We live about 20 miles from the town where we work. Moving is not an option for us, the housing costs here are insane.  A 2 bedroom apartment is renting for over $3k a month.  We have paid off $35000 or so in debt in 2 years. We still have about $25000 in student loans and our $250000 mortgage to pay off.  I am looking for encouragement and inspiration to live a lifestyle not easily seen in western North Dakota.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: layzbones on February 25, 2013, 05:47:57 PM
A quick introduction - hopefully you'll be seeing me around here regularly, such a fun place to follow!

I'm Jordan, 27-years young and happily employed.  I'm a mechanical engineer and a proud bargain hunters so I'm hoping that those will provide a good foundation to my soon to be 'stash.  I'm already an avid cyclist and just started commuting to work after buying a home that I love a 15 minute bike ride to work on <35mph streets and greenways outside of Charlotte, NC.  I've spent my last few years adopting new, and relatively expensive hobbies that have left me in a bit of debt (as well as a few large purchases for the new home).  Main goal right now - pay off the debt.  I have about $1k to spare each month right now, and am working with $2300 @ 15% and $4500 @ 0% for two yrs and hoping to knock that out in the next 6 months or less.  Then its off to start towards my goal of 50% take home saved.

I'll probably be starting a journal on here to document my progress and interesting finds along the way.  It will also keep me motivated and give me a bit of accountability.  I'm a big DIYer so hope to share some of that as well.

Thanks in advance for the kind words, help and encouragement!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hzsfre on February 25, 2013, 06:26:43 PM
I'm James. I'm a software engineer in the Seattle area. I'm in my mid-twenties, with a live-in girlfriend, a puppy, and (thankfully) no children yet. I'm also debt-free, if you ignore my mortgage :-) My girlfriend and I hope to be financially independent in 10ish years.

My girlfriend is currently in nursing school and working part time in the hospital's lab. She doesn't make much money, but our arrangement is that she pays for food, so she has the ability to optimize her costs by cooking, buying in bulk, coupons, etc while continuing to make meaningful contributions. She'll be done in just under two years.

I pay for everything else. I've started saving more recently; I'm now taking the bus to work (bus pass furnished by my employer! haven't bought gas in 2 months), refinancing my mortgage to cut out FHA PMI, and generally trying to become more frugal.

The biggest thing I worry about is my girlfriend's parents. They are immigrants have almost no savings to their name, since all their money has been drained by lawyers in the pursuit of green cards. They seem to be planning to work until they die, but in reality, their kids are their retirement plan. I'm hopeful that my girlfriend's siblings can contribute to that end, but part of me suspects they won't be able to, since neither of them really seem to be world-beaters. I'm trying to figure out how to balance FI goals with the prospect of supporting her parents through retirement.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Angie55 on February 25, 2013, 07:17:05 PM
Hi! Angie here. Married near 30's engineer living in CO.

My only goal in life is to pay off my husband and I's (awful grammar I know) student loans. We started in 2007 with 242k in debt for both car and student loans. Six years, a job loss, 2.5 years of unemployment, and a move cross country later we have widdled it down to 100k to start off 2013.

Currently my entire salary goes towards loan payments... Absolute best case scenario (primarily stopping myself from buying a house)  we will have everything paid off by YE2014. I'm trying to somehow scrounge up enough extra money along the way to finish a month earlier. Sounds easy but a month of payments is nearly $4,000.

Debt causes me so much stress on a daily basis. I spend hours every week just staring at loan repayment spreadsheet even though nothing really changes. I wonder what my life will even be like when its gone. Although then it will just be on to the next challenge of making up for lost time. I dream of the day I don't have to drag myself out of bed to sit in a cubicle all day and make Excel spreadsheets to pay off loans I signed for when I was 17.

Hopefully this forum will give me some momentum and keep me going. There are lots of days when the end seems so far away. I'll spend hours trying to find $10 in the budget only to realize its makes no real difference in the overall payoff. I feel like we are going to be playing catchup for the rest of our lives.

Sorry for the depressing post. But in all honesty momentum has been going pretty strong. February will be the first month we have stayed in budget! And we are down to 92500 in loans to start off March. I hope to one day either retire early (very unlikely due to how far behind we are) or open our own business together.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: taintedbean on February 25, 2013, 07:56:39 PM
Hi Mustachians!

Just joined the forums today after a couple weeks of furiously reading the blog and lurking the forums. Already owe my deepest thanks to this community.
I am a recent college grad (22) taking a Masters program in School Counseling in the Washington D.C. area. Living with parents currently, and I am fortunate enough to have no debt even once I complete grad school! (woo).

Looking forward to contributing to this forum in any way that I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EMP on February 25, 2013, 08:37:00 PM
Hi all. I'm Erin. I've been following since ERE and finally decided to join. I'd be doing much better at this whole thing if I had anything resembling ambition, but I manage to have a good time regardless. :)
Title: Re: Angie's say hi
Post by: Dee18 on February 25, 2013, 09:14:14 PM
Angie:
It sounds like you are doing great!  You've paid off 60% of your debt in three years!  I understand your obsession with those spreadsheets, but keep in mind the point of FI is so you can enjoy life.  Do you really want to be spending so much time thinking about debt?  When I became too obsessed with being frugal, a friend advised me to pick one time a week when I could look at my balance sheets.  You might consider doing that.  And use the rest of your time for something more enjoyable--go for a run, grow some herbs, meet a neighbor.  And  celebrate how far you've come.   Enjoy your health and youth and marriage!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spoonman on February 26, 2013, 07:19:20 PM
Greetings!

I've been a lurker in this forum for almost a year and thought it was time to formally join the community.

DW and I save about 55% of our pay (after taxes, 401k contributions, and HSA contributions).  We are dividend growth investors and have been piling up a nice stream of passive income.  We plan to be FI (of the ERE variety) in about 2 years.

I would say that we are quite frugal.  Right now the only thing that is a significant challenge for us is the condo that we bought in late 2009.  It might be another 2 years (we hope) before we can sell and get all of our money back.  If it wasn't for the house, we would have moved back to a small apartment closer to work, which would have enabled us to save an even bigger fraction of our take-home income.

I want to let it be known that I am thankful for MMM's work and the support this community is providing via this website.  It's nice to see a community of people that share our frugal and monetary convictions.

Jazz
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ScienceRules on February 27, 2013, 07:49:42 AM
Hi All!

I've posted a couple times, but figured I should come back and introduce myself. My husband and I are third year PhD students in Seattle. We have an adorable puppy who just turned 1. We do have a car loan and a mortgage and as PhD students don't make that much (about $1800 a month each). But we have no student loans through full ride scholarships during undergrad and being research assistants now. Since reading this blog we've stopped eating out (we ate out a lot!), ditched a cell phone and decreased the other to $30/month, used pinterest to find DIY cleaning supplies, recipes, etc and just stopped wasting money. Instead of spending all our paycheck each month, we save between $1500-1800 a month. I am so glad we found this blog now when we are young (23 and 25). The next decade will be rough since my hubby is planning to go to med school once his PhD is done, but with the plans we are implementing now it should be manageable without student loans. Thanks MMM!

ScienceRules
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KarlDebtSlaveNoMore on February 27, 2013, 09:11:05 AM
Hello everyone!

My name is Karl.  I am in my early 30s, married, father of one, and live in NY.  I'm an IT guy by trade.

Due to a series of bad decisions, my wife and I accumulated a large pile of debt by the time we got married.  So over the last three and a half years, we have progressively paid off nearly 200K of debt through a combination of thrift and industry.  The incentive for doing so had little to do with FI and much more to do with protecting my family from an outright economic collapse.

Along the way, I discovered this blog and a few others.  And over time, I began to realize that becoming FI is not as difficult as it seems.  At this point, the focus is on achieving full financial independence for my family.  Our monthly savings rate is at around 65% and I'm looking for various ways to increase it further.

I want to take the time to thank MMM for showing me so many money saving tricks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Charamei on February 28, 2013, 07:25:37 AM
Hi everyone.

I've been lurking for a few months and it seems about time to say hello.

I'm 26, no consumer debt or car, employed in a low-end office job and bought my first house last year with 25% down... it turned out to be in a worse state than initially thought (structurally sound but, uhh, let's just say 'dirty' and leave it at that), so after some emergency fixing-up I am currently asset-rich but cash-poor. I've spent the last year doing two things: rebuilding my stash and taking a proofreading course.

I'm not looking to achieve FI (yet) so much as set up a freelance business that will eventually be able to supplant my day job, with the proofreading as a basis and a hefty dose of 'whatever else pays' thrown in for variety. Then I can sell the house and move outside London, which should bring my cost of living down quite dramatically.

An even shorter-term goal is to get the stash above £10k again. It's hovering at £7.3k after some expensive dental work flattened the curve for a few months. That's significantly higher than last year, but seeing four digits rather than five is mildly depressing even when I know it was for a good cause.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: N. on February 28, 2013, 08:09:32 AM
Whopsy. I should have started here.

My name is Nathalie. I'm 35, married with two teenage (full-time) step-kids, and live in the Toronto, Canada area. I'm self-employed and work from home and hubs works for 'the man' in a career that sees him traveling a minimum of 50% of the year. (I get a frequent raised eyebrow when I show up as the only 'parent' for parent-teacher meetings.)   :)

I'm not yet a Mustachian, though have been lurking around the personal finance blogosphere for several years. I'm fiesty but open, and I love the sense of community here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tuyop on February 28, 2013, 09:12:08 AM
I'm tuyop, 24, from Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada). I'm living with my partner of three years in Ontario.

Through bad decisions, I accumulated nearly $60 000 in debt ($59 128 including a car loan, to be exact) shortly after graduating university. I realized that something was wrong and started a thread on the Something Awful Forums in May 2011 to track my progress out of the debt. Through that thread I found out about MMM when someone sent me his article on biking through winter. I didn't end up biking through winter (couldn't afford lights and the missus doesn't have a bike yet so we just commute together), but since, I have read every article and had a pretty dramatic awakening to frugality and financial independence.

In the past two years I've paid the debt down to $39 229.41, and an inheritance and medical payout (training accident at work in 2010) that I have coming up should clear up the debt this year, at that point I can't wait to start my own 'stach in earnest, as well as change careers out of my job that I hate.

My partner and I currently live on 50% of our income and are aiming to redesign our lifestyles towards a more environmentally friendly, self-sustaining goal. We're interested in DIY, gardening, and minimal living.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gazzamatic on March 01, 2013, 09:15:43 AM
Hey Everyone,

My name is Gary.  I've been reading MMM for a little over a year and thought I should finally create an account on the forums.  I live in Minnesota with my wife and our 2 kids.  I am not a natural Mustachian, but luckily my wife is modorately frugal so the only debt we have is our mortgage.

Over the last year I've been building up the stash, mostly through mutual funds and dividend paying stocks.  Now I am working on finding my first rental property, which is very exciting!

-gazzamatic
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kenoryn on March 01, 2013, 11:32:45 AM
Tuyop and Nathalie, fellow Ontarians, you should add yourself to the Mustache Map & help represent!

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/mustache-map!/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ace1224 on March 01, 2013, 01:12:57 PM
Hi!  I'm from coastal NC, and I just discovered MMM and read the list of all posts from the beginning of time in one weekend.  I am super pumped to grow some stubble and have already started slashing at my budget.  I haven't quite cut the cable cord, but I did turn in all but one box and then bundled that with the internet for some serious savings.  I'm really hoping to get on board with biking and my food budget needs serious help.  other than my mortgage and my car i am debt free after paying off all my credit cards and will never go into debt again for stuff. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: minnie1928 on March 02, 2013, 11:39:34 AM
Hi!  I've been lurking since around the New Year.  I found this site mentioned on savingadvice.com and I'm always interested in finding new personal finance sites/chatboards as I find that it helps keep me focussed in a positive direction.

We live very frugally in some ways, and not so frugally in other ways.  My goal is to get us moving in the more positive direction.  I currently work about 1.5 miles from work but still find myself driving to work ( I know!  this makes NO sense).  I'm still working on trying to find the best mode of transportation that's not a car.  But, I have many factors to consider in order to find the best fit.  But, I'm atleast thinking about a solution which is more than I was doing a few months ago.:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crumbcatcher on March 05, 2013, 10:14:36 AM
I'm a 42 year old working mom with a well-paying career and nowhere near enough of a 'stache to think about retiring early. I'm supporting my ex, who is a stay-at-home dad, until he finishes school and gets a job, or the end of this year at the latest. Since I'm currently living on half of my income, I'm optimistic about being able to save everything that is currently going to him after spousal support finally ends.  Another challenge? My son has Asperger's Syndrome and I'm paying for a number of different therapies, some partially covered by insurance, some out of pocket. Still, all of that is coming out of my half of my income so I'm not being a complainypants. :-)

After crunching the numbers I think I will be able to attain early retirement ten years from now if I continue my frugal ways and really start socking that money away next year. Finding MMM last month was an inspiration, and I look forward to becoming part of the community. It's exciting to have found like-minded folks and to realize that I can really do this!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jeremy on March 05, 2013, 08:44:12 PM
Hi everybody!

I started reading the Early Retirement Forum years ago, met up with Nords one time when we were in Hawaii (Hi Nords!), met up with Billy & Akaisha Khaderli in Thailand, read ERE from time to time, and now I catch up on MMM when I can. I really enjoy the MMM style, a lot of people could use a good punch in the face! :-D.

It's great to see so many people on the path to early retirement and generally being badass.  My wife and I retired a few months ago in our 30's and are now traveling around the world permanently.  We are now in Mexico, heading south... Our Spanish needs some work, but it gets better everyday

During the planning process I never found a travel blog that really shared how much it costs to permatravel, so I created one! We are blogging our journey with full financial information over at www.gocurrycracker.com (http://www.gocurrycracker.com).  My wife is a semipro photographer so that spices things up a bit

Hit me up if anybody has thoughts, questions, or advice!

All the best

Jeremy


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nancylee on March 06, 2013, 11:43:24 AM
Hi,
I am new here, been lurking a few weeks. Pretty funny forum!! Lots of humor here, along with great advice.

My husband and I are in our early 50s, and have made every stupid, ridiculous mistake with money, and then some, that you could imagine. I am a teacher, have always been employed, and would like to retire at 55. By retire, I mean an active retirement: I am also a freelance writer, potter and jewerly maker. My husband is disabled from a big city fire department, he has a triple tax free pension.

We are going to to work to get out of debt from some stupid things we bought in two years, and then working on our two mortgages, or selling one of the houses. Looking forward to learning all about how to save and live happily on less!
Nancy
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frank of Denmark on March 06, 2013, 02:26:51 PM
Hi everybody,
My name is Frank, and i live in the southern part of Denmark about 2 kilometers from the danish/german border. I, like many others, have made a ton of bad financial decisions. Recently i finally managed to get rid of 2 large drains on my salary and then i found MMM through another blog by a guy named David. His blog is called Raptitude. I now realise i have wandered in darkness and ignorance, but thanks to MMM, i have seen the error of my evil ways.

P.s: English is (obviously) not my first language, so you might find some weird grammatical or linguistic hiccups in my post. If they make you
laugh, let me know why so i can join the laughter.

Frank
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: babysteps on March 06, 2013, 04:58:02 PM
DH & I live in the Southern Tier of NY. 

Our journey - let's just say we were deserving of many face punches!  Probably still are...

We once owned 4 personal residences at the same time (I know!  ouch), 3 leased luxury cars, etc.  We did have multiple income streams and our own real estate business, but the real estate crash and a single really large luxury project that was 90% of our activity meant everything went down the tubes. 

Then the scales fell from our eyes and we started on a much saner path!

Now, still have 2 cars but own them outright and they are little Mazdas that should last a very long time (celebrate all progress!).  Do have a mortgage (one much smaller house in a much less expensive area) but are on track to pay off in hopefully less than 8 years (vs 12 years to maturity) and the payment is under $700/mo (our *electric* bill for one of our primary residences used to run that high). 

I know, still not completely MMM but we are moving in the right direction! 

Our cost of living is about 1/6 of what it was 3 years ago, probably 1/10th or less vs. 5 years ago.  Shopping is no longer a leisure activity.  We still love food & wine but eat out a *lot* less often (like 2x/month vs. 4x/week).  We make money on clothing (have been consigning parts of the legacy wardrobe, only current purchase activity is occasional socks & underwear).  Lots of DIY on our part and great local agriculture mean our enjoyment of living is up and the cost is waaay down.

By some standards we are retired now - no outside jobs, flexible schedule.  Like, "it's sunny today let's visit a winery" flexible :)  We are doing local, sustainable real estate investing.  We buy a scratch & dent house for cash ($7-12,000 usually) and resell but hold the mortgage.  So far we've done 15 houses (5 of those multi-unit) in about 2 years, all were vacant, all but 1 are now occupied.  Rents are high relative to house values around here, so for no more (sometimes less!) than rent a family can cover PITI & own their home outright in 12-15 yrs.  We assume most will pay us off early as they either switch to conventional financing or sell (2 have already re-sold after fixing up).  If rents were lower relative to house values this wouldn't work...a 2 bedroom apt rents for $600-900, 3br are $700-1,200 (depending on quality, location, etc).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SweetRedWine on March 08, 2013, 05:23:16 PM
Hello,

I've been lurking since September 2012, having found MMM through a brief mention on the blog Funny About Money.  I spent lots of money of lots of stupid stuff in my 20's, though I always avoided credit card debt.  In my 30's I'm ready to buckle down and save and invest.  Since I started reading MMM I have maxed out my 401k deductions, and increased my other savings.  I save with the intent that I may someday need to take time off to care for family members, or I may get older and be subject to job discrimination.  Either way, it's something I'd rather plan for now than worry about later.  Also, saving/investing keeps me from accumulating useless possessions.  I have a tendency to accumulate clutter, so this keeps me calmer.

The majority of my real life friends are spendthrifts, with no appreciation for not buying everything they can.  Even those that shop carefully still can't help but buy stuff.  They tend to think I'm rich because I don't complain about credit card debt.  I really appreciate the different point of view I read here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: imustachemystash on March 08, 2013, 08:18:54 PM
Hello fabulous Mustachians!  I'm Kristin and I feel like I belong with my own kind here.  I'm married and have 2 young boys.  I work part time and I am hoping my husband will get to enjoy the freedom of only working part time in 10 years or less! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Knightblaze on March 09, 2013, 12:20:49 PM
Hi all.

My name is Anies, been lurking and found this site on a depressed evening searching for answers to my woes.  Concrete advise here and a real pick me up in terms of trying to turn things around in my life.

I used to be pretty good with my money, my father drilled it into my head at a young age to be responsible which I half followed. I have always been a responsible individual when it came to paying my obligations and keeping a low balance in terms of debt.

I was also young and didn't think about retirement or future planning so I didn't really keep a savings account and the 401k I did have was tapped as I did want to transfer the small amount(2500) to roll it into a different one with my new job but being young and stupid it never made it there.

Essentially life flew by,  at 25 I met my future wife,  got married at 28, we had our first child 20 months ago and now at 31 I feel so down and out. I have nothing for retirement and not sure if I should enroll in my companies 401k now(fully vested) or wait until my credit card is paid off(further delaying savings for retirement).

After we got married we scrapped the honeymoon as we were supposed  to close on a condo which fell through a week afterwards due to the association not wanting to deal with fha(which wasn't revealed to us at the time of attorney review). Lost a bit of money ey from fees and inspections and after a few more months of living with my in laws my wife couldn't deal with it and we decided to rent an apartment.

Living at the apartment was great, the excitement of being out on our own and we were doing quite well. Given the this was slightly after we were married I added my wife to my health plan and kept working without really noticing any change in pay. Suffice to say when I brought this up to human resources they wanted 7months of back pay to cover their loss on premiums which hurt. I was at this point forced to live on less cash and more credit and seriously got buried in a huge amount of debt. We were also forced out of our apartment due to hurricane Irene and lost belongings and are now essentially staying with my in laws again.

We have been here for 14 months,  wife was unemployed and caring for our son. My original plan to pay off 15k in debt was essentially on hold as I had to help cover baby expenses. Luckily she was accepted for a job 2 weeks ago and my expenses have been freed up. This past month I've sent 900 to my credit card and am sitting at 13.3k with a goal of 8900 by August and hopefully 3-4k come January.

I can't help but feel depressed at times and I know I'm tackling this the best I can(leaving myself essentially enough for gas every 2 weeks) and the rest going to the cars(now just mine) both are leases(can't get out of them) , cell phone, storage unit, insurance, credit card(1) and my student loan. My wife's expenses are her car, student loan and daycare which basically kills her income for the time being(1k a month).

We have about 13k in savings left over from tax returns and our previous attempt at home ownership.  I just feel like that even if I dig myself out of credit card debt I'll never be able to own a home,  let alone try and save for retirement. I've also been trying to find a higher paying job to help me accelerate this process in order to get on track.

I'm sorry for rambling and intended this to be short and sweet but just felt good to get it off my chest.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LilacVioletIris on March 10, 2013, 08:45:12 AM
Hi, my name is Lilac. I am 36 and DH of 2.5 years is 41.

I was introduced to Mr. Money Mustache through a post on mothering.com as I have been trying to figure out how to save money on our telecommunications portion of our budget. DH and I started following a cash flow plan about 15 months ago, saved a $1000 for emergencies, and have been whittling away at $157K of our debts (mostly mine before I married DH - credit cards, student loans, mortgage).

DH and I want to increase our stash!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: startingover on March 10, 2013, 12:27:21 PM
Welcome to the family, Lilac and DH!  You will learn a lot through Mr. MM as well as the forum!  I love the forum because it shows me we are not allow!  Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jon_Snow on March 11, 2013, 12:35:49 AM
I have probably breached some forum etiquette by posting elsewhere on the blog before offering a proper introduction. Well, here goes.

The thought of ER didn't really occur to me until about 5 years ago - I somehow stumbled across a Canadian blog, Free at 45, in which the blog creator was bound and determined to retire by 45 years old. Quite simply, a spark was kindled in my brain- I knew I hated my job, but just assumed I would be doing it until 60 or so, just like my father before me. I knew my wife and I were growing a nice "stache", thanks to good incomes, a small mortgage, and a seemingly genetic tendancy towards frugality. Thus I started devouring every shred of info the ol' intrawebs could offer up on the subject of ER/FI. Its how I eventually found my way here I suppose.

As our mortgage has dwindled, and our incomes haven risen in the last 5 years, our "stache" has swelled to the point where I am now ready to make the same changes that MMM has - around this time next year I intend to inform my employers that I will no longer be offering my services to them - I will be 42. My wife supports me, although she is adamant that she wants to continue to work (she actually insists that she likes her job). I don't know if I will be "retired" or simply a "kept man" - I don't think I'll care. Though to be honest, managing our soon-to-be seven figure "stache" will now be a much bigger focus of mine - I view it as I would a sprawling garden - it needs tending and care for it to continue to (hopefully) flourish. Dividends will largely replace my current salary, so I will probably consider investment income as "mine", while my wife will continue in her burgeoning career - I am not sure at which point I will be able to convince her to join me in an world free from such indignaties as alarm clocks, deadlines and commuting.

I read alot of posts here that inspire me - younger people who are just embarking on the same journey that I have almost completed. When I was 30, the very thought of ER was a pipe dream - but 10 years of Mustachianism, from 2003 to the present, has allowed me the opportunity to experience a different kind of life.

On another forum I frequent, I related in great detail an encounter I had with a pod of orcas while I was sea kayaking - let me just say that the impact that this moment had upon me was profound in that it made me question how many other moments we are all missing out on while we are slumped in our cubicles, or (in my case) slogging in the mud at the bottom of a hole trying to repair a damaged sanitary pipe. I may never experience as breathtaking an event as when I felt my kayak rise up a few feet because a 10000 pound bull orca had swum beneath my fragile boat - yes, the mass of the animal displaced enough water to lift my boat - but I want more TIME and FREEDOM to seek out similar wonders. The world is full of them.

ER isn't for everyone, but for many of us it really is the best path to happiness. I wish each and everyone on this board success in their own journeys.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fat bruce lee on March 11, 2013, 08:54:12 PM
Herrowwww!

I'm 33 and from the San Francisco Bay Area, born and raised.  I happened onto the MMM site from Get Rich Slowly in a post about other sites/blogs people read.  Worked out because I probably would have dropped $20K+ on a used Tacoma when I didn't need it.  I'm glad my hesitation held me back from doing it, then stumbling upon MMM's site. 

I think I'm fortunate to have that lightbulb go off for me to get my shit together.  I'm definitely fortunate to have a job that pays well.  Will have to maximize my efforts pre FI!  Its allowed me to be essentially debt free as of early this year. 

I'm combing through the posts and making my notes here and there.  One thing for sure is its pretty damn hard to find a used practical car for short money.  But I'll be glad to get rid of my baby SUV and get a bike for my commute to the train. 

Looking to celebrate milestones as they come.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lynx on March 12, 2013, 04:55:56 AM
Hi, My name is Beth. I live in NC on the coast. I'm 50 and in nursing school. I got here from ERE. I love the forums. I have a bike, no car, so don't punch me in the face (Today anyway, we just met).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KatieSSS on March 12, 2013, 01:59:16 PM
Hi everyone,

My name is Katie and I live in Washington, DC. I'm originally from the Midwest, so DC prices still make my mouth drop open at times. I've been reading personal finance blogs for about two years now and have slowly turned my financial situation around. I paid off my student loan debt from graduate school a few weeks ago and am currently working on getting rid of my last piece of debt - my undergrad student loan. I live alone in a studio apartment and take the bus/metro everywhere. I have a good job and work a few shifts a week as a waitress to pay down my debt faster.

I heard about MMM through a family member who is also trying to pay down debt. I've enjoyed reading the posts these past few months!

My immediate goal for this year is the eliminate all of my debt. After that, I will focus on getting my emergency fund up to 6 months of living expenses (currently at 2 months). I haven't looked beyond that at this point because it really helps me to have one main goal and put all of my efforts towards it!

Since reading MMM and other PF blogs/sites, I now find things I grew up thinking were "normal" (i.e. huge cable bill and multiple debts) as anything but!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mommyNiece on March 13, 2013, 04:14:07 PM
Hello!  How ironic that I picked today to join .... I'm KatieSSS relative that pointed her to MMM.  I've been lurking around the blog since before the end of last year.  I've finally made the first step and put together a budget.  I even paid off one credit card - only to get the new statement and see a new charge.  My husband is being drug along and has no idea really what I am doing.  It will literally be a "show me the money" moment to get him on board.  Not that I am anywhere  near where I need to be.  I will likely not be able to retire until I really hit retirement age and that saddens me.  But now that I have found this blog I have hopes that I will be able to retire debt free.

Recent changes:  I'm taking the bus to work 97% of the time (its free).  I've set up a budget - but just this month and have adapted a money envelope system.  As I said - I have paid off one credit card ... 2 more to go.  I'm pretty sure I will be able to pay another card off before the end of the year and get the 2nd one 1/2 paid off.  A good start but definitely not a badA$$.

Thanks everyone and MMM for showing me the errors of my horrible spending habit ways!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bigote on March 14, 2013, 05:10:14 AM
Hi All -

I found the blog a couple of weeks ago and read it all in a couple of days.  44 years old and recently retired, I'm married with a preschool-aged kid.  I was in a ridiculously overpaid profession, had an IPO in my early 30s and an extremely fortuitous real estate investment, all of which combined has left me with a net worth north of $5MM excluding primary residence and a fully-funded 529.   

I would call myself situationally mustachian - for example I got rid of cable in 1994, and I drive a 15 year old compact car.   On the other hand, I have indulged some very non-mustachian impulses now and then but could still generally pull it off living on 25% of my old salary. 

Anyway I like the mustachian concept and while there's much I won't implement, I generally like to tread lightly on the earth, eschew consumerism, and hopefully raise the boy in a similar way.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: snshijuptr on March 15, 2013, 09:52:13 AM
Hi my name is Melissa and today I am graduating my PhD. With that part of our life journey over, my husband and I are reaffirming our commitment to living frugally. Ever aince I heard of the concept of Financial Independence, I have loved the idea of acheiving it early. My husband on the other hand sees himself working for the rest of his life. I would rather work part time and part year to free up time fto spend with our kids (we have one now and plan for a second)  and travel.

So with my graduation, we have enough saved up for about a 10% down payment on a house around here, but I have crappy grad student income history and no job currently lined up. Our plan is to both look for new jos cloaer to our families (we have a lot of applications out) and temporarily move in qith my parents while we add to our savings, build an income history, and then find a house.

We currebtly live with 1 car (a beloved Honda Fit) and have the cash saved up to buy a second. We also have enough cash saved up to pay off my "high" interest student loans.  My hope ia that we can align our jobs and housing to either commute by bike or carpool and uuse the car money to pay off my husbands student loans.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr HighFalutin HillFolk on March 15, 2013, 10:35:22 AM
cheerio y'all.

i purt'near bankrupted myself keepin up with them Joneseses...them Joneses...aww them folk next door.

now i'm a just a chap trying to recover from blind consumerism.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: higginst on March 15, 2013, 11:38:52 AM
Whoops! Didn't introduce myself before I started posting. Anway, I'm higginst and I live in a small city (under 20,000 people) in northern British Columbia, Canada. I'm interested in becoming more mustachian. My wife, not so much. I have a 4 year old son (almost 5) and we plan to have more kids in the next couple years.

I'm working on becoming more mustachian to eliminate the debt, start saving, and once my wife is working as well, hopefully have enough to retire by 35 (currently 25).

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: P Dubya on March 15, 2013, 04:07:34 PM
Hey y'all

Names Paul. I live in Melbourne, Australia. Originally from England. I love the site. I'm buckling down and currently plotting my ten year exit strategy. Looking forward to getting stuck in elbows deep with y'all.

Peace x
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DaveSch on March 15, 2013, 09:23:34 PM
Hi Everyone.
My name is Dave and I live near Corning, NY. I've been visiting here a couple times a day for the last
two or so weeks. I feel at home here as everyone says that I am frugal. I will relate a story about
something that happened 20 years ago or so.

My brother was visiting, and he went over to visit the neighbor lady, an older person, very nice. Couldn't
have had a nicer neighbor. She said to him, "I don't mean nuthing by this, but your brother is kind of
tight, isn't he?" She was referring to the time I offered to take a payment of a bill she had and deliver it
at the same time I was making a payment, so she could save a stamp.

Well, my brother had to tell her the way HE saved money. She never brought up the subject again.
I was really sad when she moved out.

Anyway, that is where I am coming from and I look forward to posting now and again.

Dave
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: clifp on March 16, 2013, 02:08:34 AM
Aloha

I'm Clif, I retired at 39 in 1999 and moved to Hawaii. I am also a retirement/money forum junkie MMM will be my 5th or 6th. Early-Retirement.org is my main forum hang out.
In the last couple of years I've been buying real estate in Vegas, where I met areblspy. I still plan on buying more there but I am more cautious.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jrs on March 16, 2013, 08:57:27 AM
Hi Everyone,

Glad to be here.  Just started reading the MMM blog, and the philosophy really clicks with me.  I want to take a moment to say a big thank you to MMM for writing! 

Starting from the ground up with saving towards FI.  Early thirties, single, living in Henderson (suburb of Las Vegas) NV.  Got the bicycle up and running last weekend after years of neglect in the garage, and fortunately just moved to a place close enough to bike to work (twice a week for now, but more as fitness improves).

Cheers!
-jrs
Title: Hello from Boston, MA!
Post by: Helsinki on March 16, 2013, 10:38:28 AM
Jusmoing in to to say hello from Metrowest Boston, MA. Really excited to balance our budget and do what it takes to become financially independent.

Love MMMs philosophy and ideas...

Looking forward to connecting,

Mr & Mrs Helsinki.
Title: Howdy
Post by: Dr.Vibrissae on March 17, 2013, 04:19:47 PM
Hi all,

I to took me silly long time to read through all the posts and get here, but here I am at last! My name is Sarah and i am finishing up a Veterinary pathology residency before embarking on a PhD, so I am ridiculously over-educated and underpaid.  Still I'm much happier than working in practice, so I think it's all worth it. 

I'm more naturally Mustachian than the Mr., but despite his love of cable and reluctance to get rid of any of his "pretties"  he's a pretty good sport about my efforts on the financial front.  In fact we're like a reversed traditional family since I handle all the finances, while he probablly doesn't even know how to log into our bank account, and he spends his time keeping us in delicious food on the cheap.

FI is a long way off, but this place keeps me motivated to undertake the steps I know i should be doing anyways (I'm a born procrastinator and often need a kick in the pants/punch in the face).

Excited to finally jump into the forums :)
Sarah
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jwilliamson22 on March 18, 2013, 08:51:39 AM
Hey! My name is Jordan and I am currently plotting my world take over. It started with paying off 17k in student loans in 6 months, purchasing a duplex and living in one side, setting aside an EF, fully funding my Roth and contributing up to my company match. This has all occured within 2012.

I am excited to be part of the forum officially instead of just browsing the blog!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brewer12345 on March 18, 2013, 01:53:19 PM
Now that I have over 50 posts here, I suppose an introduction is in order...

I am brewer12345 and I am an alco - whoops, wrong group.  I am pushing 40 and so is my wife, two kids at 6 and 8.  We live in suburban Denver and I am a cube dweller at the moment.  I am a finance type with a background in credit analysis and financial institutions.  Planning to split from the day job early next year and join my wife in being self-employed with a lot less aggravation, stress and taxes and a whole lot more time with family and doing what I want. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chardog on March 18, 2013, 08:56:47 PM
Howdy,

Happy to say I am retiring at the end of this month.  Discovered MMM about a year ago but have had the same basic philosophy since growing up. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mama Minou on March 19, 2013, 09:16:10 PM
Hi,
I'm Mama Minou. I live in the PNW with my sweetie and our two teen boys. We live on an "urban farmette" with more animals than we should.
I'm a new, midlife Mustachian...better late than never!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: easton on March 19, 2013, 10:04:14 PM
Hey Everyone,

I'm 25 and live in PA. Found this site a few weeks ago after I started trying to tighten up my budget due to the Federal furloughs coming. I work for the DOD so I'm in line for a 20% pay cut. Realized that wow, I've been so foolish with my spending habits, so trying to turn that ship around and get on the right financial track. Face is looking pretty bruised right now from all the punches, but hoping to grow a nice mustache one day :p

-Easton
Title: Hello from Kenmore, WA
Post by: purpleqgr on March 22, 2013, 05:46:36 PM
Hello, everyone!  I'm Just A Dumb Cat living a few miles from the MMM meetup that happened in the Seattle area a few weeks back.  I'm just about to turn 40, and trying to get back on track for an early-ish retirement after wiping quite a bunch of my savings and net worth out through the big mistake of buying a house in California back during the boom years!

 I found this site a couple of months ago (thanks, Reddit!), and have already gone from a not-so-bad savings rate to well over 50%, moved some cash on hand to paying down my mortgage for some better returns, and am more aggressively pruning back the wasteful spending on 'stuff' that I've not seen much return on.  This site is fantastic!  I look forward to jumping out of my current career and in to early 'retirement' in 5-7 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tkirk62 on March 23, 2013, 11:43:41 AM
I am a university student studying kinesiology. My dream is to be FI by 35 at the latest, then start a large health and wellness facility consisting of a gym, physiotherapist, chiropractor, dietician, etc so there can be one place where people go to improve their health or recover from a health problem.

I have already got a good start on my stash and last year received about $150 in dividends in my first year of saving. This year I want that to be around $300.

I also have a big interest in starting my own little business, starting as a side business in the summers while I'm in school and hopefully growing it to be something noteworthy by the time I am working full time. I have been seeking opinions and advice about that here

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/university-student-thinking-about-a-side-business-during-summer/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: finance_hacking on March 23, 2013, 07:35:20 PM
Howdy all,

I've been reading the MMM blog since the first week it came out, so I figured it was finally time to jump into the forum and contribute to the conversation.

I'm in my mid-20s, live in the midwest in a very low cost-of-living area and I work with computer/network security, which is a very lucrative career right now.  This boils down to me being able to save a huge portion of my income.

I saved up a very large travel fund in order to be able to go on a 'mini-retirement' trip with my girlfriend.  We plan to travel all around the world.  I'm going to be approaching my employer about an alternative working arrangement, but if that doesn't work out we'll just both quit our jobs and travel until we run out of money (in that fund only- we won't be touching the 'stache).

I like to have the option of being nomadic - either traveling for pleasure or else relocating for the right career move, so I am focused on investing my 'stache in index funds and the like.  I do not plan on buying any real estate and becoming a landlord.

I also love to bike!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheDood on March 26, 2013, 08:36:55 PM
Hi Everybody!

I discovered the site about 2 months ago and decided I had to start at the first post and read them all for my Mustache basic training.  I'm now signed up on the mailing list and figured it was time to join the community as well.  I won't bother with my whole backstory and everything here, but just thought I should at least post here to say Hello :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Janja on March 27, 2013, 09:50:48 AM
Hello, everybody, I am so glad I finally found Mr. Money Mustache. What fun!

My husband and I are grandparents, but we got kind of a late start financially for various reasons and have been "playing catchup." As I read the MMM blog, I am thrilled to discover that my husband has already been doing many of the practices. No longer will I chuckle at his taking the same lunch to work every day for the last few decades. And my admiration only increases as I recognize his wisdom in staying completely out of debt (except for house, which we paid off last month), living close to work, keeping expenses low, and so on. We now have our stash, and he will take "early retirement" next year at the age of 65 (it all depends on when you begin, right?)

I am interested in learning more and more about proudly cutting expenses (ignoring my friends who say I "deserve" a housekeeper, etc.), although I do have a few challenges. I would LOVE to give up my gym membership and get a bike, but I have multiple sclerosis, and my lack of balance makes it impossible for me to ride--so I swim at the Y in a saltwater pool.

I do have high hopes, however, for figuring out the most Mustachian ways to meet the challenges in my life. Here's one that has always stumped me: I look SO much better with blonde streaks in my hair. I mean, really, I can't imagine feeling okay with what is now my natural color. I have no problem at all with cutting my own hair, I think it looks just fine, but I have never been able to highlight my own hair as well as a salon. I wish there was an easy way to give up this annoying expense.

Okay, I suddenly realized that I am making the need to keep highlights in my hair equivalent to having a chronic autoimmune condition--but surely other Mustachian ladies will understand! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Freda on March 27, 2013, 01:04:45 PM
Howdy.  I'm 37, hubby is 45.  I work in behavior health, he works for the government.  Our kids are 25 and 18, neither lives with us.  3 dogs, 2 cats.  Just a few years to debt free! 

We're also debating moving overseas in a few years, as he can get a job transfer which would allow us to see the world and maximize savings at the same time.  He already draws VA disability and military pension, and in 12 years will be able to draw on a government pension.  In the meantime we're prepping by streamlining our possessions and readying our house either for locking up or selling, whichever makes the most sense when it's time to go.  So we're working both ends - earn more, and spend less - because we want travel to be our first priority!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 on March 27, 2013, 03:23:17 PM
Howdy.  I'm 37, hubby is 45.  I work in behavior health, he works for the government.  Our kids are 25 and 18, neither lives with us.  3 dogs, 2 cats.  Just a few years to debt free! 


Tell me you did not have a kid when you were 12?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ms. Doodles on March 28, 2013, 07:54:35 AM
Hi All,

Ms. D here, a 32-ish debt-free Houstonian DINK.  Been a forum lurker to gather tips, insights, and entertainment.  Let's just say, MMM jumped start my enthusiasm for FI early this year.  And there's no turning back!

Mr. D and I plan to venture overseas in two to three years for possibly years of pleasure, business, and adventure.  The Mustachian philosophy is instrumental in our goal.   Armed with kitchen experiments, decluttering accumulated "stuff', a less consumerist mindset, and an appreciation for the simplest things, our quality of life has taken an upturn.  Who would've thought financial planning is fun? 

-  Ms. D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BlueBird on March 28, 2013, 01:03:51 PM
Hi friends,

I'm 32, in public health, and from the DC area.  My husband is 38 and active duty military.  He has just over 20 years in and we're planning military retirement in the next 1-3 years, but for now they have us living in the wild, wild west. We have a daughter who is 19 and off at school.  Before anyone does the math on that, I'm wife and mom version 2.0 and so not her bio-mom (but she is very much mine). 

We're fairly naturally frugal about most things, although we've made our share of mistakes.  We realized pretty early on that although I'm very employable, we needed to not count on my income at all since the military moves us whenever and whereever they please.  Sometime last year it occured to me that we could probably retire "for real" shortly after my husband retired from the military.  At that point we figured it would take 10-15 years after that.  Having found MMM, we're not projecting full retirement in 5-6 years, which we're thrilled about! 

Anyway, I just finished up readying all of the blog posts and thought I'd mosey on over here. Looking forward to "meeting" you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: superheropunk on March 28, 2013, 05:48:11 PM
Hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StrangeWool on March 29, 2013, 08:51:20 AM
Howdy,
I'm a 37 year dude in Houston, married (wife 29) with a 1yo and another on the way (around September).  I've been lurking since last October or so, and I can see things really started to move in the right direction since then.  I don't have a ton of debt ~$12,000 @3.25%, but I also have very little savings ~$15,000.  I am starting very late--and really--I'm just hoping to retire comfortably on time.

I've been facepunching my self on a regular basis thanks to you good folks, and I look forward to some more!  I might even muster up the strength to start a journal sometime soon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jessica on March 29, 2013, 09:00:48 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm 33 and just getting started on working towards FI.  Up until about a year ago I figured I'd do like everyone else does - work forever, buy stuff, groan about Mondays, etc. I really want to escape that and I'm here to learn more and get the ball rolling!  Currently I'm mostly debt free, except for the dreaded car loan <shame> so task one is eliminating that stupid bill.  Next up: growing the stash!  Cheers all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: limeandpepper on April 03, 2013, 05:23:11 AM
Hi everyone, I've been reading the MMM blog and forum for awhile now, finally registered for an account. I've always been frugal but reading blogs/forums keep me inspired and motivated!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jenga on April 03, 2013, 04:21:28 PM
I'm Jenga.  I'm 37, and the Official Bank Of The Extended Family, which has made saving for retirement difficult.  I've been working on finding a better balance on that, and will soon  have my only debt, a loan I co-signed, paid off! 

I've been reading MMM for quite some time, and thought I'd make an account today, as I often wish there were someone as fascinated with this stuff as I am to talk to.   The next goal is to get to Financial Independence/Early Retirement as soon as possible. 

I hate biking, which perhaps makes me out of place here, but I walk pretty much everywhere, so hopefully that is sufficiently mustachian. :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jenga on April 04, 2013, 08:08:03 AM
One of my first actions once I decided to ER in the immediate term was to announce to all family members that the Official Bank of The Extended Family everyone thought I was running was closing down for business at the end of 2012. So far, so good and that act alone has saved me around $8K pa of expenses.   

It really does make a surprising amount of difference!  LOL
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MikeStache on April 04, 2013, 11:23:58 AM
Hi, I'm 37 and have been reading the blog and the forums since a friend posted the link to the savings rate vs time to retirement post on FB. I've been spending more time on the forums lately so I finally signed up. My wife and I have always been fairly mustachian. Even before our daughter arrived a few years ago, we kept expenses fairly low, we paid off our mortgage in about 6 years and had started accumulating a decent 'stache. This has allowed her to be a SAHM home until our daughter starts school next year.

ER was always a goal of ours but reading here has just accelerated that desire. Our savings rate is relatively low now that we're on the single salary (10-15%) but will go way up when DW returns to work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: startingover on April 04, 2013, 08:56:29 PM
I love to hear about new people to the forum, and to MMM!  Welcome.  Good luck to your family.  Keep going the way you are, enjoy life, and each other!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: expatartist on April 04, 2013, 11:19:21 PM
Hi, I'm 38 (from the US), and met The Man (44, from the UK) in a bar in S.Korea ten years ago. Your forums have been a welcome kick-in-the-ass to get me out of some bad habits! Also the hedonism creep that tends to happen towards middle age.

We've done lots of things in a lot of places, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region. Now we're slowing down and taking stock of the future. After years of financial ups-and-downs depending on different currencies and careers, we're looking at ways to deal with/maximize our finances internationally. We're not really into ER, more into making the most of what we have already, and how to build a stache that will work for us wherever we live.

Based in Beijing. For now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Suze on April 05, 2013, 07:49:51 PM
Hi All,

I'm a public servant in my late twenties and am just over a year into my first 'real' job after finishing up nearly a decade of university study. Late last year I bought my first home, a small apartment 6km from work - perfect riding distance. My current plan is to pay off my mortgage in under ten years although I am still figuring out how and when I'll be able to achieve FI. While I was already sensible with money, MMM has given me the motivation and ideas to get seriously frugal!

Looking forward to spending time in the community and getting some great ideas from other MMM readers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Freda on April 08, 2013, 01:03:32 PM
Howdy.  I'm 37, hubby is 45.  I work in behavior health, he works for the government.  Our kids are 25 and 18, neither lives with us.  3 dogs, 2 cats.  Just a few years to debt free! 


Tell me you did not have a kid when you were 12?

He has a child, 25.  I have a child, 18.  We have no children together.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lord Cashmoney on April 11, 2013, 01:14:44 AM
Hello my fellow Mustacians!

I've been waiting for the perfect time to pop up and introduce myself for a short while now. Don't let the alias fool you! Despite appearances, really don't have delusions of grandeur relating to some form of aristocracy or some longing to live a Downton Abbeyesque existance... (ok, perhaps I would actually love to live the "Downton" life... but that's a conversation for later!)

I'm a recent adopter (but not yet a total convert) to Mustachianism. I'm 27, living alone in the beautiful Emerald city. Through certain life circumstances, I attended college a tad late and, via the same circumstances, ended up shouldering the entire cost of my education myself. After the dust had settled, I had a student loan bill totaling $55,000.00 tacked on the back of my degree... Fifty grand! I wasn't shocked by this though as I knew what I was getting into. Far from the relaxed college experience of sleeping in, red solo cup-laden dorm parties and afternoons spent lounging on the freshly-cut grass of The Quad, my college experience entailed 16+ credit hours each term, a job of some sort, an internship of some sort, volunteering of some sort and maybe, just maybe if I was lucky, a chance for a little downtime here and there. I went to school for Advertising and Graphic Design...

I can already hear the muttering from you all...! "Advertising?! You mean you have a career solely supported by persuading maxed out consumers into giving up yet more of their unused credit card balances? That is terribly un-Mustachian!" Well... That too is a story for another time. Long-story short, I was so ravenous, so completely focused on doing the best work that I could that when I did graduate in 2009 a full 2-terms early, my career exploded. I went from making $21,000 at my college job to $52,000 at the one that immediately followed. Then, after a layoff, a move across country with only my savings as a backup and a year and a half of job ambiguity and contract work, began working for a large, Seattle-based internet company with a starting salary of $95,000. Success! My ship has come in! Time to crack open the bubbly and take a nice deep drag on that cigar! ... right?

Not exactly. You see, I did mention that I was only a fairly recent convert to Mustachianism. And the trigger-point that tipped me towards the side of the 'stache? Parking receipts. I was sitting in traffic. Not ordinary traffic either; we're talking 'Seattle' traffic. The kind of traffic that just doesn't move for what feels like decades because at some intersection far beyond the horizon line, a bridge might be up. Or someone failed to merge correctly and are now blocking two lanes of traffic instead of neatly staying single file. I digress! So I'm sitting in traffic. Its the end of the week, I'm tired, It's cold and rainy out and my car is filthy. Well, not filthy, just littered with tons of little paper parking receipts. Each one had $15.65 on it... So I'm sitting in traffic, not moving, idling away the tank of premium gas. Then it hit me. How much did I spend on parking last year total..? I certainly drove to work a lot.. When I got home I started doing the maths...

$3800+ on parking alone.

I kept looking at the number and just wanted to vomit. But I didn't stop there. I added up the interest paid on my student loans.

$3741.31 just on student loan interest.

But it didn't stop there. Let's not forget the cash spent eating out at lunch everyday. Or too many take-out dinners, or the gym membership that I never used because it was too far out of my way, or the gas I burned going absolutely nowhere, or the loan interest on my credit card debts, or the cable TV I was never able to watch because I'm stuck in friggen traffic, or any of the other countless things that I was literally throwing my money at for absolutely no good reason! I felt sick, like I had been punched in the face by some stupid clown who laughed annoyingly and scampered off joyously with thousands of dollars of my hard-earned money, only the clown was me... it was ME! I was in shock for days, and after that, I decided to make a permanent change.

Enter the Badassity: I may be a new, converting Mustachian, but these are some of the things that I've done to make that shift happen.
- Started biking the 2-miles to work (yes, I spent all that money parking my car in a pay lot that was only 2 miles away from my apartment. Story on that insanity later.)
- Put my entire first-year hiring bonus ($7,000) towards credit card debt. (So long 19.99% and 17.99% interest rates!)
- Cutback on my eating out by learning how to cook -food- food.
- Balanced transferred some other $2,200 from a card with 17.99% interest to one with 5%.
- Up-ed debt payments from just a bit more than the minimum to about $2500 a month.
- Put the car to sleep, except on weekends. (Total drive-time has fallen waaaay down).

Dropping about $10,000 on my debts immediately after I received my first paycheck from my new job was an amazingly cathartic experience. I had broken out of what was "normal", since "normal" was living my life as wastefully as I had been. As I saw those high-interest balances incinerated by the sheer scale of the initial blast of money I unleashed upon them, something had changed within me. Now, all I see are areas for improvement and I'm looking forward to the journey ahead.

I can't wait to share more of my experiences, from the very big events such as quitting commuting by car cold-turkey, to the very small ones, like repairing my flip flops with an old bike inner-tube. Being amongst people who are encouraging of the process as I strip the idiocy from my life to become my alter ego, Lord Cashmoney is exciting, and I can't wait to see what I continue to learn from such an awesome group of people as this.

Damn it's good to be here! :)

~ Lord Cashmoney
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bigote on April 11, 2013, 02:45:08 AM
Great intro post, and welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: olivia on April 12, 2013, 06:33:27 PM
Hi all!  I'm married, 31, and my husband is 34.  We make great money but spend way too much of it, and I'm looking to change that as soon as possible.  I've already cancelled my cable ($130/month) and my CrossFit membership ($175/month) and I started biking the 5 mile round trip to work.  (Previously I was walking to public transportation, so I wasn't driving, but I also wasn't getting the exercise of a bike.)  My husband recently transferred to a closer office and now walks to work, so we rarely drive our one car.  (2007 Subaru Outback.)  I'm looking forward to implementing more changes to get as mustachian as possible ASAP.

I have a background in fashion and it's all too easy for me to get sucked into gorgeous clothes and shoes.  That's my biggest spending temptation, aside from eating out.  My husband's only temptation is eating out, so clearly that's one category where we can get into big trouble. 

I'm excited to be a part of the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lord Cashmoney on April 13, 2013, 09:37:31 AM
My husband's only temptation is eating out, so clearly that's one category where we can get into big trouble. 

Welcome, Olivia! I can completely relate to the eating out thing. Before my recent and increasing conversion to Mustachianism, I to would eat out for just about every meal except breakfast... and sometimes even that too! Just in the last year, that resulted in about $5000+ in money that I'll never, ever,ever see again. I'm only just now starting to turn that around.

What part of the fashion industry do you work in? Being in the advertising world, I know how easy it can be to get into the habit of just "having" the latest stuff just... because! I'd love to see how you and I both turn careers in these most-unmustachian industries into ones that work better for us both.

Welcome to the forum!

~ Lord Cashmoney
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: olivia on April 13, 2013, 08:05:25 PM
My husband's only temptation is eating out, so clearly that's one category where we can get into big trouble. 

Welcome, Olivia! I can completely relate to the eating out thing. Before my recent and increasing conversion to Mustachianism, I to would eat out for just about every meal except breakfast... and sometimes even that too! Just in the last year, that resulted in about $5000+ in money that I'll never, ever,ever see again. I'm only just now starting to turn that around.

What part of the fashion industry do you work in? Being in the advertising world, I know how easy it can be to get into the habit of just "having" the latest stuff just... because! I'd love to see how you and I both turn careers in these most-unmustachian industries into ones that work better for us both.

Welcome to the forum!

~ Lord Cashmoney

Thanks for the welcome!  We spend a ridiculous amount on food too!  We've cut back considerably but it's still more than it should be.  (Like at least twice as much as it should be...YIKES.)

I used to be a buyer for a clothing boutique for about 7 years, but I'm actually in a totally different field now.  When the economy tanked and my hours got cut back considerably, I took that as a sign to move on!  Since then I've worked in biomedical research, so basically the opposite of fashion. 

As soon as I left I stopped spending a ridiculous amount of money on clothing!  Being surrounded by stuff is definitely not helpful for not spending.  Hopefully you can work on accounts for ugly stuff?  :P
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stinkindog on April 14, 2013, 08:03:06 AM
My name is Trish. I am 48 and live with 3 dogs and a herd of cats.
I live in a small town/rural area and work full time for the local public library. I also mow two yards during the summer for extra cash. I am pretty frugal but I know there is always room for improvement.
I just inherited a small amount of money and have been wiping out all of the debt I have. I had one cc balance (now gone-yeah! )and I paid off the Jeep. I paid off the debt to my parents.  I have started setting up savings and retirement funds and have upped the deferred comp. and employer IRA amounts. I started a stock fund and this week I will be setting up tiered CDs. I am going to make some gifts to my siblings, the local spay/neuter clinic and an animal rescue that does good work. I have set aside some money for home improvements too. When I get those things complete I am going to pursue a refinance of my mortgage.
I do some bartering with my mom-as in I do her shopping and she buys my groceries. I mow her yard and she does my laundry. I drive a 2000 Jeep that I am going to sell and have a 92 Chevy pickup to haul wood.
Once I refinance I am considering renting out my home and living in a smaller trailer/tiny home to get the mortgage paid quicker. I'd like it to be paid off by the time I go to take care of my parents. It will happen-just not sure when so I am really trying to get everything in order as soon as possible.
So hi to everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: misstache on April 15, 2013, 04:51:18 PM
Hi!

I'm Misstache and I'm just starting to take my finances seriously, at the ripe old age of 31. I'm the opposite of MMM and Mrs.MM in that I was born in the US and made my way to Canadia, where I now have permanent residency.

I am super grateful to have found this blog, and plan to be involved on the forum. I'm stoked to see there is already a well-established section for Throwing Down the Gauntlet, as the last  online community I was part of I tried to start stuff like that, and rarely was anyone interested.

Currently reading She Laughed All the Way to the Bank, and plotting my business-to-come-this-year.

I happily live in a place where there is basically nothing to spend money on except housing and food. So I'm well positioned to make my way quickly to living off of a small percentage of my income, with just a few well-needed tweaks, hopefully!

Looking forward to getting to know ya'll.

Love!

Misstache
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: adesertsky on April 15, 2013, 07:24:00 PM
Hi!

I'm Alison.  I'm 32 and live in the Chicago Northwest suburbs with my dear husband, 38, and a doggie and kitty with no plans for kids.  I work 7 miles away as a project manager and hub-a-lub takes the Metra downtown where he is a medical research assistant.  We have one 11 year old car- a VW Passat a bought new when I graduated college (which was probably a mistake but I plan I driving it until it is a classic and beyond).  We have $285K on the mortgage, $2,144 on credit cards, and $86K in our 401Ks.  Even though I am a pretty organized and logical person in general, money makes me weird.  I get a bug in my head that I *should* be able to afford something because I work hard and yadda yadda yadda and so use that as an excuse to just do/buy things. 

My turning point was upon returning from vacation in California a couple weeks ago, my water heater busted and, upon reviewing my finances, realized that I had to spend the last of the $15K inheritance I got from my Grandparents to pay the plumber an my credit card.  How depressing and I felt like crap for just letting it all go down the drain!  I sat down with my husband and told him that we couldn't continue to do things the same way anymore.  We made a budget for the year and a plan to pay off the credit card quickly so we could start to rebuild our savings. Still- it didn't seem like enough. 

After googling around for money info, I  found this site and I AM TRANSFORMED!  I actually think I can be FI in my early 40s!  I told my husband and he laughed (he requires a little more convincing).  I'm excited to keep learning more and see progress.  I even rode my bike to the library and picked up a copy of YMOYL.  Yay!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mo Money on April 15, 2013, 08:02:00 PM
Hi, I'm Mo Money.  I'm 50 (a relative oldster in this environment, I guess) and am at this point FI, but pondering whether to "jump" and get the heck out of my boring, high-pressure, health-killing office job.  (My favorite song is Radiohead's "No Surprises":   "A heart that's full up like a landfill, a job that slowly kills you....")   

I just discovered this blog a week ago, and I confess it's like I've just found a parallel universe where perhaps I'm a much better fit.  I do like nice things, but I buy 'em on sale and wear 'em out.  I am really pretty dull. 

As to money?  I save a relatively paltry (by MMM standards) 40ish percent of my income.  But at my ripe  age, that amount of savings -- coupled with time -- has put me in the low seven figures of net worth.  I'm a hard-core indexer, though I could still use some advice on my portfolio -- absolutely no bonds in it right now.  That's for another post, however. 

Anyway, here I am, in my PJs, in my study, lights out but blue computer screen glowing, saying hello.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KingMe on April 15, 2013, 08:53:49 PM
Hello. First post, but recently I became an active reader. My wife and I live in Washington, DC, and have two kids - 4 years and 3 months. I'm looking forward to participating in the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: teamzissou00 on April 16, 2013, 11:03:52 AM
Hi all!

I'm just now realizing there is a forum after a month of furiously reading all the blog posts.  I think I just found my new home. 

I'm 32, married with a 10 mo. old boy.  I've been working on a budget to track all our spending, and find ways lo lower it.

Basic questions:
1) do I budget an amount for vacation, or spend from my savings...or both..?
2) do I count the principal I pay on mortgage each month into my % saved amount?
3) how do I add back my 401 k contributions in figuring my % saved?

Looking forward to chatting with you all!

My weaknesses- taco time and blu rays- where is the support group?  ; ). Wink
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tuomasj on April 16, 2013, 11:50:00 AM
Hey!

I'm a semi-serious path towards financial independence. I invest certain amount of money every month, but there is definitely still room to grow the monthly savings amount.

Our way of tracking monthly budget is quite simple one, at the beginning of the month we put money in a "living expenses" bank account. Then we use that debit card for our living expenses and adjust our daily spending accordingly.

--tuomas

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Adventure on April 16, 2013, 01:53:42 PM
Hello everyone,

I've been reading the blog on my RSS reader for I'm not sure how long and it is one of my favorites! Other than Dilbert of course. Thanks to the inspiration from this blog my wife and I refinanced the mortgage, and are working our way out of the hole we're currently in. I'll be posting a question in the "Ask a Mustachian" section for advice on which to do first - eliminate PMI or payoff student loans. Thanks!

Adventure in California
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: davisgang90 on April 16, 2013, 05:31:39 PM
Hi,  I'm Rich Davis, 44 years old 23 years active duty Navy.  I need to get much more frugal and figure out what I want to do when I grow up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Suba on April 16, 2013, 08:04:38 PM
Hello!

My name is Suba. I am 31 and my husband is 32. This year will be a year of changes for us (buying a house, moving to a different state and starting a family). We have been trying to save for 3 generations (our parents - it is our culture to take care of our parents, they have pensions but we want to cover any big medical expenses they cannot handle, our future kids - we want to pay for their college and of course our retirement). We want to be financially independent by the time we are 40. Let us see how that goes :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tuyop on April 17, 2013, 06:23:57 AM
Basic questions:
1) do I budget an amount for vacation, or spend from my savings...or both..?
2) do I count the principal I pay on mortgage each month into my % saved amount?
3) how do I add back my 401 k contributions in figuring my % saved?

I don't think I understand what you're asking.

- Save for your vacation, then spend the amount that you saved on that vacation.
- That's debatable. Technically paying down your mortgage principal contributes to your net worth, so I don't know.
- No idea.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Caoineag on April 17, 2013, 06:49:04 AM
Hi. My name is Crystal. I'm 31, married and have been reading here for awhile and decided to join so that I had the see new posts since last visit option. :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TansyPants on April 17, 2013, 12:27:45 PM
Hi! I'm Tansy.
I'm 26, studying computer science (for free, online from home, with the aid of my software engineer boyfriend), working part time in a cafe. The boyfriend pays 75% of the rent and all of the groceries and utilities. I do the cooking/cleaning/clothing repairs/bed warming. As his income is approximately 8x mine, and he had previously survived on take out for lunch and ordering in for dinner this arrangement works out as a net savings for both of us.

We live in Hoboken NJ where we pay a ridiculous amount for a 650sq ft one bedroom apartment (though still 1600/mo less than a similar space in Manhattan cost us, not to mention a $300/mo tax cut for him. NYC income tax is a bitch.) he commutes to work via a combination of foot and commuter train travel (except when it's raining, or he doesn't feel like going in, when he works from home. Seriously, who wouldn't want a job this flexible??) and I study at home, and work a 5 min walk away. We own neither cars nor bicycles.

My goal is to "retire" as early as possible, and live a homesteading type existence in my home country of New Zealand. His goal is to make enormous quantities of money writing software for boot strapping asteroid mining robots and eventually live on an interstellar spacecraft/asteroid/some planet more interesting than Mars. I am resigning myself to the possibility of homesteading in a zero g environment and adding a study of aquaponics (a closed system involving the production of fruit/veg and fish- we're setting up a mini system in our living room now.), plumbing, welding, and electrical systems to my existing base of construction, equine massage, farming and computer science.

In the mean time, He has nearly finished paying off his student loans and is interviewing at Google next week. I am studying and using part time income to pay off existing debt- Student loans of about 10k, nothing else. Yes, I studied music, international business, equine management/massage, environmental economics, and hospitality before deciding the best thing to do now is to learn to successfully make money and then go do more interesting things. On the bright side: I can climb trees and wield chain saws, maintain large machinery, weld, drive stick, ride horseback, provide soft tissue massage, do simple plumbing, plaster interior walls, build simple structures, make repairs, build a methane digester, knit and sew, mix cocktails, find my way around with a topographical map and a compass, make fantastic espresso, cook seriously tasty food for cheap, talk to strangers, build a solar oven/dehydrator, butcher a sheep/deer/cow/rabbit/pig, hit a target with a rifle ( I admit to still missing every time when that target is still alive. Perversely, I can hit a dead rabbit in the head 5 times out of 5 from the same distance I missed it at twice while it was still alive.), preserve meat and veg and fruit in a variety of ways, and reason moderately well. I figure most of those will come in handy eventually.

Since reading this blog (I just finished all of the posts) I finally applied for my first ever credit card ( I have NO credit history in this country. Not bad, just none and I need to fix that) Paid an extra grand off my debt last month. Doing no spending for the rest of this month in order to pull that off again this month, and have upped the time I spend studying so as to at least double my income some time this year. I've also recently gotten access to my parents costco membership and they will drive me to costco and home again in their brand new Prius for the price of a home cooked meal and a bottle of wine. This is excellent as we currently (don't hurt me) order in overpriced groceries from Fresh Direct. The boy doesn't mind because it's still under half what he used to spend on sushi in a month, but a $600/mo grocery bill for two people and 3 cats is ridiculous.

Anyhow, enough waffling. I have a lot to thank this blog for already, and much, much more in the future, I have no doubt.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: soczab on April 17, 2013, 03:34:16 PM
Hey everyone.

I'm mike, in my late 20s.  A big history buff if you want something personal!  I stumbled over this place when trying to educate myself with the internet, and in reading a bunch of the comments/blogs decided to stay!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: phosgene on April 18, 2013, 03:24:34 PM
Hi, I'm Eric.

I found this site on a link from Reddit and after reading through most of the posts I realized that I'd totally screwed up my personal finances.  I am a Server Administrator for a large university system so I deal with computer stuff all day long.

I am now working to correct my horrible financial decisions by implementing some Mustachian changes to my life.  As a matter of fact I just used some of my cash to buy a bike even though I am attempting to deal with my debt emergency as it will be an investment rather than a financial drain.  I live close enough to work that there's no reason to be driving my car.

My saving grace is that I don't have any substantial student loan debt (I have paid it down to having less than $1000 left).  My problem is the 1998 Jeep Wrangler I overpaid terribly for that is now about ruined and I am way, way under water on the loan I took out to pay for it, in addition to the 10 MPG efficiency.  Hopefully the bike can save me on gas and parking.  I also have a fairly large credit card debt ($5300) which I am attacking right now.  Not sure what to do about the Jeep at this point though.  Shouldn't have taken out the loan - lesson learned!

I am saving about $1100 per month through a combination of 403(b) retirement, high-yield savings account, and credit card debt repayment from a roughly $2800 per month take-home after implementing some of MMM's ideas.  Once I get my debt paid off I hope to begin investing some of the cash I used to pay off my credit cards in ETFs/mutual funds.

I'd just like to thank MMM and the forum for all the help and ideas they've given me to straighten myself out and I hope I can be just as helpful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cgmorton on April 18, 2013, 03:56:49 PM
Hi all!

I'm CG.  I'm 24, with a debt-free degree in Computer Science from a state college (US).  I've been working for 2 years now, making way too much money first in finance (saved 50% living in CT), and now health-care (saving more like 75% in the midwest).

On the one hand, I could retire if I keep this up for 5-6 more years.  On the other hand, I find big-corporation work pretty unsatisfying, so I may quit even earlier, and use my stache as a runway for some kind of self-employment gig.  Even keeping my current outrageous lifestyle (I don't even have roommates!) I could live on my savings for 3+ years.

Anyways, I've been reading this blog for over a year now, and thought I'd try to get involved in the community.  I'm interested in economics, real estate, and pretty much anything you can think really hard about.  Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mazzinator on April 18, 2013, 08:05:09 PM
Hello everybodee!!

I'm michelle 36 married, he's 39 and in the army. Have 2 kids, 9mnths and 2yrs. i found MMM through babycenter "we are debt free" group. My biggest moment is when i realized we had been on "baby step 2" for 4 years and STILL owed $100k. Um, yea..something has to give.

Since then, around Nov 2012, we've been trimming the fat and just upped our "savings" aka debt repayment to 23% BUT we finally just adjusted, as in yesterday, DH withholding allowances sooo waiting to see the exact extra money coming in to up that!!

Also, we are moving to Oahu in June!! And hope, no should, no, we WILL downsize and double or even triple our snowball...

MMM (and mint) has completely changed our life!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Margaret Fuller on April 19, 2013, 01:11:49 PM
Hi everyone,
I've decided to call myself "semi-retired" because I work 4 days/week and go to school on the other day.  I'm in the middle of changing careers, from an analyst/attorney for a state agency to a hospital chaplain.  I don't know if I'll be able to find a "semi-retired" position as a chaplain, but I'll work on that.  I have school loans that are currently deferred that I'll be paying off until 2033 or something, but they're at a 1.65% interest rate.  We have a Dave Ramsey-style emergency fund that we're planning to cut in about 1/2 and invest the other 1/2 in higher-interest things. 

My spouse has been "semi-retired" for almost 20 years when he decided he didn't like full-time work and became a consultant, working 2 days/week.  We have a 3 1/2 year old child.  We'll rent until we have enough $ to make a 20% downpayment on a house (at least that's what I want to do, my spouse is more flexible).

I found out about this site over a year ago from my sister and am checking it out again because I am now ready to become a mustachian!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MorningCoffee on April 22, 2013, 06:44:32 AM
Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for a while and enjoying the forum threads. Thought it was about time I say hi!

I'm 35, hubby is 37 and we have a 3 year old and 6 year old. We are on our way to ER and have always been somewhat frugal. I'm starting to learn more about investing since I quit my big-fat-pension job 6 years ago to stay home and raise my kids. Since the kids will both be in school soon, I'm slowly building up a few side gigs and launching my own business to work on my terms.

Thanks for building such a fabulous community and wealth of information!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jimithng23 on April 23, 2013, 07:27:03 PM
Hey fellow 'Stashians.

I'm 33, DW is 35.  We have 2 kids, 4 and 2, a dog and a cat.

Complete with $47k of debt and a $106k mortgage, we're living the american dream!  /sarcasm.

I was turned onto the path of Badassity by starting with Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps.  Step 1 is nearly complete, and Step 2 is underway.  Funny to stumble on MMM's blog through the comments section on badmoneyadvice.com.

But I digress...DW is a SAHM, which is a blessing, and my income is north of $100k for the last 2 years.  What do we have to show for it?  Well, you saw that stat line above, + a measly $13k in a 401(k).  We had "The Talk" nearly 3 weeks ago and now that we're on the same page, the big picture is coming together and we're totally motivated to rid ourselves of the leech of debt and work towards total FI. 

Looking forward to learning more and more from you all each day.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Monkey Master on April 24, 2013, 09:39:13 PM
Good morning,

I am 33 years old and I currently live in Sydney, Australia. My wife and I plan to retire at 35. I have started a blog to share how we reached that decision and how we are planning to bring it to fruition.

Until we realised we could retire early, we wasted a lot of money on restaurants, clothing, etc... and are coming from a consumerism background. It took us some time to realise it until the birth of our child 7 months ago. Since then, we are working hard towards our early retirement goal.

After silently taking the time to assimilate all the information on this site and others, I have decided to become a voice in the community as well, sharing how we reshaped our philosophy and concretely building financial independence.

Monkey Master
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Constance Noring on April 25, 2013, 08:32:26 PM
Months of reading over my husband's shoulder have finally gotten the best of me, and I realized I should probably just make my own darn account and try pitching in on the conversation every once in a while. You learn a lot when you're married to the Howard Cosell of MVNOs, and maybe I have some useful info of my own to share. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crowstache on April 26, 2013, 10:56:26 AM
Greetings!  I’m 44, married with two children (12 and 9), and living in the Sacramento, California area.  I stumbled upon this blog about a month ago while searching for advice on getting a Costco membership.  The name Mr. Money Mustache immediately caught my attention as I have quite a sizeable furry lip appendage of my own!  I’ve always had some mustachian ways (although my friends would just say I was cheap), but for some time now DW and I have been struggling with a lifestyle that has simply not been sustainable on our current income levels.  What worked when we were DINKs simply doesn’t work anymore now that my wife only works part time and we have two kids.  As a result we have accumulated fairly large balances on two credit cards and have virtually no savings (insert face punch here).  Since finding MMM, I’ve been re-inspired with a new sense of optimism and a chance to turn things around.  I’ve already gotten a new home insurance provider (saving us close to $1,000 a year), modified our auto insurance (saving about $100 every six months), and started a refinance of our mortgage from 4.25 to 2.875% (saving us about $150 a month).  When our cell phone contract ends in December, I have no doubt we can save some money there too.  Although I wish I had gotten started on mustachianism earlier, I still think there’s time for us to make a big difference for our future.  what I like best about this blog is that it demonstrates so many positive ways to take control of one’s own financial destiny, save money, and still live a very good life. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyMage on April 26, 2013, 12:21:09 PM
'Sup. I found this somehow via another site's discussions on Dave Ramsey and YNAB. Ramsey seems great if you are trying to get out of debt, but that's not us, we just have a mortgage with only 12 years left on it. I was drawn to this site for financial freedom and a fresh outlook on how to live.

My spouse and I are 31 and we work in software. We like our jobs, and we get excellent benefits, so neither of us has a desire to retire really early, but we like being able to do whatever we want for food and hobbies without having to worry about our money. We got off on a great start as DINKs but now that we're popping out offspring we realize we need to rethink our spending habits if we want to afford the best private schooling. Cutting cable looks to be our next move... we can live without it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jayne on April 26, 2013, 08:52:52 PM
Hi, I'm Jayne. I'm married, working full time, and our only child just graduated college with NO debt. My husband retired 7 years ago, and he would like some company. I saw the WaPo piece, and have to ask: what are you doing for health insurance?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EMP on April 26, 2013, 09:01:33 PM
Hi, I'm Jayne. I'm married, working full time, and our only child just graduated college with NO debt. My husband retired 7 years ago, and he would like some company. I saw the WaPo piece, and have to ask: what are you doing for health insurance?

A lot of people have a high deductible plan with HSA. But that question would be better asked under Ask a Mustachian.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: emilylwaters72 on April 27, 2013, 11:15:00 AM
I'm Emily.  A year ago I worked at an abysmal job and had my three kids in child care because we didn't think we could make it on my husband's modest probation officer income.  Now I'm soooo grateful not to have to do that rotten job anymore and living better than before.  I get satisfaction out of doing things myself and my husband does also.  The house feels more "ours."  When we give gifts, we invest a portion of ourselves in them, either by carefully shopping for them or else making a portion of them ourselves.  Our kids aren't so entitled and needy as they once were.  And considering the alternative of slaving away in a widowless office, writing decisions for an emotionally incontinent 50-year-old boss, my present circumstances are heaven reincarnated. 

I learned of MMM from the Washington Post article yesterday.  We've never been flush with income, so of necessity my husband and I have adopted most of your foundational rules, except we send our young ones to a charter school that requires me to drive there four times a day (3 miles, one-way) for pick-up and drop-off.  Also, we haven't adopted the attitude of making every single penny work for us.  We aren't big investors and have modest college savings accounts for the kids and $80k in retirement.  And we are out of money every single paycheck.  But we're trying. . . .
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: citrine on April 27, 2013, 01:53:57 PM
Hi everyone....found this site though the Simple Living Forums.  I am 38 and DH is 49, we have two sons 17 and 20 and two cats.  We are in the process of paying off the mortgage early, funding one college tuition, and gearing up for a second one!
We definitely can trim a lot more fat out of our budget and are aiming on living off of 25,000 once mortgage is paid off....definitely doable if we stick to it!  DH works full time and I work part time in my business which leaves plenty of time to take care of things around the house, cook, garden, refinish furniture, and read :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheNessaEmpire on April 27, 2013, 06:07:57 PM
MMM people of the world!! I'm stepping up from up being a lurker and into a hopefully useful contributor. I'm Vanessa, 32, fabulous frugal chick with some stuff figured out about what I want from my finances, quality of life and general empire building.

Got some major personal milestones accomplished:
Lifestyle expense trimming ones
Many a friend have been converted to my ways of HD antenna + Roku instead of cable
Downgrading internet service
Switching cell phone providers a la MMM style
Grocery shopping in bulk at BJ's
Health insurance costs lowered by doing incentives and switched over to a HDHP plan, saved me like 600 bucks a year
Almost all purchases go through a few processes:
First is the waiting period. I try to wait at least 30 days for personal stuff and always search for used or previous generation.
Craigslist number one. I've bought cars, houses, electronics, furniture all sorts of stuff
Salvation Army/Flea Markets/Farmers Markets for produce, clothes, accessories, what have you 
Habitat for Humanity Stores for house materials
eBay then Amazon for price comparisons for part replacements or bulk discounts
After all that, I'll start looking at regular stores. I hate paying retail prices. It's like I'm paying a premium to give someone I don't like my hard earned money. Grr.

Financial goals I've reached: 
Maxing out my 401k
Maxing out my stock purchase plan for all the free money I can get
Opened and funding max to HSA account (The best tax savings account you can have in America, seriously)
no mortgage, no car debt, no CC debt
Student loan debt started at 70k and have about 35k left. I'm on a 4 yr plan for that
Live on about 25% of my salary or one rental property's income
Net worth went from about -85k to about 160k in the last ten years

Rental Properties for cash flow! what what!! I have 4 properties and closing on 3 more next month. All purchased cash or with owner financing. I buy crappy houses and rehab them to decent shape and rent them out at fair rates. Froufrou co-workers call me slumlord, regular folks call me awesome. I have a partner and a great team to work with. All rehab costs are paid in cash and our time so expenses and labor are on serious lock down. I find more houses than I have cash to buy. I'm actively looking to fix that lol. Had my biz partner switch the big boy Tundie work truck into a rollerskate --Scion XA thank you MMM. Since most of my time is spent driving to look at properties and not hauling rehab materials from Home Depot. That and gasbuddy cut my gas bill from  450/mo to 130/mo.

Love to speak the language of my silent life partner -the IRS. I focus on putting as much as I can in tax advantage/retirement accounts and do lots of strategic planning. This year, I'm planning to open more retirement accounts to lower my tax liability through the real estate LLCs. Taxes are the probably the biggest expense I'll pay over my lifetime, so I want to make it count.

One of my fav posts from MMM is about the utilities savings. Omg, I went crazy with the 1.0gpm for all the faucets and showerheads on all my properties and switched out all my cheapo lighting into cfl or led. None of my properties have central air, instead they have ac units or ceiling fans and dehumidifiers. My library had that energy efficiency kit so I could do all sorts of testing like a mad woman.  I'm looking at one property where the owner pays for all utils in the rent, it eats about a quarter of his gross rent income. Ouch. These are only 500 sqft units!  First thing I'd do is change all new leases to tenant pays for all utils and doing maintenance on all existing units to "upgrade" their plumbing and light fixtures to the 1gpm aerators and CFL bulbs since I'm locked into paying those costs for the next 12 months. If I get that property, I'll serenade MMM with songs of praise in KWh bc that guy makes no cashflow with that kind of overhead.

I've got lots of things to work on. My free time is very scarce with all the real estate projects I have going on with my ft job and I'm not balancing other parts of my life well. I need focus and support for things around my personal life --preparing meals at home, keeping physically active and being social. My friends don't always think its fun to look at houses or putting up a bathroom door lol. Those are areas of wealth that need as much attention as any of the money stuff. My eyes were open to that when I had hurt myself working out and had to pay muscledudes to do the stuff I normally do. Health is an asset and can have real costs over a lifetime. I'd like to keep them low by staying healthy for as long as possible. One of excesses is my bike collection. I have about a dozen bicycles in my garage that I stopped making time for and haven't ridden since in the last year. In college, I used to flip bikes it's probably my fav side gig I've ever had.  Bringing it back into my daily habits would be a twofer on the priorities list, less gas and getting exercise. I'm still not at full recovery but its a goal. 

Life was not always to the extent of today's awesomeness...
I had overdrafted bank accounts and maxed out CCs
Months where I was out of work, lived on credit and that ended about as well as you can imagine
Almost got my first car repo'd
Defaulted student loans
Failed business ventures with no zero cash left to live
Failed relationships where I've had to start over with little more than my dog and car in the assets column

pphhshh! eff that. I'm solid as a rock, partly because of my past mistakes, serious financial education, belief in myself and the ability to do things other people around me aren't doing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: desk_jockey on April 28, 2013, 09:19:11 AM
Hello Everyone,

I’m David, from Atlanta.   Found the site over a year ago via the Triestoohard & gestalt162 posts over on Reddit.  Read all the posts here, some many times over, and even posted a few replies under other names.   I guess it’s time to start using the community and see what else I can learn.

I have always been a saver and have lived well beneath my means.  About two years ago, due to a variety of factors my savings rate went >50% to ~30%.  MMM has been an inspiration to get things back under control. 

I was also among those that saved for retirement without really thinking about it.   Kinda guessed that I’d need some $4M to retire and would be working until age 62+.  Reading MMM has been eye opening.  I realize now that I’m only a few years from F.I.   

I chose this username for another site years ago when I was much less satisfied with work; now I keep it as a reminder...   I’ve used the knowledge and confidence gained here (and a few select other sites)  to cut back/out the “required” things in my job that I hated most and focus more on what I like.   Am enjoying my job more than ever these days and as this continues I could see myself staying on for several years beyond F.I. until I find my next adventure. 

Thanks MMM & Family, and thanks to all
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheSokols on April 28, 2013, 06:17:13 PM
Hi,
We're The Sokols, family of 3 (+ 2 cats + 2 dogs), living in metro DC area, aka "Ninth Circle of Hell". Mr. and Mrs. are firmly middle-aged, older than Mr. & Mrs. MM we suspect by a decade or 2. We'll post our question elsewhere, but we are big fans of small cities, tiny houses, frugality, badassity, etc. We even like bikes but due to spinal injury, Mrs. S. is no longer able to ride a bike with loads of stuff in tow or on her back.  We have one area of non-frugality - we LOVE to travel. We do splurge on that, but don't create debt doing so and have no plans to cease.  We are planning on leaving the DC area for good once Daughter is in college. We grew up in NYC and have lived in NYC, LI, NoVa and Pinellas Co., FL.
See youse!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Old Yorker on April 29, 2013, 02:10:34 PM
Hi
I live in the UK - hence Old York - and enjoy reading PF books, blogs etc. I found this through the excellent UK site, Monevator, and liked the style of what I've read so far.

I reckon I could retire tomorrow, but I quite enjoy the corporate life I lead! It's disappointing that so many people hate their jobs and it makes me feel lucky that I really don't. I do fantasise about retiring early, but wonder if I'll miss the world of work. Today, for example, I played golf with colleagues from related businesses (who are now friends) at a beautiful course, all paid for by our companies who clearly value us enough to allow us to do this sort of stuff!

Anyway, nice to join another community of like-minded folk!
Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: why2kie on April 29, 2013, 04:16:26 PM
Hello everyone,

I'm 28, single and live in Germany. I found and read the MMM interview in Washington Post, with the title "Meet MMM, the man who retired at 30. Directly after I read the half of the interview, I'm fully agree with the philosophy of MMM, since I could finish my study in 2011 by saving money from my part time job (without debt) and minimal financial support of my parents.

In the last years, I often think how I can achieve FI if I still work as an employee. I'm also thinking to become self-employed person or to start a small business. However, I still have difficulties, ideas, and capital to realize my plan, and also less courage to take a risk maybe. On the other side, I don't want to have a discussion with the most people here, who complain about the retirement at age 67 or 65.

I'm feel so lucky to find MMM's blog and have an opportunity to read and share with all of the Mustachians around the world.
Just, contact me if one of you also live in Germany.

Thanks for the share MMM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jfer_rose on April 30, 2013, 12:49:05 PM
Hi,

I'm so glad to be here! I just discovered MMM and after spending the last day nosing around, I would like to try to move up my retirement age as much as possible. I thought I was in really good financial  shape since I'm putting 20% of my salary toward retirement and another 10% toward savings. I am humbled by what I've seen here so far and also inspired to do better!

Also, my career is based on making my city better for walking and biking, so I am loving what MMM has to say about those forms of transportation!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OzzieandHarriet on April 30, 2013, 10:31:54 PM
Hi -- I've been lurking a bit. It seems I'm older than the average here, at 55. What got me here was I've been plotting to quit my job and so have been looking for info. I think I'm too late for ER at this point, though not by some people's standards, I guess!

I would love to get feedback on my situation, but maybe I'll post questions in the question forum.

Anyway, this is an interesting little corner of the web and I'm glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ajh1983 on May 01, 2013, 11:48:43 AM
Hello!
I've been reading only for a few days, but finding this site feels like coming home.  The ideals and values I see expressed here are very much my own, despite being surrounded by plenty of very materialistic people in my years.

I am an active duty veteran ('02-'06), college grad, and will be starting medical school in two months across the country with my fiance!  We are very excited.  Although taking on the enormous debt ahead is not very mustachian of me, the following 7 years are an investment in my future.  Our plan is to live frugally and retire on ~10 years pay down the road, leaving me at about 48.  I took the long road, but I'm entering a career I find fulfilling and which is very stable during times of economic hardship.

Thanks and I look forward to learning more from you!
Adam
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lunette on May 01, 2013, 01:23:18 PM
Hi! I found the site last night - Mustachianism is a good frame for a bunch of the choices I've been making over the past few years, and I'm hoping that by hanging out around here I'll get some social motivation to shake off some of the consumerist schtuff that still clings to me. 

I'm a single 30-something freelancer. The theory of my life is that I have gumption and creativity and countless options. This means I won't *need* to retire because I could always figure out how to make a living doing something I like.

In practice, however:
- I don't love my work (it's fine, it's even fun in low doses and it possibly does some good in the world, but I would not spend most of my time on it if money were out of the picture).
- I worry about work too much, and **oddly enough** I don't seem to have much time for strategizing a better life.
- I rarely take more than one day completely off, except when I book an expensive retreat for which I clear my calendar.
- Part of the reason is worry about money - and even more so, a general vagueness about my financial life - that nudges me to say yes to every job and court every potential client.
- Though I've tried to move toward a more DIY life, to a great extent I'm still stuck in my old rat-race pattern of keeping busy and paying for conveniences.
- My savings and investments are few.
- Plus I'm not consistently getting in the exercise and meditation that would make me happier and more efficient.

The good news:
- No debt
- I'm a recovering workaholic (literally - I started going to Workaholics Anonymous 12-step groups, though currently I'm not managing this)
- My freelance business is growing (more prestigious clients, bigger projects and I'm raising my rates), so earning potential is modestly rising
- This spring I gave up my apartment and went nomadic. I was staying with different friends around the US for several weeks and now I'm renting a room in a guesthouse in Portland, Oregon. This lifestyle hasn't been as cheap as you might think (travel tickets, restaurants, etc.), but it gives me a lot of mental freedom about where I could ultimately live and how I could organize my life, which is why I did it.

All in all I'm in a pretty good place, perhaps even teetering on the brink of happy simplicity. I think a good goal for me would be to work less than full time AND save half my income. Then I have more capacity to enjoy my life and to take steps toward better work, plus if I want to chuck it all at age 50 - or if I get sick and need to scale way way back - I can do that.

As part of this I want to try living in an intentional community (i.e. a commune) where reasonable rent, low food costs, spiritual practice and exercise (gardening, maintenance) are built in and socially enforced. So I'm looking for a good one on my travels.

Next step is to get a more detailed breakdown of my spending. Hope to post a case study soon over in the Ask a Mustachian board.

<waves>

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wyobraska on May 01, 2013, 04:25:04 PM
Hi Guys,

I'm Wyobraska. I'm 33, and an aspiring Mustachian. I just found the blog a couple days ago, but since then, all I have done is read, read, read. I already follow a lot of the principles found here, but I have learned quite a bit in the last couple days.

I even opened my first brokerage account with Vanguard today. w00t! I already had my Roth IRA there (which I'm maxxing out), so adding a second account was a breeze.

Anyway, it's nice to meet everyone!

- Wyobraska
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dpw13 on May 02, 2013, 12:27:17 PM
Hello all!

I just found this website and forum a few days ago and think its great to meet like-minded people! I'm an aspiring Mustachian - not there yet.

About me:
28 / European, live in NYC, work in finance.

While my salary is good by national standards, living in NYC tends to negate most of this. I've got a relatively small amount of savings/401k balance, so working on this but eventually I want to own several income-generating properties.

Overall goal is to be financially independent so I can travel much more and work as I choose.

Looking forward to sharing advice and experiences!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Guy Incognito on May 02, 2013, 12:45:31 PM
Hi everyone.  Lurker for a few months, first time poster.

Live in Houston, TX, 31yrs old, work in the Finance industry.  Income is quite variable and not super secure (some years great, some years not so great, and I'd even admit to being laid off once before).  Got one awesome 6-month old kid and one awesome wife who's at home with him. 

Net worth is about $537k, including $42k of home equity on a $200k home (basically just b/c I put 20% down) and the rest split between $80k in cash and $415k in ETFs.  Nervous about the high-flying market right now which is why I have so much cash right now earning 0.1%...lame.

Could certainly do better on our monthly expenses ($4k-$5k/mth), but made some progress in last couple months that should help...i.e., killed the last $7k on my wife's car loan, switched her cell phone from AT&T to Straight Talk, consolidated home & auto insurance, switched all our bulbs to CFLs, no more restaurants, etc.  Goal is $3k/mth of expenses and I know we can get there with some conscious effort.

Stupid things I am still doing --
(1) Paying $133/mth for Comcast cable + wifi + home phone
(2) Commuting 28miles 1-way to work in a 2004 car getting only 21mpg
(3) Owning a 2012 Kia SUV, purchased new (wife's car)

Anyway, glad to be here - enjoy this site a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EK on May 02, 2013, 02:05:57 PM
Hi!  I made my first post over in the Ask A Mustachian area, so I kind of already introduced myself, but I feel like a big mooch asking for help over there and not contributing anywhere else.

I've been reading MMM for a few months and lurking in the forums.  It's kind of an exact right message at the exact right time thing for me.  Back in January, I began actively trying to simplify a life that was starting to feel out of control in terms of consumption.  For the better part of my early 20's I spent a lot of money accumulating the basic "stuff" of adulthood- furniture, professional wardrobe, pots and pans, etc., and when I'd bought enough of that stuff to function well on a day to day basis... I didn't know how to to turn the spending off and it resulted in me pissing away a hell of a lot of money.  That, combined with an expensive move from Brooklyn, NY to Fredericksburg, VA has left me and my husband in our mid-20s with no money in the bank.

But, we've buckled down, pulled the spending into control, and now we're targeting a minimum 50% net pay savings rate. 

I must say, this is a remarkable little place of the Internet.  I'm shocked at the number of kind strangers here who have had the patience to wade through my wordy and complicated ask a Mustachian post- and also how kind and thoughtful those responses have been.

So hi.  I'm very happy to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrChubbles on May 02, 2013, 03:11:53 PM
Hi,
MrChubbles here. After 11 years working as an Engineer in the UK and the Netherlands, I arrived in the US 17 years ago..essentially broke...due to a LOT of living beyond my means... :-) STILL not retired, but I COULD if I adopted full-on Mustachianism...although my significant other likes to live inexpensive cities..so I may have to go half mustache ;-{
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jenscaffidi on May 02, 2013, 05:29:18 PM
Hi! I'm Jen and I don't remember how I found this site (a few months back), but I can't stop reading. I've been on a personal quest to eliminate waste, kill my debt, and become more financially independent for the past few years, and the blog has been inspiring me by showing me additional ways to do those things.

Let's be friends.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Abraxas on May 03, 2013, 12:57:28 AM
Good Evening.

I happened on this site by complete accident but am thoroughly digging the philosophy espoused here, as it mirrors several aspects of my own worldview. I've told my spendthrift friends and family all along: it's not about what you make, but what you save. Falls on deaf ears for the most part. They've forgotten how to use that large organ .....the one above the neck, I mean (assuming they ever used it in the first place).

I registered here because I wish to interact with individuals who possess faculty of mind where money's concerned.

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Keigan2cool on May 03, 2013, 01:52:17 AM
Hi,

My name is Keigan and I am an enlisted member in the United States Air Force.
I'm in a unique position because I am currently stationed overseas with my wife.
I basically get to see the world on the governments dime which is nice but as some of you are aware there are other things expected of us as repayment. I am currently finishing up my first tour overseas in Japan and I am also finishing my first deployment as I write this introduction.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hybrid on May 03, 2013, 10:13:49 AM
Hi, my name is Chris and I chose the moniker hybrid for two reasons.  One, because our lifestyle is a hybrid between what MMM preaches (I have been called  cheap-ass on numerous occasions) and what MMM abhors. Also, because I am an avid golfer and hybrid reminds me that my passion also takes a lot of coin out of my pocket (so how can I be a cheap-ass?  I golf at a country club.)

The missus and I live in Richmond VA.  We bought our first rental house last year and have money in the stock market, we have a healthy 401K balance.  I am 46, she is 59, we have two kids and two middle to upper-middle class incomes and have been married 28 years.  Other than that, no debt except two years left on the hatchback on a 0% loan, so I am in no hurry to pay that off compared to the mortgages.  We are on par (pun intended) in better shape than many we know, but I would prefer to have no debts at all, retire earlier, and am looking very seriously at ditching some of the luxuries (golf, for starters) and throwing everything we can at the two mortgages and continue investing as we have.

Found this site after seeing the article in the WaPo and have been avidly reading ever since.  It speaks to me. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SoSouthern on May 04, 2013, 08:23:24 AM
[/font Hi all, My name is Lewis. Married with a 2 year old son. I came across MMM a few weeks ago after researching the Lending Club and noticed MMMs experiment with his investments popped up in Google search. His review helped me fund my account and purchase some notes.

I turn the big 30 this month. Yay me. I don’t know how I’m going to feel, but I have been looking back on my life trying to determine if I did it right, made bad choices, did I learn anything, and trying to figure out where to go after this major milestone in my life. After reading some posts on this site I felt I needed to join. MMM is doing what I said I wanted to do and he is proving that it is very possible and turning naysayers into believers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ScubaAZ on May 04, 2013, 11:51:39 PM
Hi all,

    I am a recent law grad and new attorney in Phoenix, AZ (loved MMM's post on Phoenix!).  I've been perusing the site for about 3-4 months now, and buckling down on my budget.  I just turned 30, have some savings from before law school (and sadly the $100k of debt it took to do it), and think its reasonable to retire around 40 (or at least have the option).  I'm mostly looking for inspiration from the other Mustachians. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nktokyo on May 05, 2013, 05:30:55 AM
Hi there. 31 year old living in Tokyo & FI for a little over a year. I used the MMM techniques and "escaped" before I knew this blog existed and just noticed these shiny forums. Excited to meet some like minded individuals. My thing is property so I'll probably hang out in the Real Estate area and see if I can't help some folks out. Keen to see how other people have done it (or are on the way to) - it's always good to lear new ways to stay off the hamster wheel.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bayescraft on May 05, 2013, 07:17:32 PM
Hello. I am a non-prominent but active member in the LessWrong scene (http://lesswrong.com/) from which my user name comes. I'm an engineer. That's not uncommon here, but even more common there.

I enjoy building things, so I anticipate continuing to work. Thereby, I anticipate a graduated FI starting in a at least one year, where I'd be FI if I move to my ideal location, extending as late as four years from now. The long timeline is if I stay where I am (Los Angeles), so as you could guess, I've been doing this for a bit already.

Hopefully I can contribute to a more positive and deep community. I like the blog, but I have to say, in my experiences as a lurker, I've been disappointed by this community. Not a lot, but a little. Which means that I think I can make it better.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aj_yooper on May 05, 2013, 07:36:30 PM
I recently started reading MMM (I'm a fan!) and am grateful for the humor, good will, and expertise on the blog; I wish I knew more of these ideas when I was younger, which is true of a lot of things, I guess.  My wife and I were never into consumerism and we are socially and environmentally conscious, but the blog and MMM has given me more motivation and validation.  We are retired (I am a late retiree at 62 while my wife retired at 52).  We love being our own boss of time and definitely believe ER or retirement is a very good thing.  We have a Vanguard stash, but I need to get ready for mandatory withdrawals and we enjoy learning how to be more efficient with our household expenses.  We are in an un-stuffing phase of our lives.  I enjoy reading the members' questions and it pleases me that many are starting out early. 

Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Money Mustache and the MMM helpers for doing all this stuff-the blog, bulletin board, and personal appearances; you have helped many find their bearings and move to greater joy and personal freedom.  We all lucked out when you got to ER. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NoraMaha on May 06, 2013, 02:30:06 AM
Howdy howdy!
24-year-old female, located in Southern California.

I am a freelance artist and fine artist.
Stumbled on the blog while researching used cars.

Started reading around, and OH LORD this community is for me.
Making my "living" trading doodles for money has certainly taught me how to live creatively and frugally.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: golffan63 on May 07, 2013, 03:06:43 AM
Hi, I am a Mustachian wantabe!Stumbled upon it for the first time. From Southern Ontario Canada. Just me and my wife who is anything but a Mustachian. My life is good but need to curb spending and get myself out a jam. I made a post yesterday and despite several viewings no one has offered advice to date. Love the site so far and look forward to it  helping us in the future!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: acroy on May 07, 2013, 01:50:47 PM
Howdy from cool & sunny North TX!
Long-time living a MMM-lite life, found the site a couple months back, finally got round to registering.
About me:
-Married, 35yrs old
-5 kids (a 'handful'!) 7-4-2(twins)-1
-no debt other than 30yr note at 3.75%, 130k balance on 180k house
-100k income, lower management @ a food-related company
-450k assets between 401k, ira, and savings
-saving about 45k/yr, living on about 45k/yr
-Biking has been the primary form of transportation my entire friggin life!
-but I still have 3 cars ....
-NEVER any debt (other than mortgage); paid for Engineering degree myself by mowing thousands of friggin lawns, etc.
-Been living a frugal lifestyle since forever. I am fortunate to be genetically repelled by most expensive things. Except cars... damn you Porsche and your kin.

Living a 'well below our means' but not quite 'badass MMM' lifestyle. We have a few luxuries like the 33,000 gal inground pool (makes Texas summers very nice); 3 cars for no good reason other than 'cause I'm a dumb gearhead, and occasionally we buy more clothes than really necessary from the thrift store.

Cheers all, looking forward to bouncing about the forum a bit.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alex on May 07, 2013, 08:33:44 PM
Hi, my name is Alex.  I live in West Palm Beach.  I'm the guy who made the U.S. Version of the retirement spreadsheet (a while back).

I’ve got a new web-based tool that estimates your savings over time based on your budget.  It’s still in early beta at this point, but I would love to get some feedback.   Please let me know what you think! 

Check it out here: http://forecast.calcitout.com (http://forecast.calcitout.com)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mayan on May 07, 2013, 10:22:48 PM
Howdy all.  I'm pretty new to the blog and figure the community will be a nice motivation booster.  I'm 25 and in many ways already live in line with Mustachian principles (debt free, bike to work most days, cheap hobbies) but there are certainly some areas I can improve on.  My goal isn't early retirement per say, but to transition to working in an area of my profession that I love.  It will likely require more school and has limited opportunities for lower pay than I make now.  Living frugally and building my 'stash right now will go a long ways towards making that happen!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kk on May 09, 2013, 07:57:28 AM
Hello all.

I am Karunesh Kaushal, 23yo. I live in north India as of now but will be shifting (most likely) to Mumbai in a few months. No girlfriend, unmarried. Having some gluttony and laziness issues, nothing too much, but enough to put on some extra weight :-)

I have some savings, substantial by Indian standards for middle class kids of my age, but not enough to buy some real estate. Maybe I will do that later. I think the reason for having saved till now is because I have been living with my parents, and though they have not read this blog, they are Mustachians in every sense of the word.

As a kind of hobby, I like to go through different blogs once in a while, and read a whole blog within a few days. This time, MMM is the one I will be reading. And this one seems the one with the most bang for my time. The comments at posts are really helpful too.

Loved reading posts here on this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: phillyfilly on May 09, 2013, 08:07:28 AM
Hi, everyone!

I found this site through the Washington Post article, and it really intrigued me. I'm 22, finishing my final semester of college, and hoping that implementing some of the lifestyle changes shared on this site will help me become financially secure once I enter the "real world."
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. Minsc on May 09, 2013, 08:11:10 AM
Hey all!

My name is Kevin, 31, and born, raised and residing in Prince Edward Island, Canada.  Through one way or another I found my way here.

Being what I suppose you'd call a late bloomer in life I didn't step far away from the family dairy farm until I was 25.  That's when I went out and did my plumbing apprenticeship and began catching glimpses of life beyond my doorstep.  During this time I started getting caught up in the "status quo" mindset but something about it never set right with me.

Here I am, financial goals to clear off.  The first is to streamline my spending.  Thanks to MMM and other awesome financial blogs I'm developing new spending habits.  Debt wise, I've bounced between slightly under and over spending so it more or less balanced out.  There's about $99K left on my mortgage.

There's changes I want to make but as you know it can be difficult with out motivational support.  It's difficult to find it within arms reach so I'm casting my net out to the world wide ocean. :D

While I don't personally like to grow actual moustache I do hope to grow one in my mind. ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shzasaver2 on May 09, 2013, 10:05:53 AM
Hi!
 I made my first post over in the Rental Propterty forum, so I kind of already introduced myself, but I feel like a big mooch asking for help over there and not contributing anywhere else.

I've been reading MMM for a few months and lurking in the forums.

I love all of this and hope to streamline our lives even more then we have. 

We are 5yrs from FI, maybe earlier, and looking forward to it.

M
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KidneyBeansMD on May 09, 2013, 12:25:43 PM
Greetings!

I'm a 4th year medical student who is graduating and will be starting pediatric residency next month. Looking forward to actually getting paid rather than paying to practice medicine :)

I found MMM awhile ago after reading several blog posts and have adapted some frugal techniques to try limiting my expenses. I'm glad to see there's an active forum of like-minded people with whom I can discuss these things :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CU Tiger on May 09, 2013, 09:16:36 PM
I am 48 and my husband is 49. He has an IT job making $120,000 and I am an administrative assistant making $41,000. He loves his job and I...do not.
We have $20,400 left on our mortgage and expect to pay it off within the year. We have no other debt. Our net worth is about $650,000 including 401ks, Roths, and after tax investments.
I thought we were doing ok, comparing us to the average American. Compared to MMM and the hardcore savers and investers here I now see that there is a lot more we can do.
We have no children, but do have two funny dogs. We love them and they bring a lot of silly fun into our lives.
Years ago we took Dave Ramsey's Total Money Make Over. We did not have debt but the course taught us to communicate about finances and make plans to grow our assets. I look on this blog and forum as two great new tools to live smart and retire more than comfortably, whether we retire at 52 or 62. I am glad I found this place while googling YMOYL, a book I read years ago.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kibryant on May 10, 2013, 12:14:47 PM
Hi, all!

Kathleen here, living in Arlington, TX, squashed between Dallas and Fort Worth. I'm a newbie on the forums but have been following the blog for a good while - I figure it's time to stop lurking and join the conversation.

Just bought my first bike for my work commute, and am in the process of unloading the 5-year free-loading, money-blowing boyfriend so I can focus on building my financial future in earnest. My current financial status is somewhat bleak (Dare I say nonexistent? No 401k, all of $1,600 in savings, $1,400 car loan, and a few thousand in student loans), but that should change substantially in the next several months when he finds a job and moves out. It's sobering how fast my 52k/year has disappeared supporting two people and two cats.

Fortunately I've got plenty of time - being 25 and ambitious means there's plenty of time to get my at together! Looking forward to learning and growing with all the folks here on the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rebeltoconform on May 10, 2013, 02:18:28 PM
Hi everyone!

My name's Ray in Ferndale, MI - currently a very up-and-coming suburb on the outskirts of Detroit.

My financial situation:

Mortgage: 72,400 @ 5% ($800/mo)
Car lease: $300/mo for 33 more months

Salary: 30K plus overtime (this has averaged to an extra $10K/year)

And that's it - no debt and no savings. I grew up mostly frugal, and a job in video post production taught me the evils of consumerism. When I decided to trade in my paid off used Hyundai for a new Ford Fusion in February, I didn't realize how much I would regret it. Now that I have embraced Mustachianim, I am considering both a refinance on my mortgage to get that paid off quicker and/or trading in my lease, incurring whatever penalties come with it, and buying a reliable used car.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: freerider156 on May 10, 2013, 09:37:04 PM
Hi. My name is Mike and I live with my wife in Portland OR. We have a daughter who was born a week ago and we're looking to get out of debt and work towards and early retirement. We are a one income family and have a lot of student debt, so we're trying to figure out the best way to go about paying things off, saving for a down payment on a house and to start saving for retirement. I am very new to MMM so i am just trying to read through the articles and get some encouragement and ideas as we move forward.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Not Fully Baked on May 11, 2013, 10:21:05 AM
Hello All from Vancouver Canada,
Just joined after a few days of appreciative reading and badass action planning. So grateful to find this resource and community. As a family, we've got a long way to go. MMM will be the homebase.

Cheers all. Thank you.
Not Fully Baked (i.e. always learning and growing)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PolymathPaul on May 11, 2013, 12:16:47 PM
MotelyFool seems geared more towards those who want to be rich by the time they retire, not people who want a long life of retirement, so I decided the MMM spot was more for me.

I took my time to finish college, and luckily avoided too much debt, but at almost 30 and just recently getting my first stable job with a real income, I've got some catching up to do.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OnMon on May 11, 2013, 12:38:03 PM
Hi! I'm a 30-year old RN in Chicago, married, renting, no kids. Current assets: $36K in a joint savings fund for a future home down payment; $16K in my rollover IRA from an old job; $15K in my work 401K; $9K in my husband's 403b; misc CDs, savings bonds and investment accounts at prolly $19K in total. Current debts: Student loans! $21K at 6%/15yr; $8K at 5.45%/10yr; $30K for my husband at 4.35%/30yr. We currently both save way more than we did in our 20s, largely due to higher incomes and no changes in expenses, but still pretty low compared to a mustachian ideal (maybe 20% or so, prolly a little higher if you count after-tax pay that we throw at our loans). Our debts are grating on me (I still don't know if it was the right choice to go back for my Accelerated BSN at $90K instead of an AD which I probably would have paid through school at about $30K - but eh, what does regret buy you?) and I've been dreaming of FI, oh, since my godfather gave me a copy of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" when I was 22. Obviously, though, I'm flighty when it comes to implementing FI! Mostly my dream of FI involves being a part-time parent, free to take sabbaticals doing things like WWOOF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWOOF) or volunteering my skills internationally as a nurse. I do really love my job, the flexibility and freedom of nursing employability, so I can totally see myself as a part-time worker (non)drone until age 50 or 65...but maybe if we work on it, I'll be our sole income earner during that time, and my husband can be free to pursue his renaissance-man dreams of radio production or teaching schoolkids how to build computers. Or I'll volunteer my experience and time to work on changing the U.S. healthcare system for the better! I come from an upper-middle class family & both my parents are in their 70s, so that's how we've come to have random assets in the middle of our debts, though what we should do with those assets leaves me scratching my head. In this low-interest rate market we've been working on buying, but I'm bummed about adding more debt to our load by buying, and Chicago still doesn't seem to be an equitable market comparing our rent to ownership costs - not to mention the choke-hold of low availability right now (so NOT a buyers' market, when the lack of properties on the market is leading to bidding wars on the piddling stuff available).

So yeah: to sum up, I'm a do-gooder and daydreamer who is hoping that working toward FI will take us to a happy place in 10-20 years or so, or maybe even sooner. I'm inspired to do better on saving (switch out my Trader Joe's frozen meals for something like Jacob's lentil soup (http://earlyretirementextreme.com/cooking-for-6-days-in-30-minutes-for-less-than-4.html) as a work lunch, maybe?) - I already bike to work, shop at thrift stores, wash hair with baking soda, have a $15/month prepaid cell plan plus Google voice...but I know I can do better, and I long for a day when my husband will also be more motivated to make his lunch & take public transit to work. Hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lbdance on May 12, 2013, 01:26:12 AM
Hi All
Another Kiwi joining the forum. I found MMM approx 2 months ago and spent the first month catching up on all the posts. Had been on a plan to more aggressively pay off our mortgage and have never had any other debt. However I had never thought about aggressively saving to ensure that we could achieve early retirement. MMM opened my mind to this, and subsequently I have got my significant other somewhat onboard. He leaves most of the most stuff to me :)
Slowly working my way round the forum - nice to meet you all
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tammy on May 12, 2013, 05:14:19 PM
I'm Tammy. Been following the blog for a long time. New to this area of the site.

Live in phoenix. Work as psych nurse. Ride my bike a lot and it makes me happy.

Anybody know if theres a smart phone app for the forum?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: factminder on May 13, 2013, 11:58:52 AM
Hi, I'm John,
 
trying to read between the lines and mind facts vs. opinions.
* Even if you on the right truck, you will get run over if you just sit there.(Will Roggers)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Itchin4Scratch on May 13, 2013, 08:20:23 PM
Hi everybody!!!  We became a family of 3 last year, and my "hubby" and I are approaching the end of our 20s this year.  I just discovered the MMM blog in December, and I am halfway through reading it.  Unfortunately, I haven't even THOUGHT about getting serious with money or retirement until our son was born, and my hubby is still not serious.  Throughout our 20s we also experienced terrible financial hardships, all that could have been avoided if we were given any tiny little bit of financial management lessons. 

Now, I'm learning things way too late, and I am furious that our school systems and colleges don't require any classes in these skills.  Financial management is extremely important to learn!!!!

I'm going to start a journal blog now, and I am excited to meet other Mustacians and learn from the best!!!!  :)  Thank you so much for this blog!!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GrayGhost on May 13, 2013, 09:57:46 PM
Hi everybody,

I'm currently a student in the NYC metro region, and upon graduation, I will be commissioned as an officer with the military. My commitment with them is four years; after that, I'll be free to stay on or go on my own way depending on my wishes.

I'm very responsible with what money I have so far, as I am able to max out my IRA, pay rent in one of the most expensive places to live in the US, and sustain myself.

I intend to buy a house wherever I'm stationed, for the most part, and then rent it out once I get stationed somewhere else.

I've got a couple hobbies, but for the sake of privacy, I'd prefer not to discuss them.

I look forward to learning more about how to live frugally and happily, and I am glad for any advice that comes my way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KiwiMust on May 13, 2013, 11:56:51 PM
I'm Heather, 37, living in New Zealand, not married, no kids, no debt, but not much else to my name either.

I have always lived semi-mustachian (always paid off credit cards monthly, walk everywhere possible, which in my case includes work and everywhere else I need to go regularly (I have now started cycling those places that were a bit too far to walk) and have ancient low fuel car (not that it gets used much, just can't seem to give up the convenience), but somehow still managed to spend ridiculous amounts of money (I couldn't tell you what on).

I miraculously somehow had enough money to take four months off over summer (anyone living in NZ will know this was the best summer ever), this was not exactly by choice, but when my contract finished I decided not to panic until February when, happily, a new contract was given to me, and it made me realise there is a lot more to life than work. The last couple of months while getting through the MMM blog, have got me excited about every extra dollar that comes my way, dividends that before I would have ignored, I am now gleeful about, it is quite amazing how much money comes your way when you start taking notice of it.

To be honest apart from rent and house expenses (shared house, so fairly low) all I spend my money on is food and drink (slowly weaning myself off the excessive nights out). I have no interest at all in shopping anymore and am selling my excess stuff online, while previously I would have thought it not worthwhile, now I am loving watching the dollars come in.

Property prices here are crazy high at the moment, so my plan is to save hard and when it becomes more reasonable, or at least there is decent choice, buy. If anyone can advise on where to put my cash in the mean time, that would be fantastic, currently have some shares, but looking putting any new savings into Smartshares after reading other Kiwis' discussions.

I have never, ever read a blog from beginning to end before, this has been enlightening and although I am a little jealous of those in their twenties who have seen the light already, I am so grateful to have got there now rather than in ten years, or never.

Thanks MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SkinnyGreenMan on May 14, 2013, 01:16:10 PM
Hi Everyone!

I'm Scott, 24, from California.

I've been a lurker for a while, and I feel like I should probably just go ahead and introduce myself.  I started reading the blog a while back while trying to optimize my finances, and was hooked from the start.  I did the whole "start at the first article" thing and just plowed straight through all the posts in a few weeks.

Low-cost living is not new to me.  I'm a recent college graduate, and basically lived quite frugally while in college to keep student loans down.  After I graduated, I was hired by an institution within walking distance of the college I went to, so I basically decided just to keep living with my roommates and maintain my low expenses for a while.  In fact, I rode the bus to work and didn't even buy my first car until I had saved up enough to buy it outright.  I've always paid credit cards in full each month and built up a great credit rating while in college.

I graduated two years ago.  Living cheaply since has paid off.  After one year my student loans were gone, and after the second year, I had saved a down payment for a condo nearby.

I found MMM a few months before I had finished saving my down payment.  After I digested the whole idea of FIRE, I was able to attach a goal to all the savings and groundwork I had laid so far.

I'm currently in the process of moving out from my rented apartment and into my new home.  My intention is to rent out my spare rooms to college students (currently to people I know and lived with as a roommate for the last few years.  I'm still connected to the student community in general, so chances are I'll be able to find people wanting the rooms for some time).  I estimate I can cover more than 2/3 of my mortgage from the two spare rooms.  This is a temporary lifestyle for me while I build my net worth.  But even years down the line, when I'm ready to move on, I very well may keep the condo and just rent out all three bedrooms.

Once I get through the whole financial whirlwind of buying this place, I'll start investing through Vanguard and my job's retirement accounts.  My goal is FIRE in 10 years, at age 34, since that's what my calculations tell me is the most appropriate.

I think my path is pretty much set for now, but I look forward to learning and improving my short-term and long-term way of life on the cheap as I go, and I look forward to participating in this great community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: warpgirl on May 14, 2013, 03:25:43 PM
Hi, I'm Sarah. I work in DC and I'm married to a frugal guy, but it took finding MMM for me to fully get on board and get serious about saving everything we can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalAussie on May 14, 2013, 08:18:40 PM
Hi.  I'm an Australian, from the West coast where the average cost of a home is $450,000 to buy, about $1800/mth to rent, and food, especially compared to the USA is expensive, so reaching early retirement is that much more difficult.  I'm enjoying life now my kids are independednt (well one is, the other's taking his sweet time, he gets way too much financial aid from me but that's going to stop soon) after being a sole parent for 17 years.  I'm frugal but am going to step it up a notch so I only need to work when I feel like it ie. when the job is inspiring.  My preference is 2 days per week, to get the perks of employment without the BS. I also do contract work - organisational development and training, which pays well.  BUT I have enough FU money to last about 5 years, then I could sell a rental which would buy me another 5 years, then my supannuation kicks in for another 5 years, then the Age Pension if it's still around when I'm 67. Being frugal and financially literate are the two tools that got me ahead.  Then three years ago I meet a fellow Mustachian, together we really kick ass so he's looking to retire in the next couple of years also, something he wouldn't have considered without my influence.  We're a great team and have so many plans that we'll never find retirement boring. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: exranger06 on May 15, 2013, 10:27:36 AM
Hi I'm Jon. I live in CT and I'm 25 years old. I like to think I'm very good with money, even though I still have some very anti-mustachian habits. I enjoy reading personal finance blogs among many other hobbies. I'm currently helping my fiancee get out of debt and trying to improve her spending habits. I'm also trying to save up money to buy a house.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mgbrin on May 16, 2013, 10:15:35 AM
Hello, I'm Marvin, 52 and live in Lincoln, NE.  Discovered MMM from the Washington Post article.  Where have you been all my life?!?!?!

At any rate, while I don't have much debt (mortgages on two rental houses, a small business debt of $2k), I really have nothing else to show for my 30+ years of earning.  I'd put my net worth under $100k with the houses.

But, most importantly, my wife and I have agreed to follow Mustaschianism and are working on constantly optimizing our lives towards it.  Our incomes are modest (62k for me, 24k for Mrs Marvin), but I am looking forward to begin saving a large chunk of our take home pay ASAP.   For instance, my daily commute is 10 miles RT, I'm looking at trying to bike it.  My wife's is 6 miles RT, and so far we are trying to carpool even though our hours don't mesh up that well.  We plan to move closer to her work so she can walk, and hopefully get to a place where my commute would be no more than 6 miles RT and on bike routes. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PCRepairCat on May 16, 2013, 10:31:43 AM
Hello everyone,

     I'm Josh, just about to turn 30, and I'm certainly interested in cutting the day job loose early so I can focus on writing full-time.  No debt, but a fairly useless generic English B.A. and I'm still working on getting certified to prove my PC necromancy (repair) skills aren't ethereal.  Then I hope to jump to a job that pays more than 17k so I can save a greater percentage of my income.

      Twitter brought me here, and I hope to use Mustachian lessons to frugal my way to a better life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: catccc on May 16, 2013, 12:38:25 PM
Hi, I'm 33, married, w/ 2 kids, living in bucolic Southern Chester County, PA.  Spouse stays at home with our DDs, ages 4 & 2. 

Our current stash consists of 243K in retirement accounts, 133K in cash, and 31K in other investments (mutual funds).  No debts.

My salary is 88K/annually, and my PY bonus (paid in March of this year) was 6K, so our income is about 94K.  This year, the plan for that 94K is:
5K- benefits (medical and dental)
15K- taxes
28K- retirement (we max my 401K and both our Roth IRAs)
6K- non-retirement savings
40K- other living expenses

Our expenses last year came to a whopping 49K.  Big ticket items included multiple family vacations- Turks and Caicos, a New England Road Trip, and the Holidays on the West Coast.  Other than travel, we live pretty frugally.  Before kids we did a lot of backcountry camping and traveled internationally about every other year.  We've always loved travelling, but this year we will learn to be homebodies.

Trying to cut it down on expenses a lot.  I am hoping to stay below 40K this year.  Would love to bike to work (about 10 miles) but need to learn to bike/work up to that.

Why so much cash?  We are currently renters, but looking to buy in the future.  We have very specific land desires and would like to buy in the 300K range so we can easily pay off in 15 years, the cash will a giant down payment to assist with that.

Would love to be financially independent by 45, that is 12 years away!  I actually had previously set 48 as my goal (15 years away, nice round number) but I wonder if we can speed things up a bit... I  also post a early-retirement.org, but I love the more "extreme" ways of mustachianism.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RMD on May 17, 2013, 08:07:14 AM
HI, I'm RMD.  I arrived here from some posts on the Family Finances board on Baby Center.  :)  I've been reading for a while and finally decided to jump in.  Learning a lot, solidifying stuff I already know and haven't put into to practice.  Glad to have found a community of like-minded people!

Oh...and I'm 42, married with one son- age 5.  I'd love to retire in 5 years...but the spouse isn't entirely on board with the concept.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: workathomedad on May 17, 2013, 08:19:12 AM
I'm 30 and work from home. My "job' recently took a big pay cut, and I'm looking to reduce our family's expenditures down to at least 30-40k/year to start. I haven't actually kept a budget, but estimate in the past we've been spending 80-120k/year without realizing where the money actually went.

After reading MMM I've had the motivation to stop buying new stuff. Just with this simple step, I think my spending will be reduced to ~70k/year.

My largest current expenditures are:

My first step will be to list one of the owned vehicles for sale. I then plan to list the second. I believe I will be stuck with the lease as I entered the contract only 1 month ago before reading MMM (d'oh).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Heather in Ottawa on May 17, 2013, 08:41:34 AM
I'm Heather... 38, married, no kids, but a clowder of stray cats I collected along the way. Finally settled in Ottawa, no mortgage (thanks to many years of moving around Canada renovating as we went). Looking forward to earning a predictable income now and cruising towards FI, ETA about 8 years from now. I love biking, board games, and interesting adventures. I have a natural frugal streak in me, and reading this blog and forums is definitely helping me to develop it to a whole new degree of badassity!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ms Prosperity on May 18, 2013, 05:20:27 AM
Hi from Australia! I just found this site last night, and haven't read all the blog posts yet, but intend to work through them slowly.

I'm engaged to my partner, we have three kids together and we own our house outright. We're mostly good at cutting back on things, but there are a few more bad habits we still need to get rid of. I look forward to getting to know everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chowder on May 18, 2013, 07:08:37 AM
Hi, I'm 24 and finished school with 6 figures of student loan debt.

I've been reading for a while and I'm already putting 60% of my income towards my loans. I'm also constantly trying to optimize my payoff strategy and the latest numbers should have me to a positive net worth in 4 short years...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rubybeth on May 18, 2013, 08:10:03 AM
Hello all! I'm Beth, early 30s, married, live in Minnesota, and have only 5 months left until we are debt free ($52k in student loans; necessary degrees to get our jobs). After finding MMM a bit over a month ago, I realized that we are much closer to retirement than I ever could have hoped. We are already pretty 'mustachian' without realizing it, much of which I learned from my parents, who are financially independent but still work because they enjoy it (both part-time, and my dad has his own business he runs from home). Looking forward to reading more of the forums and chiming in when I have something useful to add.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes: "You're not stuck in traffic, you are traffic."
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: geekette on May 18, 2013, 01:43:34 PM
Just found this place a few days ago - about the time my DH got laid off (wah wah).  I can't say he was happy in that job, but it sure beat looking for a new one...

Thankfully, we've always been frugal and have no debt and a low 7 figure net worth, including about 800k invested, plus our paid off house.  I would almost consider us at the FI point, but the sticking part is health insurance.  Early 50's and each of us have a history that makes insurance companies quake (we're both quite healthy, but they still don't want us).  I'm hoping the next couple years will allow us to get coverage outside of him working.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on May 18, 2013, 03:03:43 PM
Just found this place a few days ago - about the time my DH got laid off (wah wah).  I can't say he was happy in that job, but it sure beat looking for a new one...

Thankfully, we've always been frugal and have no debt and a low 7 figure net worth, including about 800k invested, plus our paid off house.  I would almost consider us at the FI point, but the sticking part is health insurance.  Early 50's and each of us have a history that makes insurance companies quake (we're both quite healthy, but they still don't want us).  I'm hoping the next couple years will allow us to get coverage outside of him working.
Could this be the time to downshift and do something else that's entertaining, if you don't need to accumulate any assets and just need health coverage? What about an adjunct professorship at a business school, for example? (Obviously that's dramatically limited by the specifics of the situation, though.)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: geekette on May 18, 2013, 03:13:12 PM
Just found this place a few days ago - about the time my DH got laid off (wah wah).  I can't say he was happy in that job, but it sure beat looking for a new one...

Thankfully, we've always been frugal and have no debt and a low 7 figure net worth, including about 800k invested, plus our paid off house.  I would almost consider us at the FI point, but the sticking part is health insurance.  Early 50's and each of us have a history that makes insurance companies quake (we're both quite healthy, but they still don't want us).  I'm hoping the next couple years will allow us to get coverage outside of him working.
Could this be the time to downshift and do something else that's entertaining, if you don't need to accumulate any assets and just need health coverage? What about an adjunct professorship at a business school, for example? (Obviously that's dramatically limited by the specifics of the situation, though.)
Interesting thought, but not for him.  He's great one on one, but never in front of a group.  He's more the "stick me in an office, give me a buggy program, and I'll fix it" type person.  Neither of us is good at thinking outside the box, but you're right, there should be something out there, and we do have the freedom to wait for it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tesseljoan on May 20, 2013, 04:20:34 AM
Hello everyone! I'm Tessel and I'm an idiot, as I managed to accumulate 55000 euro in student loan debt... In the netherlands, a country where higher education is so subsidized, a student loan this high is a feat in itself. Stumbled on Dave Ramsey two years ago, and decided to get rid of this debt as quickly as possible. However, finding MMM was such an eye-opener! With Ramsey frugality feels like a chore, and not like you can lead a rich life while getting out of debt. Now we enjoy making ht emost out of what we have and slowly but surely we plow through the debt and save a bit of money.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SimpleMama on May 20, 2013, 09:30:00 AM
I guess I posted a long intro with a question in the general discussion but I'm a middle aged mom who is working hard to live on a budget.

I wish I had found MMM way of life a long time ago. I want to relieve stress off my husband, and while he may not be able to retire too early, I'd love to see him enjoying an earlier one than some of his peers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: audrey on May 20, 2013, 12:17:56 PM
Hello.  I'm another one who came over from the Washington Post article.  DH and I live in Northern VA.  He is 39 this week and is in a job he doesn't really like, but pays really well.  I'm a 36 year old stay-at-home mom with two kids, ages 11 and 8.  I'm half way through a master's of library science program, but wondering if it's worth it in the long run since I really enjoy being a SAHM.  I was offered a job as a librarian's assistant in December and decided not to take it because I really love staying home with my kids and getting to do what I want to do when I want to do it (I volunteer regularly in a library so I get to decide when I help out).  I'm glad that my DH works hard for our family, but at the same time, feel guilty because he doesn't like his job and I love mine.  I wish I would have discovered this way of living right after we were married and before we had kids, but alas, some things are not meant to be.  I'm trying to let go of my regrets as I know there's nothing I can do about them now.  We're trying to figure out ways to cut our spending to save more money so DH can retire earlier.  I've been devouring the MMM blog since I discovered it a month ago and finished reading all the posts today.  I have a list of things to do and I'm excited for the journey, even if it seems daunting at times.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Albert on May 20, 2013, 01:29:47 PM
Hi,

I'm 35 year old man currently originally from Latvia and currently living in Switzerland (previously 8 year in US). Found this blog a week or two ago by reading MSN. I love my job and don't wish to retire any time soon, but many of the ideas expressed in this blog are close to my heart. Being careful with money must be in my nature - I've never had any debts in my life, not even a mortgage. On the other hand I don't have huge amounts of money saved either...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MJ on May 20, 2013, 07:51:37 PM
Hi,

I'm MJ. I've got 4 rental properties that pay for my current house, but my wife and I both work like dogs for The Man. Cars are paid for - and we save a lot - but we spend a lot, too. I love the idea of spending less in order to work less. Hoping to learn more about it here... and maybe convince the wife, too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lennart on May 21, 2013, 08:33:14 AM
Hi,

I'm 21 and studying Civil Engineering (on my way to getting my Master's Degree at the age of 25). These past days I've been pushing the 'random article'-button to the limit, after being referred here by LifeEdited (http://www.lifeedited.com) (which is a great blog and a recommendation for every Mustachian). Since I'm getting mostly articles I've already read, I decided to join the forum to get even more tips 'n tricks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stranger on May 21, 2013, 09:17:24 AM
Hi there,

I'm 29 and an accountant. My spouse is a psychologist. We're working on beefing up our work experience and professional credentials so that we can go hard for the next five years or so, and then have kids and reduce our work to part-time in our forties.

The good: We're debt-free, own our cars, and have a healthy amount saved up through savings and a few small windfalls.

The bad: We're still fighting trying to break bad spending habits. For her it's clothes, for me it's gadgets and entertainment. We're anticipating the need to take in (i.e., house and feed) my parents in the next 10-15 years as they have nothing saved and are spendthrifts with inconsistent income streams. That's going to be tough.

I'm glad I found this blog and this community, I've decided to join the forum to share and gain wisdom.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MissGina on May 21, 2013, 09:37:42 AM
Hi All,

I'm a tax specialist and soon to be CPA with no debt. Right now I save $2,500 a month and live off around $1,000 a month. I'm hoping to continue my savings rate, but I'm a little unsure of kids right now (age 33). If no kids, I should be retiring in another 15 years MAX!

Title: Hello
Post by: Mozactly on May 22, 2013, 05:49:35 AM
Hello everyone.

I've been reading the blog nonstop for the last couple of weeks after seeing the story in the Washington Post.

I grew up in a frugal family, so find myself with minimal student debt a year after getting my M.S., no car loans and a savings account for cushion.

I thought I was badass until I started reading the blog and these forums. I hope to learn more to reduce my spending and increase my life enjoyment.

Look forward to the discussions!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LWYRUP on May 22, 2013, 09:55:04 AM
Hi,

I am a 28 yo living in the Boston area and a lawyer (married with a baby coming soon).  I have always had the temperment of a saver but recently got a little more spendy after getting a corporate job with lots of hours.  I am trying to cut back now and get back in my old ways so I don't get sucked into a certain lifestyle, and a certain job to maintain that lifestyle. 

I love the philosophy of this blog because it goes beyond traditional investing sites (like Bogleheads, which is great in its own way) and hits a number of seperate passions for me.  First, there's no need to spend lots of money to have a satisfying and fun life.  Most of messages our consumer-driven and advertising-saturated society has thrown at us are, pardon my french, bullshit, and need to not only be actively ignored but vocally resisted.  Picnics rule, Gucci drools!  Second, consuming less is not just good for your wallet but good for the planet -- you don't need to buy a new Prius to protect the environment, you can just hop on your bike!  Third, income - expenses = freedom.  Freedom doesn't mean working 60 hours per week for 40 years to buy a fancy house in Palm Springs and sit on your yacht.  Freedom means having the time to pursue your passions without needing to worry about paying the bills or what other people think.  Love it.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ioseftavi on May 22, 2013, 01:17:43 PM
Hi folks. 

I'm 28 and considered myself "above average" as a saver and investor, given that I had been saving something like a fourth or a third of my income since graduation (mostly in the form of retirement accounts, plus some after-tax savings).  However after stumbling on this blog, I see that I can do even better still.  I aim to try!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gardenarian on May 22, 2013, 03:19:35 PM
Hi, I'm Gardenarian. I'm a librarian and I like to garden.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: exitstrategy on May 22, 2013, 07:42:06 PM
Appreciate the thoughtful blog, and the great discussion in the forum. 

My husband and I are ~40, 2 kids...used to be very frugal, but got a bit too spendy the past few years because it was easy.
We own a business, so don't always have a regular salary amount (for better or worse), but have also been diversifying into owning investment properties (commercial and residential).  A slow year last year while simultaneously making a property purchase means we've spent almost all of our cash reserves...but the good news is we spent the few years prior focusing on paying off debt: retired $60k in student loans and $30k in HELOC.  No car loans or CC balances, but mortgages on residence and investment properties.

Happy to be here, am sure I'll learn a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DebtBaby on May 23, 2013, 02:07:12 PM
Hello :-)

I'm 24 and from a north east USA small state that everyone seems to love to hate (well, maybe just NYers). Currently, I am residing in Atlanta.  My mantra up until recently has always been "go big or go home." While that mantra has definitely helped in other areas of my life, it never helped when applied to my finances.

Graduated undergrad with a little over 100k of debt (ah, to be young, dumb, and an English major). Got married last year...and the  wedding along with some foolish purchases added to that student loan debt. Bought a house and now have a mortgage. Then we went and got a car.  So much happened so soon. Husband and I saw ourselves starting to be sucked into a track of excessive consumerism. So we are now recovering debt babies hoping to become wealthy simple living adults one day over the rainbow.

Thankfully, DH has no student loans and very little credit card debt so there is a light. Oh, and our income isn't too bad.

Very excited that I finally stopped lurking and joined the forum. Hope to become well versed in the art of mustachianism and to meet other cool people. =)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: camrg on May 23, 2013, 07:48:00 PM
Hello-

I found MMM a few days ago and have had a hard time thinking about anything else since! I'm 26, married, living in the Tahoe region, working a 8-5 engineering job that pays fairly well and provides some flexibility. We live in a rental (reasonably priced, view of the mountains), drive a car w/ 261k miles on it (its bad on gas but it just won't die) and have a paid-for Wrangler for the warm days and a dual-sport motorcycle for the trails around here.

We're lucky to have no debt, two good jobs, and a decent start on savings. What eats up our cash is mostly travel and food, which together constitute over half of our expenditures each year. Eating organics, grass-fed beef, and a protein-heavy Paleo diet lead to some pretty high grocery bills, but restaurants on our frequent weekend trips really pile up. Being smarter about travel and less indulgent w/ food should help push the savings rate from 30% to over 50%. My goal in lowering expenditures is to reduce perceived risk and be more open to entrepreneurial opportunities.

Cameron
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: farmstache on May 24, 2013, 06:31:24 PM
Well, hello, MMM community!

I'm 28yo, architect, and I live very far away from most of you - in Brazil. Things are different enough around there to make me spend a lot of time searching for alternatives to the common solutions (the hardest being the lack of craigslist and used goods for sale in general), but that only adds to the challenge! I live on a huge city, so most of the problems are the same (namely food prices, terrible commutes, rent, etc).

It wasn't me who found MMM, but my husband (well, we skipped the whole getting married thing, but we do live together). It was great, because since forever I've been the crazy one in the couple: I wanted to have a less time-consuming job, move to a smaller city, find a job that allowed me to work from home, have my garden, chickens and whatnot. It was close to early retirement, but all I could make him picture was a life of frugality and no pleasure, with uncertainties and hard to sustain. I almost fell from my chair when he came home all happy saying he found this awesome blog where he figured he could get financially independent or close to it very soon, and moving to smaller city was cheaper, and who the hell needed a new car or clothes, or expensive toys? He suddenly realized simple life can be good, and I'm all the happier for it.

Now we're working toward this goal, and of course I must admit I'm still learning and fighting with "needs" myself. We're excited, though!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jplechat on May 24, 2013, 06:46:02 PM
Hi my name is Jon,
After agreeing w/ virtually everything that MMM has written in his blog, I decided my next step is to get on this forum and more like-minded mustachians. I'm 29 years old and aspire to be retired by age 35.
Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Luck better Skill on May 25, 2013, 06:36:56 AM
Howdy,

  I am Kevin.  Was raised frugal with a personal dislike to being in debt.  In the top of my league with friends and family.  A friend directed me to MMM.  Learned I was playing in a subset of the minor leagues.  There is an entire world of badassity above me.

  Enjoying absorbing the wisdom of this and linked sites.  Thank you for the help.  <insert sarcasm>  Only complaint is that I have move frugal to #2 in what I look for in a serious relationship.  <end sarcasm>
 
PS The icon is an albino squirrel, nicknamed Casper, who hangs out around my place
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Boz86 on May 25, 2013, 09:37:15 AM
Another Wash Post follower, great find as I'm retiring from the military soon.

I already had the discussion my wife about not working another career just because "that's what everyone does," and this site is giving me lots of ideas on how to successfully semi-retire. So I'm going to concentrate on upgrading the house so we can sell in a couple of years and move out of high-tax Maryland (mostly waiting on son to finish college nearby).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mstryin on May 25, 2013, 08:23:11 PM
So, I'm older than most here - closer to 50 than 40; with a husband closer to 60 than 50.  2 kids - oldest starts college in 2 years which frankly keeps me awake at night worried about how we'll help so she doesn't graduate too far behind with debt.  The second has a few years yet before college concerns.

I seriously dislike my job, commute way too far (over 30 miles each way) and am just starting to modify my spending habits after a lifetime of living it up. My husband stopped working and collects a government pension.

We still spend too much, but if I don't change now to set an example for my kids, they'll be exactly where I'm at  - I hope for better for them.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vic on May 25, 2013, 10:42:18 PM
Heya,

As a 22 year old who recently graduated with my masters in Computer Science and landed a solid job, I have been considering my financial options with an interest in saving heavily and reducing my spending footprint. Interestingly, at each company that I interviewed with, my questions regarding savings and 401ks surprised the interviewers and each commended me on my forward thinking, claiming that few others consider saving at such an early age. Having already worked a few weeks at my new job, my money mustache has already begun twitching at the unnecessary spending my new colleagues happily engage in.

Although I have made some arguable grievous financial blunders, as MMM has so bluntly stated in his articles, I can truly envision early retirement even at this early stage in my life. With my only debt being student loans, which I can pay off in less than a year with my salary, I am looking for every opportunity to reduce the amount of time it takes to reach FI. Soon to be a DINK with two stable and relatively high paying salaries, I am looking forward to not having to work until I'm 67 to retire.

-Victor
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BlackRat on May 26, 2013, 03:46:12 AM
Hey Everyone!
I'm a 20yo student in Australia. I've just decided I won't pay off my student loans as I go (they only go up to match inflation, and paying them now rather than later only gets me a 5% discount), I'll have ~20k debt, but lots more  investment opportunities.
 By the time I leave uni I think I should have enough money for a downpayment on a cheap rental property - if I choose to go down that route - I find real estate fascinating and have browsed through real estate ads since I was about 12 (originally looking for the cheapest acreage I could find to start a farm on, now looking at rental fixer-uppers).
I'm hoping to "semi-retire" at 30-32 with ~250k, but continue working for my basic expenses for at least 10 years (so my stash can compound unencumbered) - while raising most of my food on whatever cheap acreage I manage to find ;)

BR
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustacheCowboy on May 26, 2013, 05:02:57 AM
Hi everyone!

I've been reading and lurking since August and have been busy punching myself in the face until recently. I'm 32 with 2 kids and my wife and I are working on optimizing our life. Since I starting reading MMM we have ditched the SUVs and have started to actually pay down debt!

Glad to finally be a member of the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DougStache on May 26, 2013, 08:40:52 PM
Hey everyone!

I stumbled across MMM right in the nick of time.  I'm getting married in about three weeks (holy crap, getting close!), and we will have many big decisions coming up in the next year: Combining cell phone plans, buying a house, and (possibly) replacing an old car.  I've always been fairly frugal by not wasting money on petty things, but spending on things that I deemed important to me. 

Before reading MMM:

Now I know:

Looking forward to growing the "now I know" list, along with my stubbly stache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moestache on May 27, 2013, 07:47:25 AM
Hi

I'm a 29 yr old town planner who discovered MMM a few months ago and have since been avidly following his blog. These past few months my husband and I have been working on cutting down our spendings and optimising things better. We weren't really that spendy but we were never really frugal either.

Anyway some small mustachian changes we've made in the past few months:
Bike or walk to the shops instead of driving
Walking to the bus stop instead of driving to the train station every day to go to work
Reducing our grocery bill

Looking forward to immerse ourselves more in the MMM way of life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RetiredAt63 on May 27, 2013, 09:02:23 AM
Hi

I'm Pat, will  be 63 and retired in a few months.  Always frugal (should I blame my Scottish ancestors?) married to a very non-frugal guy, separated from him for 4 years now and loving it.  We have a daughter who is almost finished university, relatively little student debt since she has always had a part-time job.
I found MMM from another blog and read it all, plus all the comments. I live in South-Eastern Ontario where the living is not easy or cheap, as has been pointed out many times on this blog.
At this point I hardly watch TV so am considering ditching Bell totally (phone, Expressvu) and just relying on my cell phone and internet.  I live in the country, literally, so a car is still in my future, but the mileage will be tiny, and my cars last forever.
Right now I am gardening, painting my house (inside) and taking care of the last bits of my job.

I look forward to joining in the discussions.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugalady10 on May 27, 2013, 10:46:48 AM
Hi I am Katie I am 28, married to a31 yr old guy with 1 seven yr old kid and one on the way. We aren't really mustashians, but sympathizers I guess. We have no debt, and don't waste money on dumb stuff. We have a decent nest egg and investment portfolio, not nearly enough for retirement. But, by spending wisely my husband left his day job to focus solely on his passion ( music- he has a degree in music performance) and we are able to live on his freelancing and my part time income. I am still trying to figure out what my passion is - i like working part time and devoting the rest to my kid (s). Right now we "share care" (he watches kid while I work and I him). We each work around 20 hrs / week. Sorry i typed alot! Anyway although we are not retired like the mustashe family, but we both only work part time and I get a lot of tips from this site (and laughs).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: milkshaken on May 27, 2013, 05:11:20 PM
Hi, I'm Kirsten. 

I'm 29, I live in San Francisco and I'm "RDP"'d to a great gal who shares similar financial values.  We have $25,000 in student loans but no credit card debt.  We're presently saving around 20% of our income and looking for ways to get that number up even higher. We're saving aggressively for home ownership and early retirement and starting to get excited about creating passive income streams.  We're looking forward to making our lives even more mustachian in the coming years!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Coneal on May 27, 2013, 10:00:30 PM
Hi I'm Charlie

I'm a single 35 yr old, live in Charlotte and have been debt free for 4 years.  Currently save 40% of income.  Hoping to learn a few tips and tricks here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hadilly on May 28, 2013, 11:41:19 AM
Found MMM through the Washington Post and have been obsessively reading ever since.  We are a family of five living in Northern California. I'm 42, my husband is 39. No debt, but high housing costs. I've also, ever since reading the blog and forums, been noticing just how much lifestyle creep has taken place.

I work part-time, my husband full-time. Both jobs are very stable and reasonably well-paid. I don't  think we are going for FI.  I have floated the idea but there is little interest from my spouse. We have a lot of compelling reasons to stay here too (schools, family, friends, no commute, good weather, etc).

MMM has been great for refocusing my attention and setting financial goals. For a long time we had only one, save for a house. Well, we bought one and have been rebuilding savings over the past year, though a bunch of out-of-pocket medical expenses are going to wipe it out again. We should be able to actually build net worth next year (2014).

Our new goal, as I see it, is to agressively save so we can deal comfortably with college and retirement. We don't have debt but I have become aware of how insanely easy it is to fritter away money on small things, eating out, impulse buys and impulse travel, etc. I am going to start sweeping 3k into savings every month and then live on the remainder. Our children have noticed how we have already stopped eating out.

I've been reading the info on how to allocate between taxable and non taxable accounts. We need to allocate ROTH money that is just sitting around and also subsequent savings. Also shift some poor performing funds around too. Probably the biggest thing we are not doing.

I really appreciate the attitude of question everything and continually optimize. I'm taking my time though, hitting the low-hanging fruit and will gradually get around to things like insurance and cell phone plans.

The irony is that, as the chief spender of our household (I am also the person with a 3k annual clothing budget, which I have stopped using), it is up to me to implement this stuff on the saving and spending side. My husband is already a perfect mustachian who bicycles to work, brings his lunch, and buys any expensive toys with work funds. Luckily, it means that he is not protesting the regime change.

I look forward to contributing and continuing to learn from the awesome community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EmJay7 on May 28, 2013, 04:38:32 PM
Hi, I'm EmJay. My husband and I started hitting our debt hard about a year and a half ago, and kicked all our debt ('cept the house) in the shorts summer. Since then, we've been working to pay off our house, save up to buy our next (more efficient) vehicle, and set ourselves up for bigger and better adventures. I've only been reading the blog for a few months, but it definitely connects to how I view the world and where we want to go in the future.

I'm looking forward to reading and posting on the forums. In particular, I'm interested in finding ways to reduce our home expenses (we're about a grand higher than I'd like) and live in a very rural area without being completely dependent on our vehicles. And also anything about gardening in a snowy northern clime. Send me a note or I'll see you on the boards!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Katnina on May 28, 2013, 06:24:26 PM
Hello!  I'm Kat and I live in NYC with my fiance and our two rescue dogs.  I am 32 and happily retired!

My plan when I was in college was to work on wall street until age 35, then retire and pursue my passions.  Thanks to my super mustachian lifestyle during 9 years in the finance industry, I was able to build up quite a 'stash.   I was laid off from my hedge fund job last year at age 31 and realized I could buy several rental properties which would generate enough income to cover our basic expenses & that I would never have to work for anyone again!  I now own five rental properties in the Detroit metro area which are managed by a property manager (I started with a $22k duplex fixer upper and added from there).  My fiance, who moved to NYC from Detroit 3 yrs ago, is still working as he has student loans and a mortgage on the house he used to live in in Michigan (which is now a rental) to pay off.  Once we get those debts out of the way, he can retire too & we will have 6 rental properties generating income for us.

We do live in one of the most expensive cities in the country, but we prefer to live simply, so our expenses are very low relative to our peers. I paid off the mortgage on my studio apartment at age 30, and we coexist happily in our tiny place, so our housing costs are minimal.  We don't have a TV, most of our meals are homemade, and we try to buy stuff used instead of new because its better for both our bank account and our planet.

I feel like I am viewed as kind of a freak by my peers who are still stuck in the consumerist lifestyle, and was thrilled when I found this blog a few weeks ago because it helped me realize there are other financially sane people in the world!  I've been telling my friends who have been complaining to me about their inability to save money about Mr. Money Mustache & truly hope they will see the light & embrace badassity!

Nice to meet you!
Kat
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: limeandpepper on May 29, 2013, 07:03:09 AM
Katnina, that's kickass! Would love to hear more about your retired life and how you're pursuing your passions these days. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Katnina on May 29, 2013, 12:10:01 PM
Thanks, limeandpepper!  I am loving being retired!  I'm really into gardening so I volunteer for an organization that teaches gardening and environmentalism to NYC public school students.  I also love sewing and cooking, and spend a lot of time doing both.  I take my dogs for lots of long walks and spend time with them in the park.  My sister and I write a blog together where we write about frugality and I post a lot of recipes that I make up on the blog, which I enjoy a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jiggy-z on May 29, 2013, 03:10:47 PM
Hello all. Looking forward to the journey.

I have been in a fog the last few years and am just getting around to trimming.  What an eye opener.  I always figured i would work forever. But now that i know I don't have to, I a, anxious to get moving.  I own a construction company, and i know i won't be able to do this forever.

A few quick thoughts:

It sure is hard to start changing things.  Seems like life is made to easily get into spending but hard to get out of.  Lots of initial set up is required.

The wife is going to be tough to bring around.

I wish I had seen this site before getting two new cars-probably going to need to post up on that.

I have a stage one plan-get all the easy stuff (lower insurance premiums, grocery spending, gym membership, booze, piano rental, frivolous bullshit) and hopefully along the way pick up a few more that I have not even thought of.

Stage 2-investemnts- Part one is just to throw some $ at the mortgage until I figure out what to do, but in this bull market it frankly scares the shit out of me.

After that I am stuck-this is where major decisions will come into play (kids and the private school-probably a separate post), commuting,home etc.

Frankly, with just a quick spreadsheet analysis, I feel I won't be able to make it (early retirement-I am already 46) due to outgoing cash.  Funny thing is, if I can get some spending under control, I am almost there.  Net worth is almost there, but everything is tied up in real estate, home, ranch, and retirement stuff I can't touch for a while.

Me the wife and kids are in great health and have a lot going for us, so close, but so far.  I also need to work on my optimism.  Thanks for the support.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: huadpe on May 29, 2013, 06:54:11 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm 25, and relatively new to investigating the MMM school of thought; I found it via the Washington Post profile earlier this month.  I'm doing pretty well financially, and thinking about how to optimize my situation.  I am undecided to be honest about how early I want to retire.  For it to work, a big thing is that my boyfriend and I have to be on the same page about it (and live in the same country).  I haven't broached it with him yet because I'm still not sure where I want to go myself.  Right now, I'm on track towards a quite comfortable non-early retirement; so this isn't about a dire situation, but moving from a ~20-25% savings rate to something higher.

I guess what I'm looking for here is to engage with people about this and decide on how far I want to go towards frugality.  I currently live a lifestyle that, while not extremely spendy, definitely could be pared down.  Though some of my non-necessities are very important to me, such as traveling to Canada to see the boyfriend.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jamaicaspanish on May 29, 2013, 08:30:03 PM
Hello everyone,
New readers of MMM, but long-time adherents of his philosophy.
Bought years of retirement through our public school retirement system (ask me how),
sold our stuff in the States, and found jobs teaching in Jamaica.
Living the island life, following precepts MMM espouses, and enjoying life more than we thought possible 25 years ago.
And if you want to visit Ja, mon, we can host.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: limeandpepper on May 30, 2013, 05:32:56 AM
Thanks, limeandpepper!  I am loving being retired!  I'm really into gardening so I volunteer for an organization that teaches gardening and environmentalism to NYC public school students.  I also love sewing and cooking, and spend a lot of time doing both.  I take my dogs for lots of long walks and spend time with them in the park.  My sister and I write a blog together where we write about frugality and I post a lot of recipes that I make up on the blog, which I enjoy a lot!

That sounds awesome! That is similar to what I might imagine myself doing, especially cooking and making up recipes and blogging, all of which I already do, but I would love to have even more time to do it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PantsOnFire on May 30, 2013, 06:16:42 AM
I'm Dan, a 32-year-old father of a 2-month-old, happily married for 8+ years.  I have two sources of debt: a mortgage (just bought this house 4 months ago on a 30-yr fixed conventional mortgage), and a car loan.  I've been doing my best to stay on top of the numerous financial challenges that have come our way and stay prepared for the ones still looming on the horizon. 

The house we bought came with some known issues, none of which were urgent, and one big unknown and urgent issue--the sewer was partially blocked.  $4k later that was fixed, but our move-in stash has taken a hit and our front yard is a mess.  Our new child is a constant source of joy, but there are also of course expenses involved. 

As much as I'd like to pay off my car loan (I have more than enough money in savings) we are not quite comfortable predicting all the child-related expenses, particularly because both my wife and I received notice yesterday that we will be furloughed one day a week for the next 11 weeks, so we have a 20% reduction in income right at a time when our spending is pretty much guaranteed to go up significantly. 

So for now I will sit on some cash even though I have debt.  It feels weird. 

Anyway, I'm enjoying the MMM community immensely.  Sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by financial morons, and if I were to mention that I have this *one* loan that really bothers me, they'd have no clue that I'm being serious.  With a new start with a new addition to the family, in a new house, in a new neighborhood, it's nice to have a community like MMM to help guide me toward the big financial plan that's going to be part of the foundation of my child's upbringing. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Katnina on May 30, 2013, 07:33:50 AM
Hi Dan!  Congrats on the new house and the new baby!  Does the furlough time mean you can reduce paying for child care by 2 days each week?  That could help a bit at least on the expense side.  I don't have kids so I don't know much about kid-related expenses, but the Tightwad Gazette has a TON of tips on saving money on child rearing.
 Unfortunately the blocked sewer line issue is more common than you would think-I've heard about issues like this from several people.  I own rental homes in the Detroit metro area, in fairly old neighborhoods with clay sewer pipes that get clogged with roots.  luckily, my real estate agent suggested I have a camera sent down the line all the way to the street whenever I had an inspection and that helped catch a few potential disasters.  So if you ever decide to buy another house, it's worth it to have that done.   If roots are an issue, it also makes sense to get the drain line snaked once a year.  Preventative maintenance at $100 a year is worth it (or less if you rent a tool from a big box store but that is beyond my diy capabilities!).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PantsOnFire on May 30, 2013, 08:25:16 AM
Thanks for the warm welcome, Kat!  Congrats on being retired--that's quite an achievement! 

The sewer was only partially blocked, so it didn't rear its ugly head in inspection.  If we had opted for a video pipe inspection we would have caught it, but alas we didn't go that far.  We had a drain service try to snake it but they were only able to remove some of the blockage before the snake just jammed up and couldn't be removed.  So now we had ~20 feet of steel cable in the sewer pipe as well.  We talked to the neighbors and 2/3 of them have had to replace their 60-yr-old terra cotta sewer pipes within the last 10 years or so so I figured it was overdue anyway.  I said, "oh well, it's time" and wrote the check.  10 days before my wife is due to deliver our first child is not the best time to hem and haw over whether we should spring for a functional sewer.  Now we have 4" PVC from the basement out to the street so in theory the sewer is good to go for the next 50-100 years. 

We will indeed be reducing the daycare costs by about $60/week by going down to 3 days of care instead of 5.  We had to fight with our employer to even allow us to take different furlough days, but they eventually did concede that furloughing us on the same day each week didn't help them at all and it would hurt us significantly.  My mother has also offered to help watch our son part-time, so I should be able to get a few hours of DIY work done on the house on my furlough days while she gets some quality time with her grandson. 

I'll look for the Tightwad Gazette at our library.  Since we're probably losing something like $4500 in income over the next few months, we'll need to take every opportunity we can to limit our spending.   

Cheers!
-Dan
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mahina on May 30, 2013, 07:27:13 PM
aloha mmm folk~
i found this site a couple of weeks ago, and i'm excited to see so many quick wins and transformative concepts here. my husband and i retired in hawaii (yes!) in our early 50s.

we hail from the 'voluntary simplicity' generation, so we've had a good bagful of money-saving tricks for a long time. fun to see so many new ones here!

we have a guest cottage that makes us some extra cash through aibnb, social security, and a reverse mortgage that lets our home equity pay for property taxes, homeowner insurance, and repairs. we had a good deal of investment money that disappeared when the economy tanked some years back. oh well. we have little money, but we have it in hawaii!

we're able to grow quite a bit of our produce, but rely on a buying club, costco, and sales to fill the gap on items we can't make ouselves (like wine!) or grow here (oats!).

i look forward to participating in the community forums, and learning new ways to make the most of retirement.
a hui,
mahina
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Katnina on May 30, 2013, 07:38:55 PM
Wow, that sucks about the sewer line, Dan, but at least you won't have to worry about it again!
If your front yard is already torn up and you are thinking about putting a veggie garden in at some point, now may be the time!  It is a good way to reduce food expenses, and you will know you are feeding your baby amazingly healthy veggies when he starts eating solid food.  Some neighborhoods have restrictions against front yard veggie plots but even if yours does, there are ways to incorporate edible plants into an 'ornamental' garden.
Good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Carpe Dime on May 31, 2013, 07:06:53 AM
I found this site via the article in the Washington Post. It took me until  last week to read the entire blog, including a significant number of the comments. While my wife and I are not living beyond our means, we were managing our funds fairly inefficiently. In the last three weeks, we've overhauled our monthly spending, and realized we're only 2-3 years away from FI--depending on any raises, additional mustachian karate chops to our spending, or better-than-expected investment returns.

I have to say, this is one of the most civilized communities I've found on the web. I'm sure MMM does a good job of weeding out the truly destructive comments on the blog, but seeing the posts here in the forum extend that goodwill is incredible.

All this enlightenment has been a real punch in the face (the good kind).

Thanks all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: teen persuasion on May 31, 2013, 09:50:34 AM
Heard about this site a few months ago, but I'm just getting around to reading thru it all from the beginning, a few posts at a time.

DH and I are 46, and the parents of 5 kids ranging in age from 8 - 22.  I was SAHM until the youngest hit school age, so I'm getting a late start at the saving for retirement thing.  We've always been frugal, by necessity, but it is just in the last 5 or so years that we've finally gained some traction in creating a 'Stache: paid off DH's grad student loans, paid off mortgage 15 years early, added my part-time wages.  All that freed up money has been going to retirement accounts, from a measly 5% of DH's pay a few years ago to 50% of our combined now. 

I've always felt like MMM does (spending money doesn't = enjoyment), but DH has complained about being "deprived".  Suddenly, DH is beginning to see the light, and loves the idea of early retirement (after previously thinking he'd never live to retire).  I'm hoping to learn lots more about investing, now that we've got something to invest.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ChiStache on May 31, 2013, 10:29:09 AM
Hi there, I'm ChiStache. I'm 30 years old. Live in Chicago. Married to a great frugal hubs. I graduated from one of the most expensive law schools in the country in 2008 with about $200k in student loan debt (face punching myself everyday since). I've spent the past five years working to crawl myself back from the brink.

The hubs and I bought our first home two years ago, it's a two-flat in the city, so we rent one unit and live in another.  The rent covers almost all of our mortgage, which has been a huge help. We do not own a car. We've been tossing more than half of our take home pay at student loan debt, and project to eliminate it altogether in October 2013. Yay! Can't wait.

Love the blog and the forum; look forward to learning lots. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bobmicro on May 31, 2013, 03:45:43 PM
Hi, I'm Bob.  My wife & I live in Canada.  I'm in my early 40s and my wife is in her early 30s.   Our life is pretty comfortable, but we live frugally.
Title: Trede, dreaming of being a full-time indie author supporter in "retirement"
Post by: Trede on June 01, 2013, 04:43:33 AM
Hi, I'm Trede, and I've been crawling around the MMM site and forums for about a month,... love this site!  My husband and I are early 40's, no kids, in Chicago suburbia.  Two years ago on instinct we downsized to a little ranch (from a four bedroom, two story with a full basement house... for two people, what were we thinking?) and there was no clearer lesson in happiness having nothing to do with how big your house is or how much stuff you have.

We're debt free, I've got the corporate gig, and my husband is a new sci-fi author.  As indie publishing might be one way to sustain an income stream in "early retirement," and as a way to give back to the MMM community I've learned so much from, I'll be posting in the off-topic section offering up what I've learned and happy to answer any questions as an amateur editor/publisher.  I'm not an expert, but becoming a knowledgeable DIYer and happy to help.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CorpRaider on June 01, 2013, 02:14:04 PM
Hi all,

First time long time.  I'm a mid 30's tax attorney (gov't so no huge salary) in North Carolina.  My wife is younger and was negatively impacted by the recession and has just started back on her career as a school media specialist.  We bought an old fixer-upper house last year for $172,000.  I have finally paid off my car and almost eliminated all other non student loan debt ($150,000) and Mortgage debt ($160,000) and look forward to optimizing my spending to finally put together some net worth after almost a decade of post-secondary education.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MakingSenseofCents on June 02, 2013, 02:12:28 AM
Hey everyone! I am new here and have fallen in love with both the website and the forum.

I am working on leaving my job and pursuing my passion. Need to start investing more!

I am 24 years old, graduated from college at 20, and have been living on my own since 18. I never even thought that early retirement was possible until I started reading blogs like this one!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: berns on June 02, 2013, 04:16:52 PM
Hi I'm Ilya and live in Chicago. Thanks for all of the great posts, they have helped me a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shusherstache on June 02, 2013, 05:36:59 PM
I've been lurking and posting a bit, so I guess it's time for an introduction.

I live in Texas and my husband and I are both in our late twenties.  We are DINKS working in the tech sector and have only mortgage debt (currently at 112k, 1700sf house at about 260k in an up-and-coming walkable area) which we are paying off hopefully in the next three years.  Sometime in that period, we're figuring out kids (adopt or biological?) and reevaluating our dual-income mindset.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GlobalStache on June 03, 2013, 06:17:10 AM
Hi, I've been reading the blog for a long time and finally decided to join!  I'm trying to live a Mustachian life with a spouse who cannot let go of slaving away at a desk job (okay, it's a great job...but hanging out with me and our son would be even greater!).  We reached FI awhile ago; back then I became a SAHM anticipating having our first child (then just a SAHW?).  I like my side of our lives, me having left the high stress world of white shoe law firms helping private equity firms reap big gains for lots of a$$holes with whom I spent basically all my time.  Yuck!  So I'm a happy American, my husband is a workaholic German and our kid is an awesome mixed breed of the two.  We now live in Shanghai, so I'm trying to live a Mustachian life among the high rollers (you'd die if you knew how much our apartment is per month...thank goodness our cut of that amount is practically nothing, horray Mustaches!). Cheers around the globe!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zamboni on June 03, 2013, 11:14:12 AM
Hi, I'm Zamboni!  Single parent of two great elementary school aged children.

Mustachianism is the closest thing I've found to my life philosophy, so I've enjoyed reading the blog and checking out the forums over the past couple of months.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hudday48 on June 04, 2013, 03:47:31 AM
Hi I'm Hudday.

28 single living in Seoul as an english teacher.

I've read 50% of the articles in the last month when I saw the Washington Post article.

Be gentle with me for I am a newb.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rightstuff on June 04, 2013, 09:37:55 AM
Hi all.  Discovered MMM about 60 days ago.  Thanks to DW we've been on track to FI for several years and other than buying an F150 I thought I deserved, insert face punch here, we are almost there.  Being in my late 40's, as compared to many of the fine folks here, has sobered me to the fact there is no time to waste; the F150 is gone, cable is gone, and a more detailed expense evaluation is happening (currently dabbling with hypermiling in my 2 year old Altima)!

I really enjoy the posts and have been sharing many with family and friends.

Thanks for the kick in the drawers, I look forward to watching the MMM community grow and evolve.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nsusa on June 04, 2013, 10:07:42 AM
Hi there. I am Chris from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Married, one 8 year old son in Elementary school. We're both in our mid-40s. Own a 4 bedroom house (worth $400K, mortgage $200K). No other debt. Both cars are paid off. Found this blog and forum through a friend.

After reading a lot I know we're off track, but it is never too late to start. Got rid of my cell phone and are using the one I got from my employer. Moved my original phone number to Google Voice. Now buying a cheapo prep-paid phone and then move the home phone number to Cell and then to Google Voice. More to come.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: juliesunday on June 04, 2013, 12:42:54 PM
Hi! I'm Julie Sunday and I live in Austin, TX. I'm a sexual health educator by day and cycling instructor by night. Swithced to EcoMobile first then PlatinumTel and am becoming increasingly Mustachian. Trying to pull my boyfriend along with me :) I was introduced to the blog by my aunt who posted the "Newsflash! Your Debt is an Emergency!" article on facebook last fall & have been reading ever since.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: msilenus on June 05, 2013, 12:22:51 AM
Howdy, I'm msilenus.  I'm a nerd with a wife and two kids working in Silicon Valley.  Always been a heavy saver, but mostly because my appetite for luxury is just naturally modest.  This blog has brought into focus that I can push that farther and perhaps shave some years off the mandatory portion of my career, just by developing those frugality muscles.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stevesteve on June 05, 2013, 10:25:43 AM
Hi, I'm Steve.  Married.  Late 20s.  In school but work this summer.  I found out about MMM a while ago from the bike world.  I'm naturally frugal in some areas but could probably spend all of my income on food if left to my own devices. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Samsam on June 05, 2013, 02:09:32 PM
Hi, I'm Sam - I am 25 years old and in a relationship.  A year ago I started a full time job as an engineer for a software company in Charlotte, NC.  I found this site a couple months ago and have already changed around some of my spending habits.  I now bike to work majority of the time and created a monthly budget.  My weakness is food!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BrianM on June 06, 2013, 06:00:57 PM
Hi, I'm Brian and I'm from MMM's old stomping grounds of Hamilton, Ontario.  I wish this site had existed about 25 years ago!  It would have saved me a lot of time! I'm 57 and am retired - but continuing to work part time, mostly for fun.  I'm an engineer as well (McMaster MechEng class of '82), so many of the approaches MMM talks about resonate with me.

My frugality muscles are really starting to come to life after reading ALL the blog posts (yes, I'm one of THOSE).

Looking forward to finding creative ways to live the good life on less!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FastStache on June 07, 2013, 10:09:52 AM
Hello everyone, I'm Eddie from Orlando.  I work as an Engineer and I'm 29 years old. I have been practicing some frugal habits, but I am nowhere near moustachian level.

I have a a beautiful daughter as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ESunday on June 07, 2013, 11:27:09 AM
Hi
I am a college student attending Ohio State University. I was introduced to MMM by grantmeaname quite a while ago and I am loving the frugal lifestyle. I am currently trying to bike or walk to work more and resist all summer dress shopping temptations :) Luckily, I live with Grant and Russ so maintaining a frugal household is not a solo endeavor.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mostlyeels on June 07, 2013, 07:15:08 PM
Hi everyone.  I found this site a couple of months ago through Retirement Investing Today, and just devoured the blog posts and then the forums.  The idea that I could be so close to early retirement had never occurred to me.  I've lost track of the number of times financial advisors have asked me what my financial goals were, and I never really had any, until I discovered this site (and others like it).

I'm 41, single, living in a what I've heard is a high cost of living city (Sydney).  No debt, good savings, but was never interested in investing until last year.

Finally bought a place of my own a few years ago (as a bonus, it's well within walking distance to work).  No mortgage, which is great.  It's an apartment, but I'd love a little house, something with a backyard to grow some veggies at least.  Together with a couple of friends I run a small business (30 employees), and if/when we eventually sell, that will probably be the catalyst for me to move out a bit further where I can do that.  For now, it's better to be close to work (always a trade-off).

I've always lived a semi-frugal existence without really thinking about it, with some lapses (expensive Italian espresso machine :), but never paid much attention to how much I was spending.  But I got a wake-up call after a week-long holiday recently; I got home and wondered where all my pay from the last month had gone!  It was truly a shock!

So now, with the help of MMM's blog posts and some great forum posts, I've trimmed my monthly budget from 64% savings rate up to 72% (net tax), and I feel like I'm on my way.  I find a lot of what's written here to be inspirational, so thank you all for helping me on my new path.
Title: Financially Challenged frugal wanna be
Post by: katieboo on June 08, 2013, 10:41:37 AM
Hi,

I found this site by researching hybrid cars and trying to decide if I should buy one. I live with my SO and his teenage son in a 4 bedroom house with a 3 car garage that SO originally bought for his ex-wife and her kids. I pay him rent and expenses which is really cheap for me. No kids of my own, just two dogs. I drive a 2005 KIA Spectra 5 hatchback that I bought new. No more car payments. The only other car I owned was a Ford Escort, which I also bought new. I've never owned a house, could never make the commitment. I've always rented.

My downfall is my six figure debt from law school, a very expensive decision I made to make a major mid-life career change. Not only that, I did not live frugally while in law school. I was too stressed out to worry about finances. Big mistake.

Now I've consolidated my loans and am going to apply for the public service loan forgiveness program, since I work for the government. Oh, yeah, even with a six figure school debt, I decided to take one of the lowest paying lawyer jobs out there, and I love it and my quality of life is very good compared to most private practice attorneys.

I live in a city where everything is really spread out and there is practically no public transportation. And I work in one of the worst areas of town, so living close to work is a bad idea. I certainly could bike to work, in fact I did that for three years when I lived in Japan, I would bike 45 minutes in pouring rain and in snow many times. In Japan, many people rode their bikes to school and to work and to buy groceries. But since moving back to the states I've always driven. Drivers here are not used to seeing cyclists, or pedestrians, and I believe there would be some risk to biking on the street. Sidewalks would be okay.

I'll be posting questions about car buying, and debt management on this forum. I've tried couponing, lost interest and I think I ended up spending more money that way. I'm simply not good with money or math.

Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Forum Ideas
Post by: Stachebound on June 08, 2013, 04:35:32 PM
Hi I'm a working mom of 3, living in Silicon Valley (CA) - with decent, although non- high tech salaries.  We are debt free except our house, which we owe about $368k remaining - market value is about $750-800k.

We save 38-45% of our income, depending on the month.

My goal is to pay off our house and start buying rental property for passive income. We are on our way to FI, but still in the beginning stages of figuring out how long it will take.

So glad to find MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalZony on June 10, 2013, 12:34:45 PM
Wow, there's a name for what I have been trying to do for years, LOL! It's the MMM lifestyle!
I'm in my early 40ties, "only" have mortgage debt (which has stressed me out to no end ever
since we bought the house), but I will probable be done paying that off.
We live well below our means and I am very careful with money (much more than the hubster)
I can definitely use some help and pointers on what to tackle next.

It's so funny, I have had a hard time to get the hubby on board with my frugal lifestyle (he thinks
I am too much of a cheapskate/tightwad sometimes, just because I don't approve of any useless toys,
like trucks, boats and ATVs)

Then he discovered the MMM blog and all of a suddenhe is interested in all this. He pointed me to it and I started reading and I was like "duh honey, that's what I have been trying to tell you for years!!"
Glad he's more on board now!! He could probably use some of  your friendly face punches ;)

I think we are on a good track, but still have long ways to go. Looking forward to great discussions.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CompLB15 on June 11, 2013, 12:04:19 PM
Greetings all,

Just made it through all the blog posts, and I thought I would check out the forums.
From Ottawa, ON
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Myrmida on June 11, 2013, 12:11:24 PM
Hi!  I'm Linda, a middle-aged mother of a sweet almost-2-year-old boy.  I live with my spouse, our little boy and my mother-in-law.  My spouse and I have some very anti-mustachian that we are working on.  Before we had our little boy, we were a double-income-no-kids couple who spent money freely.  Now that we're on a single income (my spouse is a stay-at-home-dad), we have been watching our spending a lot more and correcting some of our bad habits.  I hope the MMM blog and this forum will help us.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TSR Capital on June 11, 2013, 04:14:54 PM
Hello Mustachians!

I've been reading this blog for awhile and find it interesting.  I've learned a few things (like about Lending Club).  I'm already pretty far advanced on the cheapskate spectrum.  I don't own a car or a cell phone or any paid TV subscription, and I have no debt.  But I'm always looking for ways to make or save money.

I'm interested in investing and have started a mock portfolio that might interest some readers.  My goal is to beat the market  by at least 10% annually over longer periods of time.  So take a peek in here if you feel like it: tsrcapital.blogspot.com.  It overlaps with my real-world investment portfolio.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Iceplant18 on June 13, 2013, 10:08:02 PM
Hello all!!!

      My name is Brandon and I plan on living the majority of my life in a manner that Mr. & Mrs. MMM call the Mustachian lifestyle.  Being frugal and saving isn't something I'm new to.  In many respects I started doing it when I was 10 years old.  Back then I did it for different reasons though.  I was willing to forgo many small ticket items like eating out, nice clothes, and luxury vacations for the purpose of purchasing the big ticket items that I aspired to own.  Fast cars, my own house, a small sport airplane (someday).  The housing crisis hit me hard.  Really Hard.  I came really close to deciding to "strategically default" on my house.  I ended up not being able to stomach what I consider to be morally irresponsible and just stuck with the mustachian lifestyle for the past 6 years.  It's gotten me in a much better place financially and I may end up retiring in 4 years at the age of 36.  :-)  Why retire?  That's a question that often many of my peers ask me.  You all know why though.  ;-)  You're all mustachians. 

      One of my personal claims to fame when it comes to being frugal is my choice to switch to 2 wheels instead of 4.  By which I mean motorcycles instead of cars.  I live in sunny southern California and up until 5 years ago I thought riding a motorcycle was for idiots with average life expectancies of 30.  Now I don't see why everybody isn't riding.  20% the cost overall and significantly more enjoyable.  I still have a car but it's the car I bought back in high school which costs me like $30 a month to keep.  It's used for grocery runs and bad weather but that's about it. 

      Over the years I have focused my efforts like a laser on lowering my overhead costs so that I can live on less.  I've accomplished this not only with the switch to the motorcycle but also by aggressively paying down my mortgage debt and refinancing into lower interest rates, trimming down insurance policies, and avoiding taking on new debt no matter what.  I've also been renting out a room in my house for quite some time.  Once upon a time I needed about 50K a year just to get by.  At this moment I could survive on about 18K a year and be happy.   

     I look forward to conversing with you all about living this way.  Consumerism is sooo 20th century. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: basd on June 14, 2013, 03:13:56 AM
Hi all, I'm Bas, early thirties, married with our first child on the way, working in IT. Working hard at paying off my student loan first, aiming on the mortgage afterwards. Also planning to start side hustling soon to support my projected lifestyle and become less dependent on my day job.

From what I've read so far this sounds like just the place for me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sunnymidnight on June 14, 2013, 10:49:48 AM
Hi everyone.  I live in the Yukon Territory which is gorgeous beyond description but isolation does present its own challenges including personal finances.  When a bag of kitty litter can cost $34 you learn to improvise.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustacheMary on June 14, 2013, 01:19:41 PM
Hi - another Canadian here.  Was on track for early retirement, but then "Life is What Happens When You're Making Other Plans." I'm enjoying the blogs and forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stillworking on June 14, 2013, 03:14:09 PM
Hi there. Enjoy the blog. Don't know if I'll ever be a Mustachian, but I'm trying to add some of their ways to my lifestyle. Thought I was doing pretty good financally until my first child was born, now have another on the way. The wife and I have tried to cut back some of our habits (eating out), which helps keep her at home to spend tons of time with our daughter (and soon to be little sister). Now thinking harder about when I'll be able to retire.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: simondh on June 15, 2013, 07:27:14 AM
Hi All, Been reading the blog for a while, but wanted to sign-up and introduce myself. I'm early 30s and very happily married (for just over five years). My wife is late 20s. We currently live in London, UK, but are moving to the US soon where I'll be working (but she won't because of visas). I want to make sure that with our move we don't get into any bad spending habits and we keep up our debt-free lifestyle and build up a good saving habit. I look forward to keeping up to date with the MMM community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: captainawesome on June 15, 2013, 03:07:16 PM
Hello Mustache community.  Been following along for a while on the blog, figured it was time to get involved in the community.  Since I came across this blog and forum I have: sold my gas guzzing 2011 Grand Cherokee in favor of a used Mazda 3, dropped my Verizon family plan and gone over to pre-paid MVNOs, utilized Mint.com to track my already pretty well laid out budget (math major who uses excel A LOT), dropped our cable/internet bill to ~$14 a month.  Even though my life still has anti-mustachian habits, I think I have made a pretty drastic turn around.  I had saved a bunch of money previously thanks to the dave ramsey "system" but this has really opened my eyes to the money I was throwing away.  Glad I found this at 27 and not later in life!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mr muppet on June 15, 2013, 03:28:04 PM
Hi all,

I'm Mike and a teacher in the UK. Just realised that my username could be mistaken I'm Mr M - definitiely not Mr MM!

Thanks for the forum,
MM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pachnik on June 17, 2013, 05:01:08 PM
Hi. 

I found this blog about 2 months ago thru a link in a weekly email I get regarding Personal Finance from the Globe & Mail newspaper.  This is a Canadian newspaper and I live in Canada.  In the past the only blog I read was Gail Vaz-Oxlade's blog.  I've never signed up for any kind of Internet community before (I am 49 years old) but here goes. 

Generally speaking, I am okay financially.  I am grateful that I had parents who set a good financial example for me.  I didn't incur credit card debt and I put away 10% or so for my retirement.  Then I came across the MMM blog and it has gotten me thinking differently about money.

Anyway, more later - probably in the journal section of the forum.  It has been really great reading this blog and the forum posts.  Thank you.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jpfromCO on June 19, 2013, 03:38:26 PM
Hi-

I'm a long time reader and new to the forum.  I live in CO with my husband and two young sons.  The necessity of paying a huge day care bill for my two boys recently made me reevaluate our spending.  I feel like we're on track, but have a ways to go.  My long term goal would be for both of us the work part time.

JP
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: misty1028 on June 19, 2013, 06:56:35 PM
Hi! I'm Emily - longtime follower, first-time poster. Newly graduated, living / working in DC :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fugawe on June 20, 2013, 12:25:45 PM
Howdy folks,

My name is Dirk. Just found 3M's blog a few weeks ago and really enjoy the reading.
I've been furloughed since mid 2009. But being the son of depression era parents we've always been frugal. So I can't say the furlough forced me into the Mustachian lifestyle. But it did provide a helping hand! The first two things to go were the Verizon Fios @ $125/month and a full AT&T voice/data plan at around another $120/month. I reckon since June 2009 that simple act has hired
me a bunch more employee's. KACHING. I rigged up an HD antenna on a 30" pole and  get ~ 40 channels with lots of them in HD...and you can't beat the price!

Ahhh but still I'm a face punch candidate for being a car clown. I live a 10 mile round trip from work and I'm still driving that bitch every day. (a 1998 paid for hoop de doo Jeep Cherokee) The good news is I inherited (evicted a tenant who left a bunch of shit) two really nice bikes. A 27" GT Cirque and a really nice Specialized Hard Rock (from a bike shop in Boulder if you can believe it) I now ride to the grocery store (one of three depends on how far I want to go) or to find a hot spot somewhere so I can check Email and surf
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SellenMachine on June 20, 2013, 02:18:30 PM
Hey all,

I'm Matthew. I found this blog about 3 months ago, and it has inspired me to put my debt pay-off into high gear. I can proudly say that, In that time, I have paid off more than $8k in student and car loans. As of this past Monday, I am officially debt-free! I plan on keeping that way while I learn more and grow my stash.

=]
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pirate_wench on June 20, 2013, 04:02:14 PM
Hello everybody,

My name is Pirate Wench. I have been obsessing about early retirement for about 10 years now. Unfortunately, I am not there yet, but I am excited by this blog! I am ready to be punched in the face so as to reach my goals. I am a merchant mariner, so have a unique opportunity to semi-retire and only work 1-2 months a year while still having excellent health insurance and building a real pension...if I can get my act together. So far I have about $166,000 saved in retirement accounts (I'm 32), and own a rental condo that if sold in this market would bring me approximately $100,000 cash after taxes and realtor fees. I also part-own a house with my partner that I live in. Yes, these are two mortgages!!! Doh.

I wish desperately to buy a campervan and live down by the river.  I did that in New Zealand for three months, and it was awesome. Like I said, looking forward to some serious face-punching and growing my 'stache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Flyfisherman on June 21, 2013, 10:19:32 AM
Hi, I just wanted to thank everyone for the awesome advice I've received on this blog and forum.  I am a 30 year old graduate student about to get married. I've always been a saver but your anti-consumerism messages and easy suggestions on how to live the same or better quality life while spending less and saving more have been awesome.  I've already saved on car insurance, cell phone, and tv.  I've recommended the site to friends and family alike.  Keep up the good work and thanks again.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TKE Super Dave on June 22, 2013, 11:32:02 AM
Hello Everyone. My name is Dave. I figured since I've started posting instead of lurking I should introduce myself. I'm currently living in Pittsburgh, Pa.  I started my financial Journey in 2011 to become debt free and only learned of FI and early retirement late last year. Wasn't sure it was truly possible, still not sure, but the more I learn the more I feel FI is possible if not early retirement.

I'll be cataloging my foray into knowledge and all things MMM in the journal section of this forum. I just posted my budget and current goals there so please hop on over and give me some feedback. You can view it here: Super Dave's Kryptonite (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/super-dave's-kryptonite/).

I look forward to interacting with everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BC_Goldman on June 23, 2013, 07:38:29 PM
Hi, folks. I discovered MMM about a month ago. Right around the time I found out I was being laid off from my job. I started from the beginning and just reached the most current post this afternoon.

I'm 31 and had what I thought was a decent financial track record. I paid off my student loan last month (only borrowed $5500 for my final year). I was raised in a frugal family. In 1999 when I was working for the same company as my dad, I found out he was making $14/hr. I thought that was huge money back then since I was making $7. Earlier this year while doing some research, I discovered that we were actually right at the federal poverty level at that time. My dad was the sole income and my mom was a SAP. There were six kids in the family.

So I knew a lot about not spending money from when I was a kid and retained some of it into my adult life. Never carried a credit card balance from month to month. I was able to buy my own place at age 26 with an FHA loan. When I got my last job, I made the (bad in hindsight) decision to buy a nearly new car. I've stashed money into 401(k)'s and Roth's but don't have a huge amount yet.

Right now, I'm unemployed and may stay that way for a while as I can manage ok with what I'll be collecting on unemployment. Sad part is that I'm not seeing jobs around here for more than what I'm collecting on unemployment. That's the sad part about spending eight years working as a government contractor. Now I'm focusing on figuring out how to pare down my expenditures while I look for a new line of work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cynicaloptimist on June 24, 2013, 09:47:04 PM
Hey, I'm Jason.
I'm a fairly sharp guy that until recently, has had a really bad problem with procrastination and generally just kinda floating through life.

Just turned 30 and feel like I'm still able to be financially successful. 
I haven't read much on the forums, but I'm sure I'll spend dozens of hours reading through it, starting tonight.

Currently, the goal is to find a decent job, save up, and perhaps, down the road, start a business.
Looking forward to learning and exchanging ideas with everyone.

Forgot to add - I was fortunate enough to stumble across these forums while looking for forums specifically for men with moustaches, because I'm bringing my handlebars back.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Westrum on June 25, 2013, 05:29:46 AM
Hey all!

My name is Emil. I'm a 23 year old lad from Norway! I've been reading this blog and forum for a month or so, and decided to join the community.

I work as a automation engineer at a hospital. I earn decent money, and I'm in the process of buying my own house now.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Marmot on June 28, 2013, 11:15:19 AM
Hello Everyone,

I'm Mike. I am 29 and live near Chicago. I work in Health Economics at a medical association; my fiance works in the financial unit for a very large company.

I am very interested in investing, saving and being economical; we track all of our expenses and income using mint.com. We do not have any debt as I just finished paying off my school loans for my grad degree.

We have been working to reduce our expenses (cut cable, switch to no contract cellphone plan, etc.), though still have plenty room for improvement. We are currently on pace to saving about 35% per year of take-home though want to get that closer to 50%.

We are going to be buying our first home in the next two years; we are considering a 2 flat, so we can rent out one unit and live in the other. I figure that this is a conservative way to get into real estate.

Looking forward to learning from the community and contributing!

Title: Just Found My Tribe!!
Post by: mustachiogirl on June 28, 2013, 01:21:54 PM
Hi All,
 
I'm Victoria and I'm a recovering financial idiot!! (Everyone now say...WELCOME VICTORIA in your best 12-step voice!)

I have literally decimated my finances, and now that I am beyond the shock, anger, and grief, I am ready to rebuild my financial future. I am a single-mama and in the course of one year I managed to lose my job, get my home foreclosed, sold nearly every possession we owned (to get the deposit together for an apt.), spend every dime of my very small 401k, and piss off every credit card company that had loaned me money. The final straw was having to get Medicaid to pay for a surgery my daughter. While I am deeply grateful that her surgery was covered, it was a humilating experience. In fact, it was the experience I needed to really look at how I had gotten into this mess, and what I would do to get out.

I have found a great-paying job, and I have also started an online business that has been profitable from day-one (I am selling on Ebay). I am still at ground zero though, as I have no savings, and am playing catch-up on my bills. But I have a plan, and a burning desire to turn my life around. And now I have found Mr. MoneyMustache and a tribe of Mustachio's to help me on the way. Yay Me!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bikeknit on June 29, 2013, 02:02:43 PM
Hi,  My name is Chris and I'm a bit older than the average persons here.  I'm 60 and just skidding my way into retirement this year.  Friday was my last full time work day.  I'll be working apx. 15 hrs per week until the end of the year - then I'll be done.  I was raised frugal, never made a lot of money and while I didn't save much in early adulthood, I never took on much debt.  And always had a plan to pay it off when I did. 

For those who don't have the kind of income that MMM had, I can attest that it may take you a bit longer, but there is a bit of freedom in everything that you save.  And finding other people who don't need to buy their way to happiness helps to reinforce a less consumerist  and less frenzied lifestyle. 

Glad to meet you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: awaddell on June 30, 2013, 07:38:03 AM
Hey I'm Adam,

I'm really excited to be here! I'm 26 years old. I got myself out of $58K of grad school debt as well as other miscellaneous loans. I am on a warpath to becoming FI within 15 years by saving/investing at least 50% of my take home pay. I look forward to learning as much as I can from you all :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Luigi on June 30, 2013, 06:05:50 PM
Howdy.  My name is Luigi (it's not, though).  I'm from Tucson, AZ, and have been moderately frugal by necessity since I was a wee lad, aside from a few years when I was making more money than I was responsible for.  At least I didn't get myself into trouble with it.  I'm 28, now, and hope to retire to China with my wife one day.  At least that's my plan for now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: in2themild on July 02, 2013, 09:00:35 AM
Hi there - my name is Jim and I am from New Hampshire and I am 29 years old.  I am homeless, but it is not as bad as it sounds.  In late May, my long term girlfriend and I quit our jobs, sold our house, bought a truck camper and an F250 (both used, in cash, of course) and will be spending the next year travelling North America.  We have both been fans of MMM for a long time and have used many of his principles to allow us to take this road trip as we had recently found ourselves drowning in unnecessary cash (me from my job as a mechanical engineer for a medical device R&D company and she as the COO for an animal shelter) but poor in the time to spend it on our passion: travelling.  We are currently waiting out some bad weather in Wells, ME before we head up the coast to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and beyond.  We are attempting to park for free as much as possible to avoid wasting money at camp sites, so if anyone has some extra room in a driveway or pasture between here and say the Hudson Bay we would love to hear from you!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: in2themild on July 02, 2013, 09:05:06 AM
By the way - feel free to follow our blog: http://in2themild.blogspot.com/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: a.g on July 02, 2013, 08:05:50 PM
I am homeless, but it is not as bad as it sounds.  In late May, my long term girlfriend and I quit our jobs, sold our house, bought a truck camper and an F250 (both used, in cash, of course) and will be spending the next year travelling North America.

Awesome. Gotta love the initiative. I too am homeless (Van dweller) by choice, and am excited for the adventure you guys have in store!! Enjoy the road, and I gotta say you have a great user name ta boot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Iliya Moroumetz on July 02, 2013, 10:57:25 PM
Hello.

My name is Chris and I'm 34, single, and in the process of turning my life around by going back to school to become a chef after couldn't find work after I initially graduated college back in '09.  I just found the MMM not too long ago and since I too would like to live in financial independance without the need for the ubiquitous conspicuous consumption and I rather be the master of my money instead of its slave.

I would rather spend my days doing things I love instead of working to live, which is why I am still going through the articles here.  I hope to learn a lot from this site and, someday, become financially independent.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NellGwyn on July 03, 2013, 12:47:51 AM
Hello, forum!

I discovered MMM back in December, read the whole blog from the beginning, and have been lurking on the forums ever since. I live in Chicago, and I'm currently waiting tables while going to school for a second bachelor's in civil/environmental engineering, so I've been applying the wisdom of Mustachianism to be able to pay for my current schooling in cash (since that's pretty much my only option) while living on a tight budget.  My first bachelor's is in theater...not a wise financial move -- and even worse, I went to grad school in New York for two years (racking up $45K in student loans) before realizing that I'm utterly unsuited for a theater life, dropping out, reevaluating myself, and moving back to the Midwest. But that was several years ago...I've made my peace with my many mistakes and am on my way to a better career and hopefully eventual financial freedom!

Thanks to this site, I've switched my phone to Ting, canceled cable in lieu of Roku, discovered the advantages of Costco, and recently started using YNAB, all of which I love, but I am still far from being a badass. Like so many others here, I'm an INTJ/P, so chances are I won't feel the need to post very much, but I look forward to learning even more from you all and am happy to join the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Maseroni on July 03, 2013, 08:56:57 PM
I have been reading MMM since the Fall after hearing MMM being interviewed on the CBC. The message really resonated with me.

We are a long way off from early retirement at this point. Honestly retirement is a goal, but financial independence is the real goal for me - it means having options - early retirement being one of many of those options.

We currently live in Burlington, ON just beside Hamilton where MMM says he grew up. My wife and I have two kids.

I am not normally a forum kind of guy, so this should be an interesting experiment. Normally I'm more of a lurker than a poster, but I will try to contribute where I can so I'm not just taking without giving.

Looking forward to this journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Free_at_50 on July 04, 2013, 07:49:48 AM
Hi all.  This is my first post.  My wife and I started out together over 30 years ago, raised a great family, and have always lived well below our means having set a goal of early retirement early on.  In fact my wife has been retired for over 5 years already!  :)  I on the otherhand have always been shy to pull the trigger up until recently that is.  I have to say this forum has truly clarified for me the whys and hows of being in a position where work becomes a hobby and not something you are forced to do.  For those of you just starting out on your journey you are well advised to follow all of this great practical advice which our current society easily overshadows in this age of communication/consumerism.  This forum does wonders to counteract those influences.  I look forward to continuing to learn from all of these great minds!  A toast to Mustachianism!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Financial Threedom on July 06, 2013, 01:17:57 PM

Hello all.  I have been following and reading MMM for a bit over a year, I think I just stumbled upon the blog after searching for finance blogs.   I have been trying for months to register, but wasn't having any luck.

I have a finance background, and have worked in banking, and currently work in the finance field.  It has always been a passion of mine.  The bank was nothing but selling to people instead of teaching them how to budget, or teaching them about money, so I had to get out. 

Im currently aiming to retire by 49, (which all my coworkers love to laugh and scoff at), I am currently 37, this may seem late to most on here, but I did not have the luxury of having "the incomparable advantage of having to work for what you get" growing up, and was actually encouraged to borrow money for education, etc.  So needless to say, that set me back quite a bit. 

I live in Canada and I am married and have a nearly brand new baby boy.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tom Bradford on July 06, 2013, 06:53:50 PM
Hi.

Guess I was a moustachian (UK spelling) long before MMM  - stressing myself as a lawyer to the point of a breakdown and suicidal thoughts in the UK in the early 80's I was 'saved' by the brilliant BBC comedy series "The Good Life" and John Seymour's books on the self-sufficient life in my native Suffolk.

As a result my wife and I gave up the rat-race - she was deputy editor of the local paper - sold up everything and moved to New Zealand to be far from the madding crowd.   This was in 1990 when I was 40 and I haven't done a day's 'work' since although my wife took a job as part-time secretary to our local and tiny primary school.

The move to New Zealand enabled us to purchase a lovely house and 10-acres debt-free in a beautiful coastal area with sufficient left to invest in a varied, though all-paper portfolio.   Before finding this site I had nothing serious underlying the math of what we were doing - just a back-of-the-envelope calculation that the portfolio should on the basis of historic returns be enough to provide for us as well as keeping pace with the effect of moderate inflation.   Now, with 23-years experience and having survived a couple of global financial crashes as well as a crippling rise in value of the $NZ as a result of Wall Street's looting of the US, I can more than confirm MMM's 4% rule.  We have lived it and are wealthier now than we were when we 'retired' 23-years ago despite the fact I'm still not 65.

However we do have some non-Moustachian helps - and hindrances.  Perhaps the biggest help is that we never had children - a huge saving financially and, I have to say, something neither my wife nor I regret even now when it's far too late to reconsider.  I have a strong suspicion that anyone born in the last twenty years might have cause to curse their parents for world they were bequeathed, with global warming, peak oil, peak water, a collapsing ecosystem, WMD's in the hands of lunatics, 'democratic processes' favouring the handing of power to immoral sociopaths, et al.

Another major advantage we have enjoyed is two housecows giving us >2-gallons daily of free full-cream milk for coffee, butter, cheeses and yoghurt, plus 400kg of organic beef for the freezer's anually,  a six-head flock of sheep giving us wool and mutton, chickens for meat and eggs, a bay full of fish and sea-food at the bottom of the road, a benign climate supporting all-year-round veg from the garden and our own apple, pear, citrus and avocado orchards and thousands of acres of woodland on the surrounding hills providing free firewood for our cooking and house-and-water heating needs.

Also on the plus side is New Zealand's social services - free healthcare and accident compensation + universal superannuation to come.  And on the one occasion we did need it an emergency helicopter flew in to take one of us to hospital - as an ambulance would have taken hours just to get here -  at no cost to us.

Our anti-moustachian downside is the price of our lovely location - it's a 2.5 hour drive to our nearest town for the essentials we need, over a poor and mountainous road making a grunty car an essential - when we do go to town we need space to hold a lot of shopping and/or some major items and we need 4-WD with a high clearance to deal with the worst that an in places unpaved rural road can throw at us in the winter.   So although we try to go to town only once a month, our fuel bill is still not very dissimilar to our monthly supermarket bill and probably our greatest single regular outlay.

And having two cows to milk twice a day means we haven't been able to take a vacation for, oh, 15 years.  Still that's less of a consideration when you live in a place other people take vacations to.

The one problem I have faced with moustachianism is filling the time.   There are always little things to do around the place, but still there are times when, depite everything, having 24/7 free can make boredom a problem.

In his blog MMM treats security in purely financial terms - having a diversified portfolio, a cash reserve, the ability to earn again if necessary - but my ultimate security is that if the shit really, really hit the fan I think I am living in one of the few places in the world today where I could survive in reasonable safety and comfort even if money had no value at all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hextejas on July 07, 2013, 11:00:25 AM
Howdy folks and nice to meet you. I just found your site by chance and still can't remember how I got here.
I am 73, retired and have been so for about 8 years. The Mrs. is 57 and will be retiring at the end of Sept. this year. At least those are the present plans.
What  I worry about every day is if she will have enough $$$ to last her so she won't have to re-enter the labor force at age 85. Longevity runs in her family but she is not so concerned about it. Her philosophy is that if we have to live on less, we will.
We live in Houston, TX with no plans to move.
Hobbies include reading, bicycling, eating at ethnic specialty restaurants, refurbishing old fountain pens and shaving brushes, gardening, vermicomposting, plus others that I no doubt have forgotten.
We both want to try our hand at golf so that is on the bucket list for next year. We are both beginners but she is far and away the better athlete so I am prepared to get my butt kicked.

I am looking forward to seeing what y'all (<----Texas talk), have to say.

Oh yeah, that had to have been the toughest registration process I have ever been through.

Bye for now
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Michelle119 on July 07, 2013, 07:42:32 PM
Hi Everyone!

I found the MMM blog a month or two ago and just finish reading from the beginning of his writing.  Someone on another series of discussion boards enlightened me to this blog.

I am 25, married to my high school sweetheart for almost a year. We live north of Boston in a small town with our 1 year golden retriever. We have some student loan and car debt from our younger days when we first got out of college. We are attacking this debt plus part of mortgage before we have kids. I'm hoping to be a a part-time stay at home mom while still maintaining working as a CPA/real estate sales agent. We are hoping to retire early as well so getting a head in the next few years is going to be key. I'm hoping I will find some new ways in saving money and some like minded people who want to get the best of their lives!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: downstreamvee on July 08, 2013, 09:16:39 AM
*Falls from the sky and lands on face*
*Dusts self off*

So, hello!  I'm Travis.  I've followed the blog for a little while, but have yet to poke around on the forums.

Until today! (Menacing laugh)

I'm 29, right at the cusp of all things 30 and beyond.  People keep telling me that it's a magical time full of sunshine and rainbows and one's life's theme song is perfectly rendered by the Gin Blossoms.

That sound about right?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sofa King on July 08, 2013, 10:02:18 AM
Hello everyone! Have been reading MMM for a few months and LOVING IT!!!  Was already doing alot of this but great to hear other people's situations and how they deal with them. I will be 100% DEBT FREE in early 2017 as long as I can keep things going like they are now. I am obsessed with being DEBT FREE!!!  :  )
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dulcimina on July 08, 2013, 12:01:15 PM
Hi, I'm Dulcimina.  I'm early 40s, office jockey, and small-time landlord.  I'm hoping to quit the rat race by the time I'm 50.  I'm still working on my retirement philosophy though, trying to retire TO something I love rather than simply to escape FROM a job I hate. Would also love to learn basic handyman skills to fix things at the rental instead of just picking up the phone all the time to call a contractor.

I found MMM through ERE.  I'm a little old to be early, and if I was truly extreme, I would have retired already. But MMM seems to fit better with my philosophy of frugality tempered with a few luxuries.

I live in a very small condo that's about 2.5 miles from work.  I will never commute by bike, and by never I mean, maybe.  In the meantime, I take the bus, which gets me there in 20 mins.  Many evenings, I walk home as that day's exercise.  That way, I don't have to worry about being sweaty when I get there.

I take my lunch every day, initially to be frugal, but later because it was easier to eat paleo if I prepared things myself.  It's funny how that one move (paleo) changed so many other spending habits.  For example, I get the Sunday paper for the coupons and to see what was on sale that week before making a weekly trip to CVS or Target.  I'd go to pick up some Coke Zero or M&Ms, and would end up buying a lot of other things that I needed. I just realized today that I don't go to those places anymore, because there is nothing for me there, unless I need toilet paper or deodorant or something.  (Note to self: next time, splurge on the nice toilet paper.  A 24 pack of janky tp lasts a long, long time when you're the only one using it.)

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: golden1 on July 08, 2013, 12:15:36 PM
Hi,

I have been reading this blog for about 2 months now and I have really enjoyed it!  I am 40 and have a long way to go to retirement but I am more impressed by the philosophy behind "Mustachianism"  of not being wasteful, less consumerism, more thoughtfulness and appreciation of the amazing wealth that we do have being in a first world country in this time in history.   I also, being an engineer, really can get into the whole life optimization idea.  It just suits my personality.

I have made great strides personally in the last year - I had credit card debt (I know!, I know!) that I have finally paid off.  I have been searching for a new goal now that I am cash flow positive.  After reading the blog obsessively for a few weeks I went into action!

June - "consumerism purge" - stopped buying pretty much anything that wasn't necessary - I did a full inventory and purged a lot of items that I didn't use any more which helped me see how meaningless spending just piles up in the form of stuff that just gets forgotten.  I started meal planning and cut my grocery bill from $900 to $650 for a family of 4 without too much problem.  I will continue to keep cutting down. 

July - so far - I broke my spending freeze and bought a bike!  I can't commute yet - my current job is 20 miles from home, but I am on the look out and if I can find a job within 5 miles of my work in my field, I will apply for it.  I plan on using the bike for weekend errands and trips to the library - another thing I did last weekend was renew my lapsed library membership.  I also found a really nice chair for my den on craigslist for $60.  I have always been a big fan of craigslist and got my living room set last summer from them.

This months challenges are related to eating out/coffee shop purchases.  I am going to use the free coffee at work and avoid my $3/day iced coffee habit except for one day a week.  I already bring my lunch most days.  I want to reduce the amount of take out food down to a few times per month. 

I don't think that I will ever get to be as hard core as some people here, but I am enjoying making challenges for myself and slowly working my way to a happier, free life.

Thanks for reading!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyLifeandMore on July 08, 2013, 04:10:49 PM
Hi I'm Lance! I'm a mid twenties almost married guy (get married in less than 2 weeks). Just thought I'd drop into the forums after reading MMM for a while!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rocklebock on July 08, 2013, 08:47:10 PM
Hi - I'm one of the zillions of people who were introduced to MMM via the Washington Post, and I've been reading the forums for about a month.

I'm a 37-year-old female and have a job in academia with a decent salary. I've always been pretty responsible with money and have never done anything spectacularly stupid with it. I've also had a mildly anti-consumerist streak all my life. However, I was never particularly aggressive or ambitious about money - I figured if I was paying my bills, saving a bit for emergencies and retirement, and spending the rest on whatever I wanted, I was in great shape. I also just assumed - like a lot of people my age - that I was going to be able to retire at 65 only if I was lucky, and that was just the way life was.

Then I had a bit of an eye-opener last year when I had a Tenant from Hell in a property I co-own with my ex-boyfriend (We bought it to live in, then broke up a few years later - it was amicable - and now rent it out). I lost thousands of dollars to legal fees and rent we couldn't recover. The scary thing was that scaling down my expenses to stay within my means was not painful at all. Which begs the question of what the hell I was blowing all that money on before. This was the first step in seeing that my lifestyle - which many would think was quite frugal - was in fact ridiculously bloated. Discovering MMM was the final face-punch I needed.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AugsburgMustache on July 09, 2013, 02:44:30 AM
Hi to all the fellow savers,

I found out about The Way of the Mustache about a month ago and since then read through almost all the articles. Very inspiring! It was a real eye opener for me. I always thought to myself that there had to be another way than working for 40+ years of your life. The answer was quite obvious once I read through some of the articles of MMM and I have to admit I felt a bit dumb not noticing it by myself. I am 26 now and living in southern Germany (Augsburg for those who know it).

I started my professional life about 2 years ago after finishing my business degree. No debts going out of university thanks to the low tuition in Germany and working throughout my college years. The salary of my first job was decent enough to afford a very unmustachian sports car and since I was living in hotels due to the job, my other expenses were quite low. But the car sucked most of the spare money out of my account. It is baffling to me how I didn’t notice what was going wrong at that point.

Changed jobs last year with a nice raise of almost 25% and I thought to myself “that shiny car is now even more affordable since I earn more” and I started eating out with friends a lot, since I didn’t have to travel during the weeks anymore. Spending most of my take-home pay on useless crap, I lived on and thought about the next 40 years of my life. Working 5 days a week for another 2000 weeks? Getting up, work, get home, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat? That didn’t sound quite right to me. Thankfully, MMM opened my eyes for the alternative route.

Anyways, I turned around my spending habits and started to think like a mustachian. I recognize the patterns that would have kept me working my whole life everyday now. Decided to sell the expensive sports car about a week after that and sold it just last week. Since I noticed the true money-sucking nature of that fine piece of machinery it felt more like a burden than a privilege to own that thing. It really felt like a heavy weight was lifted from my shoulders once the contract with the new buyer was signed and I held the cash in my hand. I still feel a little sad from time to time when I see similar sports cars on the road. But I just remind myself that those things will keep me in the office for countless years instead of enjoying life and nature as a free person. As you can see, my transformation to a true mustachian isn’t at all complete.  But recognizing my habits helps a huge deal in controlling my the urges until it becomes second nature to be frugal and not be aroused by shiny metal curves and screaming engines.
Additionally, I drastically cut down my eating out spending. I can already feel that my urge to buy new gadgets gets less every day. My old thinking "I have the cash for it, I'll just buy it" now seems ridiculous to me.

I was fortunate enough that I was brought up by two fairly frugal parents (except for the obsession with sports cars of my Dad, which I unfortunately inherited) so I have no debt. I started to save aggressively now and I am currently at a 50% savings rate from my take-home pay. Right now I can’t make the bike-for-car exchange since I am working 50 miles from home. Moving closer to work is not an option right now, since my girlfriend is currently in the process of finishing her PhD in the city we live in. After that is finished, we will both look for jobs in the same town. But rest assured, the commuting car is a 9 year old reliable diesel car that consumes about 4,7l/100km (58.81 mpg for our imperialistic friends) and so far requires minimum maintenance. It’s not the perfect situation for early retirement but in a couple of years this issue should be resolved.

I am currently in the process of convincing my (soon-to-be) fiancée to jump on the same train and the goal is a 70-75% savings rate. But I think I will need one or two raises in salary to achieve this. The taxes in Germany make it hard to achieve high savings rates, but the healthcare system allows for cheaper insurance once I quit my job.

I am also looking into real estate investments but the market is ridiculous right now. Apartment prices are at about 27 times the yearly rent in Augsburg (where I live). I am guessing that in the next 5-7 years the prices will drop significantly. Interest rates will go up (I mean, they can’t go down any further) and most buyers here only fix their rates for 10 years. Since this enormous bull market lasted for about 5-8 years now, this 10 year fixing of interest rates will be gone in a couple of years for most owners. When interest rates go up, some of them won’t be able to pay their mortgages and the selling pressure will correct the prices. Or so I hope…until then, my investments will be purely equity/bond mixes.

Thanks for reading and I am looking forward to some great discussions with mustachians around the world!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TeddyG on July 10, 2013, 11:28:00 AM
Hi there, I'm Ted from Victoria, BC in Canada. I love the MMM blog and have started to implement some of the great ideas I've read about. First thing I did was sell my F150 truck and tune up my neglected bicycle. Now I'm looking for a replacement vehicle, probably a sweet little Pontiac Vibe that's on my sister's car lot, she sells to me at cost. I'm looking forward to doing some reading on this forum and straightening out my dismal financial situation. Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: steveo on July 10, 2013, 05:34:27 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm Steve from Sydney Australia. I'm turning 40 this month and want to be financially independent by 50.

I have $211k in mortgage debt with about $400 in equity within the house. I want to pay this off a.s.a.p. A normal time period for myself and my wife is 5 years which is really good compared to most people but definitely not frugal. I'd like to push for 3 years. I've just started reading a bunch of these early retirement/financial independent blogs and want to go from someone who is reasonably frugal to someone who really maximises my income. I also have 3 kids of 11, 9, and 2 (2 boys and one girl).

I want to get up to a saving rate of 80% a.s.a.p. as well but I figure this will take years especially because I'm not going to consider paying the mortgage down as savings even though it really is in my opinion.

At some point the goal is to work 4 days per week with one day per week at home and take 8 weeks holiday per year. I'd like to be what I consider FI prior to taking all of these steps. I already work from home one day per week and sometimes get to do it twice per week. My goal of FI is to be able to live without working and that doesn't mean travelling or spending money on restaurants or anything like that. Basically as soon as I get to bare minimum FI I intend to work less and slowly but surely move towards retirement assuming I am not enjoying my job.

After paying off the home loan I intend to save probably in either a Vanguard cash or stock index account. I really don't want an investment property because I can't be bothered with the hassle. At the same time I will look to maximise my retirement accounts. I figure I can become more frugal and maybe earn more money and that this is a realistic goal.

I'll like to update this say once per year and see how it goes.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fine Line on July 11, 2013, 09:54:05 AM
Hello everyone!

I'm Frank and I just began reading these boards recently. Great people, good ideas, and lots to think about. I'm unlikely to retire early but you never know.

I'm definitely still in the rat race and from here, anyway, I don't see any safe exits ahead of me. Maybe, just maybe, I'll achieve FI using some of the good ideas here. I guess I'm being pessimistic but I just can't shake the feeling that another financial crisis is already on the way. I figure my best defense is to achieve as much FI as possible before the next round of BS from Wall St.

I'll keep reading...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nedwin on July 11, 2013, 10:00:35 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm Ned.  I live in northern Colorado with my wife and two children (2 and 1).  I've been lurking for a while, but have jumped off the fence and joined!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tpozywio on July 11, 2013, 03:01:15 PM
I'm Tom.  I love taking naps and playing board games
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bigote on July 12, 2013, 02:21:30 AM

 (Augsburg for this who know it).


Yes, nice town!  I have a friend from there, he lives in Donauworth now.  I visited Augsburg for his wedding some years back.

Welcome to the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AugsburgMustache on July 12, 2013, 02:31:01 AM
Yes, nice town!  I have a friend from there, he lives in Donauworth now.  I visited Augsburg for his wedding some years back.

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the welcome. It is a nice town indeed, but not the cheapest place to live. With the real estate market here I don't think I will be able to pull the same strategy as MMM with his real estate "ventures". Stock indexing will probably my go-to strategy to FI for the next years at least.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 0cean23 on July 12, 2013, 05:34:46 PM
Hi, I'm William and married with our first child.  Can't wait to contribute and absorb some useful knowledge here on this forum. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ms Betterhome on July 12, 2013, 05:42:08 PM
Hi, I'm Kath, I'm 46, and live in Sydney, Australia, with my 42 year old partner, and our dog. We have no debts other than mortgages (our home, plus two IPs), but we owe nearly $900k on those. We bought our home nearly 3 years ago, and have paid nearly $100k off the principle, as well as doing some necessary repairs, setting up a veggie garden, and installing solar panels & rainwater tanks. We have a good combined household income (about $160k pre tax), and most of it goes towards paying the mortgages, though I contribute an extra $250 each pay cycle to my superannuation fund.

Currently I commute to my job via public transport, and my guy runs a business from a home office. Our goal is to pay down the mortgages, and move out of the city, but still work part-time ( I really love my job, and it pays well, but I need more balance in my life).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Broke NCO on July 13, 2013, 09:15:37 PM
Hello all,
I've been browsing for a couple of days and figured I should go ahead and register as I attempt to get my 'stache grown.  As far as demo goes I am 32 in the military, married with the first kid on the way.  Needless to say, the realization of the pending arrival of the future member of the Broke NCO household has served as a good first punch to face and has made me sit down and think about what I want out of life.  This little self reflection session ultimately led me the door step of Mr. Money Mustache where I hope to get several good punches to the face on my road to growing one sweet 'stache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rafaello on July 14, 2013, 09:28:34 AM
Hello everyone,
after reading every article and pretty much every comment in the blog, I figured I reached mustache padawan status. So, as I go on (now reading the forum), I´d like to introduce myself.
I am 33 years old. I live in the south-west of Germany, with a lovely wife and 2 kids (one aged 4, the other 1/2 year old). Interestingly, I am an engineer myself like so many other readers (and our Chief Mustache himself, of course).
As we continue our path to early retirement (a concept only vaguely known to many Germans, in fact I still haven´t found a fitting term for "Early Retirement" in German), I look forward to learning from (and sharing with) all of your Mustachians worldwide.
Cheers, Rafaello
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cdan on July 15, 2013, 11:26:24 AM
*stands up*

Hi,
My name is Carsten and my net worth is below zero.

But the journey towards FI have begun, with the goal of accomplishing in ten years, around when I'm 45. Together with my wife, we have trawled through hundreds of blog post, lurked in the forum and now even posting!

I'll leave the financial details for the thread (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/climbing-up-from-the-hole-the-beginnings/) in the journal section.

See you around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MandyM on July 17, 2013, 10:15:48 AM
Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm a 34 yo civil engineer and living in Lexington, KY. I have been reading MMM for several months now and have been obsessed with early retirement for a few years. I was always great at saving my money and setting goals, but MMM has inspired me to work on my badassity. I used to esimate that I would be FI between the ages of 43-45 (which is pretty awesome), but with the MMM blog, I am convinced I can get there by 40 all while going part time by 37 or 38.

I'd like to thank everyone here for sharing/living the dream. Most of the people that I have shared my plan with think I'm semi crazy or maybe even fooling myself, but honestly, I don't really even think I'm trying that hard. I never liked cable TV or commuting to work or dealing with an oversized house. And I'm not even doing things like my own car or home repairs (yet). 
Title: German in NC
Post by: Jacob F on July 17, 2013, 02:05:58 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm Jacob, 27 years old and born and raised in the Muensterland, North-West Germany. I've been very frugal since I got out of school and already acquired a quite nice 'stash that would cover about 70% of my current living expenses through dividends. I'm saving about 60-70% of my current income. Before I read about MMM, I only knew one friend besides me that actually believed in attaining FI at a young age through saving and investing. It's nice to see that there are many others as well.

I'm currently living in North Carolina as an Expat, seeing first hand how a rather rich population like the US' population spends their money on oftentimes unnecessary stuff, while at the same time living Paycheck to Paycheck and being unhappy.

I'm trying to convince my Girlfriend that consuming more carefully has great benefits. Although it's an easy idea, it is a tough sell to most people. Telling her that I'm on track to being FI by the age of 33, she still thinks I'm insane and 'selfish'.

As we continue our path to early retirement (a concept only vaguely known to many Germans, in fact I still haven´t found a fitting term for "Early Retirement" in German), I look forward to learning from (and sharing with) all of your Mustachians worldwide.
Cheers, Rafaello

You can either use "Fruehrentner" for an actual retiree, or "Privatier" for somebody who is financially independent. Both common words, but nobody in Germany may believe that this status is still attainable through normal work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Riceman on July 17, 2013, 03:01:08 PM
State Department Foreign Service Officer here.

Strange situation for finances.  Here is what my wife and I paid for some expenses at my last assignment:

Net Income, Me: 5300 (~15% effective tax rate AFTER including FICA)
Net Income, Wife: 600 (paid about 5 dollars an hour for professional work; this is the downside of the foreign service, where you're mostly in third-world countries)

Expenses (2 people) Monthly

Health Care: 250
Housing: 0
Electricity/Water: 0
Internet: 25
Cable: 0
Car Insurance: 75
Car Repairs: 25
Gas: 50
Phone: 10 dollars (combined; we had cheap prepaid sim cards)
Netflix: 10 dollars

Groceries were more expensive than in the U.S., and eating out far cheaper, so we went out 2-3 times per week.

Groceries: 400
Dining Out: 200

Travel: tough to calculate as I only started keeping track in December. The past 6 months we traveled more than normal, so my guess is:

Travel: 800?

So our set expenses were 445 per month, and we spent about 1400 per month on food and travel.  Wow!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rook on July 17, 2013, 04:44:30 PM
Hi everyone,

Just started reading the mmm blog and looking into the early retirement type thing. Am working my way through all the articles while implementing as many changes as I can.

I'm an electrical engineer in Waikato, New Zealand and my fiancee is a nurse so between us we have a decent household income. Hoping to supplement this with getting boarders/flatmates into our house to help pay the mortgage.

Are there many NZers on this forum?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlmostIndependent on July 17, 2013, 06:31:10 PM
Greetings,

I was turned on to the MMM blog a few months ago by a coworker. I've been leading a fairly mustachian life so far (before I even knew that's what I was doing.) With a little more saving and investing I'm hoping to be totally independent in the next 2 years or so.  It's good to be on the forums. I'm looking forward to connecting with other Mustachians.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yokan on July 17, 2013, 08:06:33 PM
Hi guys,

I'm a 25 year old CPA. I started reading MMM in 2011 during one of my 80 hour work weeks at around 2:00 am contemplating what the hell I was doing with my life. I'm currently married to a teacher and we will be done paying off our student loans next month, and our house in 3 years.

On the side I own a couple of rental properties, and my wife has a fledgling photography business. I still cannot convince my wife to live the MMM lifestyle completely any help is appreciated.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: viverl on July 18, 2013, 08:00:59 AM
Hello everyone!

I came across MMM in a news article and have been following him for a couple of months. His words about early retirement resonated with me without me even knowing before that this was what I needed to hear. Since then I have started to think about finances for the first time in my life other than >uh-oh, my giro card doesn't work anymore< every other month.
MMM made me realize that I could easily pay up my student credit (~6000€), which I did just last month. It felt great!

Currently I am working my first year in my first job (Trainee in Regulatory Affairs) after university, it doesn't pay much and I am trying to switch jobs thus I don't have to commute 2h everyday and will get a me better pay. It's really not that easy if you have almost no professional experience!

I am 26 year old and live with my boyfriend in Hannover, Lower Saxony in Germany.

I am looking forward in learning a lot more about financial freedom and meeting other frugal people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Woody on July 18, 2013, 08:27:54 AM
I am looking forward in learning a lot more about financial freedom and meeting other frugal people!
Welcome!
A good starting point for any kind of quedtions might be this Multi-purpose thread:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/any-german-mustachians-here/
Best regards
Woody
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: newlife14 on July 18, 2013, 08:51:29 AM
Hello Mustachians! 

I found this site through Raptitude and am in love with this concept!  Why don't they teach this in elementary school?  I was a follower of Suze Orman (booo!) and felt like I'd never be able to retire.  So much for thinking for myself.  I've read every word of MMM and am 100% on board.  I have very little debt (student loan for my child) and positive net worth.  Hoping to be FI within 6-8 years.  Like everyone else, I have my own individual goals.  I actually enjoy working, so after FI, I hope to work half the year for a few hours a week, travel and do my own thing the rest of the year.  I really want to "give back", so I think building wells in Africa (or whatever) is more my calling than getting the owner of my current company rich.

I'm a woman in my early 40s, youngest child will be graduating from HS in 6 months, so after that, I'm onto my next adventure. Would love to find a fellow mustachian to adventure with....so if you're brave and looking for someone, too, email me!  This could be fun!

Update July 17, 2014:
It's one day shy of a year since my original post and I'd like to thank MMM for inspiring me to take a risk and follow my dreams.  My youngest did graduate from HS this past December and wants to move west, so we'll be packing up and moving in 2 weeks.  Leaving a lucrative job and having none when I arrive in my new destination is scary, but we know we can do it!  My son, luckily, inherited my adventurous gene and has no worries about what the next few months hold for us.  We also have no arrangements for a place to live when we arrive, but we've always been able to see the humor in less than perfect situations in the past.  I'll now have 2 kids living 1600 miles apart and I have every intention of doing what I need to in order to keep them both in my life as they pursue their own dreams and have their own lives, which means working for myself. 

I think I have a unique perspective on life, so I'm starting my own blog to record my crazy adventures along the way.  Thanks to all MMM readers who have done their part in inspiring me as well!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aaronpct on July 18, 2013, 12:58:28 PM
Hello,

I'm Aaron and i'm new to the MMM community.  I currently live in Jacksonville, Florida and i'm looking forward to planning out my own MMM makeover after reading through all of the forums and Blog posts.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bejni on July 18, 2013, 07:03:46 PM
Hi there,

I'm Benjamin and I'm a Chilean citizen currently living in the Columbus, OH. After being inadvertely following (with a few mistakes) MMM advices most of my life, I suddently found this website through a friend (Who is from Ohio, and right now is living in Chile)

I'm very excited to find a whole community that share the same values about frugality, and constant optimization for happiness. I'm sure I will learn a lot more from you guys.

It's great to finally meet you all!

Regards,
Benjamin
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Russ on July 19, 2013, 06:48:33 AM
Hi there,

I'm Benjamin and I'm a Chilean citizen currently living in the Columbus, OH. After being inadvertely following (with a few mistakes) MMM advices most of my life, I suddently found this website through a friend (Who is from Ohio, and right now is living in Chile)

I'm very excited to find a whole community that share the same values about frugality, and constant optimization for happiness. I'm sure I will learn a lot more from you guys.

It's great to finally meet you all!

Regards,
Benjamin

Welcome to the 'bus! Check out our meetup thread (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/columbus-oh-area/); there are a few of us around town and we love meeting new folks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: froo gal on July 19, 2013, 09:10:46 AM
Hello,

I’m froo gal in Ottawa, Ontario.  I found the MMM blog about a year ago after a spot on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) radio and have been following ever since.  I love the attitude and philosophy of the blog. 

At renewal time my husband and I (both aged 34) increased the mortgage on our house (rate of 2.95%) to purchase 100 acres of land near Ottawa.  This was a life dream/goal for both of us and it feels great to have accomplished it.  Besides the mortgage we are otherwise debt free and prepay on our mortgage each month in addition to the regular bi-weekly mortgage payments.  We plan to have the mortgage paid off in five years.

I read “Your money or your life” a little while back which really changed my perspective. We already try to be frugal – no cable/TV, low utilities, minimal restaurant meals except special occasions, no travel, no cell phone for me (husband has one for carpentry business), I walk to work.  Our hobby and focus is our land especially growing our own food and doing free activities in the surrounding area (hiking, canoeing).  However, I think we still have a lot to learn, especially about investing.  Also, we are expecting our first child in the fall which change our focus somewhat…

We have quite a ways to go in terms of achieving financial independence but it will be much easier to invest large sums of money after we are mortgage-free. I'm already investing in Canadian mutual funds, RRSP and I have a very generous pension plan with my employer but we're thinking in terms of rental property in the near future.  I'm afraid of the stock market which is a definite weakness...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Joe Collins on July 19, 2013, 10:48:29 AM
Hi everyone,

I am a 23 year old living in Florida; Like most people, I was under the impression that you 'have to' work for the rest of your life until you get old, and it just didn't feel right that life should be that way.  I stumbled onto MMM searching for grocery prices of all things, and my mind was blown.  Of course in hindsight it seems like 'duh,' just stop spending so much and you can retire quickly.  I have always been frugal-centric, yet I never considered the possibility of FI.  I guess that goes to show how powerful the influence is when everyone around you is doing the opposite.  Anyway, I am completely on board with early retirement.  And my eyes have been completely opened to the wonders of bicycles.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: livetogive on July 19, 2013, 11:30:09 AM
Hi, I'm Matt.

I live in Northern California and am new to MMM but love it.  I work in financial services and tinker with vehicles and electronics on the side, so I'm hoping to learn a few new tips from other posters as well as share some of my own!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MissMimi on July 20, 2013, 04:22:19 PM
Hi all, I'm Jen.  I've been reading MMM since almost the beginning and am trying to give up my bad habit of lurking.  I'm 42, single, living in the Boston area and have some serious making up for lost time to do.  My only debt now is my mortgage, but this comes after years of bad financial decisions (two bachelors degrees leading to student loan debt and delayed start of my career; maxed out credit cards; a car lease, etc.).  Career-wise I have a great, well-paying job with good security and benefits, but I could get a new job pretty easily if that ever went away (I'm an RN in the long term care field).  I'm way too late for ER but hope to become FI someday so that my twilight years as a crazy cat lady are comfortable...OK, I only have two cats so my "cat ratio" is still within normal limits. :-)
I'm so glad to become a part of this great community-hopefully I'll have something useful to contribute!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Iteration on July 20, 2013, 08:25:04 PM
Hi Everybody,

I'm a 23 year old male living and working in Detroit, MI. I've been planning for early retirement for most of my college career and the path doesn't look too bad.
I'm currently making $65k per year before taxes and will likely be able to save around $38k this year (which is 80% of my after tax income).

In the field I'm working in, I expect my salary to increase by about 10% per year for the next few years. While keeping my cost of living down, I calculate that I should be able to become financially independent in 5-6 years, and I will be retiring in 10.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cluelessnnc on July 21, 2013, 12:19:58 PM
Hello,

I'm a 34 y.o. living in Durham, NC.  My husband and I have two kids, a dog, and a cat.  We're a completely modern family on the brink of leaving the world of employment and venturing out on our own (I left my job 6 months ago and my dh will leave his in December). We'll see how well we do without a paycheck or employer subsidized health care. 

Our goal has never been to be wealthy but instead to do more with less.  Smart and ecologically sound living while still enjoying a few expensive pursuits such as travel.  I'm not an exact fit here but I'm here to learn and cause as little trouble as possible so hopefully that won't be a problem.  :) 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MelodysMustache on July 21, 2013, 01:51:15 PM
Hi!

I am a 45 year old empty nester single mom.  I am also a computer engineer so MMM is a kindred soul.  I am at a point in my life where I am really looking to improve my saving and investing, and I am sadly realizing that I let too many years of consumerism slip past.  I want to go from a place of having a reasonably comfortable normal age retirement, to retiring at 60 (or possibly earlier if I can manage it).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bonjourliz on July 22, 2013, 11:39:09 AM
Hi!  I'm Liz, mom of 2 young kids - DS is almost 4 and DD is 17months.  I discovered MMM a few weeks ago, around the same time we switched from my husband's homemade budget worksheets to YNAB.  This sure has been eye-opening! 

My husband and I both work full time.  We have been careful with our money for several years now, but have really buckled down in the last month or so -- since finding MMM. 

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jerod on July 22, 2013, 12:00:12 PM
Hello, I'm Jerod, I'm 24 live north of Boston, work further north of Boston, and I am about a week away from paying off my student loans.  I had been paying them off aggressively by the standards of everyone I knew for a while, but then I started reading MMM and I decided that I wanted them gone.  I've never owned a car and am trying my best not to (unless I decide to live in one for a while).  My plan as of right now is to save money for the next couple years at my 62k/year engineering type job and then quit and try joining a circus or becoming a climbing guide or maybe going for a long bike ride.  This had all been the plan before I started reading MMM, but this site has really helped me refine my goals and understand that I was wasting both time and money doing certain things (ERE helped too, though I started here).

So thanks for the insights, I look forward to getting involved in the community and learning/doing even more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: curler on July 23, 2013, 10:04:15 AM
Hi!  I've been reading the blog for a while, and just joined the forum.  I'm 23, and single. I live in the metro DC area.  Just trying to learn all I can.
-Eric
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FormFillingVexesMe on July 23, 2013, 11:36:24 AM
My real name is Richard, but filling out forms really does vex me. I started using Lastpass recently and it is quite good at filling out forms, but not perfect. Web designers all think they have to be original.

I joined this forum because I want to retrofit my 40 year old ranch house in Arizona and bring it to net zero energy. So many improvements could be made, but the problem is knowing how to maximize expenditures. I have a list of 20 things I could spend money money on. I did make the leap to solar a few years ago and that is paying off.

What I really need is the "mother of all spreadsheets" where I could list all the parameters of each possible  expenditure and then play "what if". I'll bet such a decision matrix exists somewhere, but so far I have had no luck finding it. Perhaps if it does not exist, members of this forum could create what we all need.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: calskin on July 23, 2013, 06:04:42 PM
Hey everyone,

I've been reading for a while now.  I started at the beginning and I'm up to "Dude, where’s my 7% Investment Return?" (I'm a very slow reader.)

I'm from Alberta Canada which is a VERY materialistic area because of all the oil.  I'm 30, and I'm working on changing my thinking patterns around to be more frugal so I can get out of debt and start saving.  From what I'm reading, I'm getting a later start than a lot of people on here, but I figure, I'm better off starting now than never.

Looking forward to getting to know some of you.

Cal
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rob in cal on July 24, 2013, 09:15:12 AM
Hi, I'm Rob from California. We are big savers, have been for all my married life of 20 years.  I love to hear other peoples stories and successes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RonSwanstache on July 24, 2013, 09:21:04 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm Ben and a 41 year old guy from Ontario. I have a wonderful wife and three beagles. I'm semi-retired because of the real estate investments I've made (they pull in a modest income and cover about 1/3 of our total expenses), but my big goal is to implement mustachian principles so that both my wife (a teacher making $90,000) and I can reach true financial independence in the next five years.

My current project is paying off about $10,000 in consumer debt. Once that's gone, it will be ramping up our savings so that we can funnel more into our RE investing.

As for changes already made as a result of reading this fantastic blog and forum, I've become an avid cyclist and now commute everywhere within our city to run errands, etc. I've also learned how to cut my own hair at home and have started fixing things that I would have normally thrown out and replaced with new. Kijiji and Craigslist are my new best friends, and my next goal is to transfer my leased 2012 Kia (it's sat in our garage untouched for two weeks!) so that we can go down to driving one car – our very mustachian Toyota Echo hatchback!

My wife's not quite on board yet, but I think I can bring her around at least part way! :)

Anyway, glad to be here!

Ben
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CA_guy on July 24, 2013, 11:10:40 AM
Hi Everyone,

I am a 35yr old  from the beautiful CA. I want to thank MMM for putting together a wonderful online community for like minded people. I came to know about MMM thru Yahoo's Financially Fit webcast.

Have a great day everyone.

Thanks,
CA_guy
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tony_SS on July 24, 2013, 12:51:15 PM
Hello folks, I found the MMM blog from the Yahoo story, and am glad I did.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kipp on July 24, 2013, 02:43:03 PM
Hi,

My name is Kipp.

I am 26, looking to buy my first home with my wife and looking to pay off that plus other debts to become FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: some1 on July 25, 2013, 05:50:05 AM
Hello,

I'm some1. I live in Germany, together with my wife and our little baby son. Found this website about a month ago, and absolutely love it! I've always been an economical person, but MMM really inspired me to plan my finances even more accurately in order to reach financial independence. We're on a good way, but continuously adapting to the changes in life and always finding a good balance between enjoying the present and saving for the future is a true challenge. I'm optimistic, and I think this is most important.

Enjoy your day :-)

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: unibum on July 25, 2013, 07:39:33 AM
Hey I am from Aus uni student love this site. Thanks
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: viverl on July 25, 2013, 10:13:39 AM
@some1: another fellow German! Welcome! We have a thread concerning German MMM followers, why don't you join us? :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aflacnerd on July 25, 2013, 10:26:52 AM
Hi,
  Discovered this site yesterday. We are a family of three living in US East coast. We have been carefull with money
but this site has been eye opening. We plan to save more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyCat on July 26, 2013, 08:20:03 AM
     Hi, it's nice to meet everybody.  I saw the video on Yahoo's main page and I started reading the blog a couple of days ago.  I'm really impressed by the blog and I think this would be a great community to be involved with.
     Money has been a problem for me in my life, largely because I grew up in poverty and had no role models to teach me to manage it properly.  There were also no classes in personal financial management in high school, so I stuck with the "spend everything now because it may be gone tomorrow" model of life that I learned growing up.  This led to me financing a worthless BA in English and a useful Master's in Teaching at a state university entirely in federal student loans at 5.5% which has left me with over $70k in debt.  My complete ignorance in financial matters led me to default on my student loans after college and destroy my credit.
     When I turned 30, I finally got it together enough to start fixing my issues.  I joined the MyFico message boards and learned to get goodwill adjustments from banks on missed credit card payments, rehabilitated my student loans and let the negative flags age off the accounts.  I started following the advice of Suze Orman and purchased several of her books, which led me to live a much more frugal life living beneath my means with an emergency fund.  I own my car flat-out and it is a very fuel-efficient hybrid.  We shop online using high rewards credit card malls and at warehouse stores to save money.  We're also moving to a more bicycle-friendly area of our city close to the library which should save us a lot as well.
     I am really impressed by MMM's story and I would love to be able to live that kind of life too.  I'm joining the forum to learn more about how to accomplish my goals and hopefully retire early with a happy, prosperous retirement.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scarab007 on July 26, 2013, 02:35:08 PM
Hello everyone and great to start meeting.   I too am a money saving freak and looking for more guidance and knowledge on the subject.  I live in the Bay Area with my wife and it is getting interesting.  Compound interest is showing results! 

Great stuff on here for the articles I have already read. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MacGuffin on July 26, 2013, 11:27:00 PM
Just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. I'm 30 years old, single, and just starting to get into this frugal lifestyle.

I'm in a good starting position. I've got a Bachelor's degree in Science, no debt, and a modest $40,000/year job. I've always hated shopping, and have never had a strong drive to accumulate material goods. In the past year, I've given up my car, started bicycling everywhere, and lowered my rent by $100/month. I'd say my savings rate averages 30% already, but I want to keep bringing this up. My target cost of living is about $15,000/year or less, and I think it's attainable.

I've got three main spending goals I need to work on:

1.Rent: I have far more space than I need. I need to work on getting rid of things, so that I can move easily and live in small rooms easily.

2.Cellphone: A stupid, clown purchase that cost me about $3000 over the past 3 years. Getting rid of it this November.

3.Food: although I almost never buy things, I have a big weakness for convenience spending. I've eaten so much fast food during my twenties that I'm amazed I'm still at a reasonable body weight. During the past month, I've really focused on kicking this insane habit. The fast food is gone, but I still have a lot to do in the saving money on groceries department.

As far as careers go, I'm not sure retirement is my goal yet. I'm not planning to raise a family anytime soon, and I think the world of work still has plenty to offer me. I guess my goals are to build up a level of wealth that I can confidently leave my job for something lower-paying but more interesting, if I should ever feel the need to. I want to let my career flow in whatever direction it takes me, without having to worry so much about money.

Looking forward to it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalZony on July 27, 2013, 12:47:54 AM
My real name is Richard, but filling out forms really does vex me. I started using Lastpass recently and it is quite good at filling out forms, but not perfect. Web designers all think they have to be original.

I joined this forum because I want to retrofit my 40 year old ranch house in Arizona and bring it to net zero energy. So many improvements could be made, but the problem is knowing how to maximize expenditures. I have a list of 20 things I could spend money money on. I did make the leap to solar a few years ago and that is paying off.

What I really need is the "mother of all spreadsheets" where I could list all the parameters of each possible  expenditure and then play "what if". I'll bet such a decision matrix exists somewhere, but so far I have had no luck finding it. Perhaps if it does not exist, members of this forum could create what we all need.
Have you considered an energy audit? There are several companies in the valley that offer this service and APS/SRP have rebates on the fees.
They help you identify where your areas of biggest energy waste are so you can prioritize where to spend your $$ first.
Good luck with your endavour!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PapaJoe on July 27, 2013, 09:39:12 AM
I'm here to help my sister-in-law whose husband recently passed away.  As I shared in my first post on the YNAB vs. mint.com thread, she has a 5 ear old and gave birth to their twins the day after his funeral.  Truly a tragedy and she's in a financial mess.

She has a boatload of financial issues that need to be solved and has never handled the money/bills, etc.  Her husband did it all.  First lesson I learned trying to figure everything out is this: keep records of websites, passwords, financial tools, logins, etc  and share with your partner.  It's been an absolute bear trying to find the bills, pots of money, debts.  Her husband had 11 jobs in 15 years of marriage and trying the find 401ks, stock options, hidden benefits like potential for otherr life insurance has been tough. 

I hope hope that those reading this will help pay it forward by helping me to help my sister in law find a good path.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mpg350 on July 27, 2013, 08:48:59 PM
Just want to introduce myself.

I can relate with alot of what MMM states and my wife and I of two years are saving around 60% of our income maybe more
making a combined about 150k a year.

We have never had issues with debt really.  We are both frugal and really just starting to get into investing with Investors Business Daily with some good success.

I like reading this blog for maybe someways we can fine tune our spending and maybe save 70% or more. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: n00z on July 29, 2013, 03:33:12 PM
Howdy Gang!

Kansas Bred Boy living & working in the Chicagoland area.
Ive been reading A LOT about personal finance over the years, looking for others with a similar passion and thinking process.
Then, I found this blog and BAM, it has all clicked.

So, in a nutshell my wife and I have pulled ourselves out of some bad mistakes and some ridiculous debt.  We are currently saving over 30% of our income and in a few months will be in a spot to save over 50%.
All from a big nudge after reading this blog.

I do not live close to work due to better value and schools in the Chicago Suburbs, but I do not drive to work (another behavior change after reading MMM).
I ride my bike to our local train station and I ride a Divvy bike to my office in Downtown Chicago. Divvy bikes are a new bike sharing system in Chicago and it has changed my commuting life.  It's great.

So, Im glad to be here and look forward to learning more and contributing to this really rad community of like minded peoples.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SavingMon(k)ey on July 29, 2013, 07:03:32 PM
Hi, I'm a 33 yo woman in Denver, CO. I live here with my partner, soon to be wife (getting married in WA in the fall!). We are under contract to buy our first house. I'm a public school teacher (for now), she's a physician (somewhat mustachian already...).

I grew up in Brazil with German parents, and my parents and grandparents handed down lots of mustachian values. Somewhere along the way I forgot to think about them and spent too much money and bought too many things. I'm loving this site 'cos it's bringing me back to my origins, and I hope to become a lot more mustachian in my actions, not just my thoughts.

I'm doing this for myself but also in honor of Oma and Opa Langebach (grandma and grandpa) who lost EVERYTHING they had in  WWII, but rebuilt their lives through lots of badassity. They are the reason I don't have student loans. They are long gone, but I will remember them every step of this process.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: umm...Megs on July 30, 2013, 10:41:17 AM
Hello...

I'm a twenty something that got fed up with mainstream media planning tools assuming no one my age saves for retirement! ...Then I found MMM, and much happiness ensued.

<nods head politely>
Hello!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Silvie on July 30, 2013, 01:18:26 PM
Hi I'm Silvie.

I'm from the Netherlands. Just learned about this blog last week and very excited to grow my money mustache! As a full time freelancer, I don't have a fixed monthly income, so it's quite a challenge but let's see how it goes :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIence! on July 30, 2013, 01:27:13 PM
Hi,

It turns out my husband and I have been becoming Mustachian for the past couple of years, but just didn't realize there was a name for it, much less a movement. We met in expensive New England, and decided to move to the inexpensive Midwest to save some money. Since making a move that slashed over $1,000- a month off our monthly housing cost alone, the most common refrain we've heard from these friends and family members is a disdain-filled variation on, "How can you live like that?" ("How can you live in a such a small house?" "How can you live in a place without a Whole Foods?" "How can you live without cable?") I'm looking forward to learning more and getting to FI even more quickly, so that I can one day think, "How can you live paycheck to paycheck when you should be retired?"

April
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlmostIndependent on July 30, 2013, 02:31:56 PM
Hi,

 the most common refrain we've heard from these friends and family members is a disdain-filled variation on, "How can you live like that?" ("How can you live in a such a small house?" "How can you live in a place without a Whole Foods?" "How can you live without cable?")

I get the same questions about living in Alaska. I tell people it's really not bad. Mostly people don't get it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: banjopete on July 30, 2013, 06:00:43 PM
Hey everyone,

I've been reading for a while now.  I started at the beginning and I'm up to "Dude, where’s my 7% Investment Return?" (I'm a very slow reader.)

I'm from Alberta Canada which is a VERY materialistic area because of all the oil.  I'm 30, and I'm working on changing my thinking patterns around to be more frugal so I can get out of debt and start saving.  From what I'm reading, I'm getting a later start than a lot of people on here, but I figure, I'm better off starting now than never.

Looking forward to getting to know some of you.

Cal

Hi Cal,

I'm new and also from Alberta (Edmonton), I looked on the mmm map and there aren't many in Alberta so happy to see another.  I went to school late, graduated at 32, owe the government money for my degree and diploma (I know, I know) but that 26k hit has taken me 14 months and counting to knock down, 6-ish months left and then it's snowball time I hope. 

I love the blog, and felt compelled to join in after enjoying the wicked thai curry squash soup yesterday and being about halfway through all the posts.

Keep it up and I'm glad to know not everyone is crazy out there, it gives me hope
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: teagnome on July 31, 2013, 10:27:29 AM
Hello all!

Greetings from Palmer Lake, Colorado. That's the most anti-mustachian thing about me: I commute south to Colorado Springs and DH commutes to Denver. But we love it here and aside from commuting, try to live with a small footprint. I've been browsing the blog and forum for about two weeks and like what I read. Stumbled onto MMM because someone in YNAB's forums mentioned it. I am liking their software and all but this community is my favorite so far.

I've student loans I need to hack away at but am proud to say I sold my financed car a week ago when I first started reading here. I have a little left because it wasn't worth what I owed but the leftover is so much more do-able than the 10k that wasn't going anywhere. Now I'll use the pickup and while gas will be a bitch, it beats payments and super-grade gas for the one I sold. I will consider looking at the neighborhood school next year and see if reduced commuting compensates for the pay cut I'd take.

Meantime, glad to have stumbled onto these forums and MMM. Best to everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: backyardfeast on July 31, 2013, 09:55:28 PM
Hi all,
Been lurking for a while, but I've started participating in the discussions and thought I'd better introduce myself.

I've always been a bit of a minimalist, and always been more interested in living than working.  I discovered YMOYL in my early 20s, Jacob at ERE in my early 30s.  Problem was, I was a student forever, and never made any $ to save! Now that I finally have a good paying, stable job, I'm refocusing on FI.

Hub is 50 this year, I'm 40, so we're getting a late start, and we're in a high COL area in BC with some "structural" expenses that are high and that we can't see a way around right now: long commutes, expensive housing, etc.  But we're on the homesteading, DIY train too, which helps.  We're aiming to be able to go down to part-time work in 10 yrs (or as soon as we pay off a house), and retire in 15 or so.  Wish us luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustacheMatt on August 01, 2013, 11:58:15 AM
MustacheMatt here,

I stumbled across this blog and it felt like home.  I've been devouring at least one full blog page per day, and convinced my father to start reading too!  We've been laughing over the phone about so many Mustachian things we've done over the years.  It's heartwarming to know we're not alone in hating to wait in lines, wasting money, and finding happiness in less.

This blog has helped me realize that my financial skills can be honed even sharper, and i'm looking forward to an earlier retirement some day! 

MustacheMatt

P.S. - Very appreciative of the "how to tell the spouse" about this stuff, more is always welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MilwaukeeStubble on August 01, 2013, 02:45:03 PM
Realized I never did this.

I'm Kevin
 >Hi Kevin
I'm 22, in Yankee Hill, Milwaukee, WI, USA.  Computer Engineer by degree.  I found MMM a couple years ago through HN and have been a lurker basically since then.  Now that I've graduated I'm trying to live a 'Mustache Lite' lifestyle while I figure out where I'm going to be in five years.  So far I'm doing well, on track to save 40-50% of my take home pay this year depending on how the next few months go.

Nice to meet Y'all.

P.S. Milwaukee - Chicago - Madison meeting in the works: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/wi-milwaukee-madioson-chicago-let's-meet-up!!/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stacey44 on August 01, 2013, 04:56:05 PM
Hello, I just found this site and find it quite fascinating and helpful.  After reading through some of the articles and posts, I know I have tons of work to do on our budget and so many ways I can improve.  My husband and I have been saving since we graduated from college.  You could say that we are big savers as well as big spenders.  I am retired and my husband would love to retire in 10 years.  We are both in our mid 40's and have two children ages 12 and 14.  I am shocked at how much wasteful spending we currently do and can't wait to use the tips I have learned so far from this site.

My first question:  I have read about the 4% rule and am using that to determine what our savings goal should be.  When I multiply our current yearly expenses by 25, it gives me a figure.  When I multiply that figure by the 4% withdrawal rate, I get exactly my yearly expenses.  But that figure will not cover my yearly expenses because we will have to pay taxes on that income which will be a large additional expense.  (Most of our retirement money will come from non-retirement savings accounts).  So, wouldn't I need more than a 4% withdrawal?

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nanidude on August 01, 2013, 07:38:44 PM
Hi, I am Nanidude, an aspiring Mrs M.

 I am married and we are young empty nesters, in our mid 40's, living in Colorado and ready for the next phase of our lives. So happy to have found MMM and the Mrs M! We are sick of working our high paying jobs in a crappy industry and are looking for advice.

We both make >$100K per year, combined 401k's of 350K (should be more but early 30's killed us and we had to start over), Portfolio Investments of 100K and personal cash savings of about 50k. We have only Mortgage debt and 1 stinky PLUS Student Loan of 26k left.

We have our primary home with a 169k mtg and a rental with a 75k mortgage that is rented but barely covers the mtg.

We hate our jobs but we are trying to figure out if we should quit or wait to get laid off so we can get the severance which would be a decent package. In our industry, lay offs are common though we have not been lucky yet, argh! So, should we quit these life sucking jobs and start new lower paying but fulflling jobs while we pay off our mtgs or do we konk ourselves on the head, be thankful we are making good money and keep working these crappy high paying jobs until we get laid off or pay off our mtgs, which ever comes first??????

Then, what is the best way for us to generate the most income from what we have already socked away while working these lower paying jobs or even, BIG DREAM, retiring now and getting on with the great life?

We are all about living green when possible, the great outdoors, frugal but awesome travel and finagling for huge discounts and always looking for a better deal. I plan to continue reading these forums and blogs searching for the answer and appreciate all of the great ideas, inspriration and advice.


Time to grab a cool beverage and keep on reading!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Xavier on August 02, 2013, 11:36:16 AM
Salutations Mustachians,

I'm early 40's, currently single and live in Canada.  Work for the gov't doing some sometimes cool stuff and sometimes ulcer-inducing, drive me over the edge stuff.  Earn a decent living, but I'm a long ways away from what MMM was making before he retired.  Thankfully I've been living below my means, so I'm trying to gain some ground.

I was told about this site from a colleague a few months ago.  I've decided to try to really buckle down and see if I can't clear off my mortgage this year.  I know this won't be universally agreed as the wisest idea given the present low interest rates, but it's a personal decision.  I decided to go the extra step of creating a profile to try to make myself more accountable and disciplined.  In general my behaviour falls short of pure-Mustachianism, even adjusted to my own personal situation, but my goal is just to meet my initial financial goal, and learn as much as I can along the way.

Cheers,

X
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: COMO on August 02, 2013, 02:03:03 PM
Hi everyone,
Been reading for a while so I figured I may as well sign up.  I am married with no kids yet.  We moved from MO in 2007 to Grand Junction CO and have settled here.  Love reading the blog post and look forward to getting great input from you all as the Mrs. and I progress along or new financial plan.

Thanks
Garrett (COMO)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yellow_Magic on August 04, 2013, 03:33:02 PM
Hello All,

I'm in my early fifties, work as a lawyer in central Jersey, and just found out about this place.  My goal is to retire, or semi-retire while teaching English in SE Asia.

Looking forward to learning about frugal living among other things while here.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sherr on August 05, 2013, 07:21:43 AM
My first question:  I have read about the 4% rule and am using that to determine what our savings goal should be.  When I multiply our current yearly expenses by 25, it gives me a figure.  When I multiply that figure by the 4% withdrawal rate, I get exactly my yearly expenses.  But that figure will not cover my yearly expenses because we will have to pay taxes on that income which will be a large additional expense.  (Most of our retirement money will come from non-retirement savings accounts).  So, wouldn't I need more than a 4% withdrawal?

Sort of, really you should include taxes as one of your expenses, and you should multiply your total expenses (what you spend + taxes) by 25 to get the number you're shooting for. And taxes might be less than you expect, if you retire your "income" would probably be less and might drop you down a tax bracket or two.

If you want a more detailed answer you should probably post your question as its own topic in either the General Discussion or Ask A Mustachian sections. Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: omegashop333 on August 06, 2013, 02:33:25 AM
Hi,
Plans: Retiring early.
Bye
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: seattlecyclone on August 06, 2013, 02:27:11 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm in my late 20s, married, no kids (yet), with a software job and a high savings rate. I have been living a mostly-Mustachian lifestyle before I even knew what that meant. I'm looking forward to conversing with you all about the journey to financial freedom.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: peezy80 on August 06, 2013, 08:21:04 PM
Hey what's up everyone my name is Perry, I'm 32 years old. Just found out about the mustache community about 2 weeks ago and have been hooked ever since. After reading so many of the post I now have some direction on where I want to go in life financially and as a person. Hope to talk to some of you soon !!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johnnyp on August 06, 2013, 10:36:32 PM
JohnnyP is the name, Financial Independence is the goal.  My god I have certainly done things ass backwards up until this point.  That's all changing as of 10 days ago when I was told about this blog by a good friend.  This shift in mindset will change our lives.

Here's to the journey!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MadeInMansfield on August 07, 2013, 04:43:01 AM
Hi Everyone

I'm Tim, a long time listener, first time caller.

I'm currently working out how to take the next step into early retirement and financial independence. I'm married with no debts, no kids and no mortgage. Currently on track to retire in about ten years time aged 50 but I would *LOVE* to bring that date forward if I could.

I live in the beautiful county of Worcestershire (home of the sauce) in the UK. Looking forward to sharing some tips on living better for less.

Tim
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PlayOutside on August 07, 2013, 02:38:47 PM
hi!
      I am 39, married with 4 kids that I like to make "PlayOutside"!  I started a journal and am looking forward to being more accountable to myself. It's not an excuse, but I feel like we have been on auto-pilot for the last 10 years- raising children is like that, I guess. (too bad that we weren't auto-piloting 1/2 our paychecks to investments every month....)
 Well, all the stars have finally aligned and here we are at MMM- so I'm ready to start my journey!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: och4 on August 08, 2013, 08:43:41 AM
Hello all!
I am came from the yahoo article and I have been none stop reading since than. I am 26 year old, male, and I was always kind of frugal and had a hint of Mustachian in me. I just didn't know how to hone my skills. I really wish I started earlier, but oh well, I have been saving 25% to 35% before taxes and after for a long time. And now I am aiming for 50% from my take home pay and then 80% is the best goal. I need to move and start commuting by bike first [I am already actions of executing this plan]. However I believe I am a weekend warrior as I try to live my weekends as if I am actually retired without a care in the world. I bike a lot and I have a nice list of things to do and improve on. This alone has made me truly more happy than I have been for a long while. Saturday night? No problem, we got Sunday. Sunday night? No problem, we got a nice book to read.

It's so nice. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TRBeck on August 10, 2013, 02:37:53 PM
Hello, all.

 My wife and I have been talking about a more Mustachian lifestyle for some time, for a variety of reasons, even before we read any of the blog. Having read most of it in recent weeks, we are getting the ship righted. Two kids, some stupidity debt, no student loan debt, and no mortgage (renters for now). The road ahead is neither easy nor particularly short, but we both make decent money and have some skills that will help us a great deal - I make our family's soap, and I cook well enough that we prefer insourcing the cooking, and both of us are capable learners on other DIY projects.

Good to be here. Lots of knowledge on the forum, and I look forward to learning and contributing where I can.

Best,
T
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SonicReducer22 on August 11, 2013, 11:00:20 PM
Hello,

Long time reader, first time forum poster. Since June 2012, I have started to take control of my finances after a few years of being a financial idiot. I have been reading blogs like MMM and I finally wanted to ask some questions. I WANT to be financially independent. I can go either way on the retire early part (It would be nice if that was an option eventually). Anyway, I wanted to see how my current financial standing stacks up (see my one post so far) and to see if I can get any recommendations on how be better, how to get better.

Really excited to learn more from everyone on how to be financially sound. I love hearing other people's stories of triumph in this area.


-Sonic
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sleepyguy on August 12, 2013, 01:29:52 PM
Hi everyone.  Canadian user here... silly I had no idea a forum existed (been a lurker on the site for about 3mths now) :)

Bit about me and my spouse.  We live in a fairly expensive (big no no, but it is the cheapest house on the block, lol) area outside of Toronto (Oakville) and both have done fairly well career wise.  I'm in IT, she's in Finance.  We have a 2yr old son and a newborn daughter, we're both 34 right now and projecting FI by about 40-42.

Funny even just as short as 1yr back my think and objectives in life were totally off wack... so glad I got my head straight and have some very solid financial and life goals now.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: impaire on August 12, 2013, 03:57:04 PM
I've been posting a bit around the forums for a while, but never properly introduced myself: I'm 36, married (I've introduced my husband to MMM and he's theoretically on board), and already somewhat frugal except for two major things--food (lots of eating out AND an obscene grocery bill) and having resumed long, unprofitable studies in my mid-30s. No debt except a mortgage.

Following MMM advice, we're doing our best to beat our food budget into submission; we're also addressing a lot of other items (I've already switched cellphone providers, and will probably re optimize at year end; we're working on energy consumption, shopping, gifting, etc.) The PhD is at present not on the chopping block, however... Time to FI estimated to 14 years!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: glennstache on August 15, 2013, 06:53:23 AM
Hey everyone, My name is Glenn and I'd call myself a mustachian work in progress.  I'm from Baltimore, MD.  and work for a not-for-profit here.  I found the mmm blog and forum a month ago and have really benefited from the posts and community.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FunkyStickman on August 15, 2013, 07:22:34 PM
Hi. I'm Jeff, 39, from Louisiana. Married 17 years with 4 kids, was becoming Mustachian before I knew what it was!

Looking forward to sharing and learning here. I spent 17 years working in the IT field, and after all of that, I managed to scrape out of debt on less than $30K a year. We paid off both cars and the credit card by living frugally. I started biking to work in 2009, and after a year, got hit by a car that ran a red light and ended up with $100K in medical bills and a titanium femur.

When I was in the hospital, I realized I was never going to get ahead and I needed to re-think my life, so I quit my IT job and got hired on making 50% more at the same company! Now I'm saving 20% of my income, and am trying to get more. I'm behind the game, but I'm catching up! This year we put a new roof on the house with cash, and we're still saving! Can't wait to see where we go, I'm hoping to pay off the house in less than 10 years and be FIRE in 15.

I'm going back to bike commuting this year. Because that's how Mustachians roll!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gentrie on August 15, 2013, 10:56:02 PM
Hey there! Nice to get to know some fellow frugality-minded peeps! I've searched for a blog like this for ages and am so glad that there are other people with the willingness to live cheaply and invest. Cheers to increasing our wealth!!

I'm a 22 year-old guy living in San Diego (originally from Minnesota) with a knack for computers and music.

My story: I grew up with a frugal family, so saving came easily. I graduated from a community college at 19 with a free AA degree through the PSEO program in MN. I had no direction, though, so I worked for two years and managed to save about $30k by the time I turned 21. I got sick of the small town I was living in and bought a ticket to Australia. I lived and travelled Oz for about 6 months before breaking my femur while snowboarding. I returned home, healed for several months, and embarked on my first long distance bike trip across the midwest. Eight-hundred miles later, I packed up my bike and hopped a bus for San Diego. Now I'm searching for my passions and looking for my life's next steps.

It's a pleasure to meet y'all and share this journey of life with you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FunkyStickman on August 16, 2013, 06:52:43 AM
Hey there! Nice to get to know some fellow frugality-minded peeps! I've searched for a blog like this for ages and am so glad that there are other people with the willingness to live cheaply and invest. Cheers to increasing our wealth!!

I'm a 22 year-old guy living in San Diego (originally from Minnesota) with a knack for computers and music.

Welcome! You into computers and music, huh? Do you perform, record, or both? What kind of Mustachian setup do you use? Ever heard of Ubuntu Studio?

Also, broken femurs suck. Welcome to the club... ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Carrie on August 16, 2013, 04:16:43 PM
Hi, I'm new to MMM and I like what I'm seeing.

I'm here because we really want our family to become financially independent while we're still young enough to enjoy it.  We're ready to get serious. 

A little about me: mid 30's, married with 2 young kids; only debt is a mortgage that we're paying off quickly (we still owe about $90k on a $235k home).  I work very part time from home.  DH has a fairly short commute (9 miles) and we live in suburbia.  We live below our means and feel strongly about not taking on debt for anything (this mortgage is the last of it - forever).  I feel like for our place in life, we're doing pretty well --- but there is always room for improvement so I'm hoping to pick up lots of good tips and ideas from y'all.

I look forward to participating in the forum.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mjs111 on August 18, 2013, 10:15:26 AM
Hello!

I'm 40 years old, was raised to spend less than I make from a young age and have been saving my working adult life.  I still work but reached my version of what I consider financial independence a few years ago (living expenses <= 3% of liquid assets). I love my job and don't see a need to quit any time soon but just knowing that I can walk away at any time is incredibly empowering.

I came across the site after seeing the Yahoo Finance story on Mr. Money Mustache.  It really struck a chord with me. I live in Southern California, which is a bit of a hotbed of conspicuous consumption. Many times I felt like the only one spending less than he made.  Many of the people I know have made good money most of their working life and don't have anything saved at all, and look at my relatively frugal ways strangely. It can feel difficult to fit in at times.  Glad I found this group!


Mike

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: asty on August 18, 2013, 12:50:19 PM
Hi all,

I'm 30 years old, actually trying to reach FI. Living in France (and French), so a lot of differences but a common goal.
Working and hopefully independent in less than 10 years. No mustache yet but I may try it one day.

Came across MMM through Jacob's ERE and various researches about investing and life goals.
Took me a few months to go from reading to actually subscribe here.

See you on the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: funnybunny on August 18, 2013, 06:15:04 PM
Hey there. New member here. So that verification part took several attempts. Whats the answer to financial freedom? Who knows?

Anywho, I read a few articles and thought I might join the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: debtfreeoneday on August 19, 2013, 12:40:49 PM
Hello!

I'm from England and live with my husband and young daughter. We're in a lot of debt but we're paying our way out of it! I am documenting our progress in my blog, A Disease Called Debt.

I'm always looking for inspiration and other people's stories on how they paid their way out of debt. Also, I'm interested in ways to make extra income, save money and generally anything frugal. I hope that when we're out of debt, we can save as much money as possible so we will finally feel in control of our finances.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scottydog on August 19, 2013, 05:00:19 PM
Hi, I'm Scott.  My wife and I live in Montreal and our kids are 5, 3, and 1 year old.  We've been following the blog for about 4 months now, gradually reading through from the beginning, and are excited to learn from MMM, Mrs MMM and so many other intelligent and considerate people.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mango on August 19, 2013, 05:01:32 PM
Hi everyone,

Been lurking for a few months now on the blog and forum and I've finally gotten to a place where I actually have money to worry about and look after. I can't say that I'll be the ultimate mustachian but I sure want to try. The appeal of spending efficiently is what drew me to MMM's blog and forum. Not sure what goals I have now, I feel like they're changing constantly but I would love to not have to rely on a shitty job for financial security. I'm 24 and my boyfriend is 25 and we're both supporting each other towards a more mustachian lifestyle (especially considering how we keep seriously talking about marriage in the future...he's definitely a keeper). It feels so strange to actually get to post something now!

=]

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mcsemike99 on August 19, 2013, 05:43:58 PM
Hi,
I'm Mike and recently found your blog.  I have already been reading Jacob's blog and moved on to yours.  I really enjoy the articles.  I'm not in your league, as I didn't even really start saving until I was 30.  I won't be retiring until I'm 60, but we are well on our way to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sloth on August 19, 2013, 08:26:48 PM
Hi all,
I have been lurking here for a while, but figured I would register so I could add my 2 cents to the great discussions that go on here. Its really great to have found a community of people that have similar views on consumerism, because most of the people around me are ridiculous. DH and I are fairly mustachian, and by my calculations are about 5yrs our from FI. That knowledge really helps keep us going when work gets frustrating and DH's job security is a bit questionable as well, but with our 'stache and no debt and living far beneath our means, neither of us are particularly concerned. This is definitely a great way of life.

Viva la mustache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: galliver on August 19, 2013, 10:43:51 PM
No one will read this...

But I'm 24, grad student at a big school in a small midwestern town. I've never owned a car because I don't need one yet; I currently get around by bike, bus, and very rarely Zipcar. Working on eating out less and saving more. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 on August 20, 2013, 02:33:39 AM
No one will read this...

But I'm 24, grad student at a big school in a small midwestern town. I've never owned a car because I don't need one yet; I currently get around by bike, bus, and very rarely Zipcar. Working on eating out less and saving more. :)

I've read it. It's quite funny, by putting up signs that say "no one will read this", "do not read", and my favourite "do not touch" what do you think will happen?

As a somewhat related aside, this thread has been viewed over 45 thousand times. By anywhere between 45000 individuals.....or it could be just me looking at it 45000 times.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: flowrider on August 20, 2013, 04:01:59 PM
Hi Folks, 40 year old New Zealander with two young kiddies. Learning a lot from the blog and now will start on the forum. Have been recently working on ways to supplement our income with easy part-time side line gigs which is new for me but a lot of fun and a new challenge. My main goal is to knock off our mortgage as soon as possible, that would be a huge weight off the shoulders. I hate to be in debt so the mortgage is enemy no.1.
Also in to sea fishing from my kayak which I think is a super mustachian past time which provides food for the family which would cost mega bucks from the store (seen the price of fresh fish lately) and I get a decent workout.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fitzy on August 21, 2013, 12:35:34 AM
Hello.  I'm Fitzy from Southern California.  I should be in bed as I need to be up in a few hours to do my 7-to-5, but am being kept up instead reading MMM's blogs so I can quit my 7-to-5.

Looking forward to perusing the forums and join in if I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eudaimonia on August 21, 2013, 12:09:13 PM
I'm a 35 year old from Northern California and wanted to contribute to this community which has been very inspiring to me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mister Fancypants on August 21, 2013, 01:24:05 PM
Hi my name is Jay, I'm married with 2 children, we live in NY and I write financial software.

We have assets of about $1.6m with a net worth of just over $1m.

I love the blog, but am only part mustacian, there are places that MMM and I just completely disagree.

I am not FI, but that is by choice, I could sell my house and move somewhere less expensive and shift other assets and retire immediately, but that is not what we are looking to do.

I look forward to becoming more involved in the mustacian community.

-Jay
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: porkchop on August 22, 2013, 01:33:41 AM
Howdy,
36yo living in South Texas, divorced, 2 daughters,  trying to live the mustachian way to ensure our futures are squared away. I've been reading the blog, and forum for awhile now, figured I should post.

Hit a few milestones recently, mainly my _total_ debt is now $118.00!! Will be paying that off this month as well.

Excited to read and learn more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SpinGeek on August 22, 2013, 09:44:03 AM
Hi, I've been lurking for over a year and wishing I could respond to various posts. Finally decided to JFDI already and sign up!

I live outside St. Louis, MO with my husband (26 years), two cats, three spinning wheels, and no kids. I'm an accountant, and I've always been fairly responsible with money. I started my first IRA when I was 21, and bought our first house shortly after that. Currently our only debt is the mortgage. I wish this site had been around twenty years ago, though; we could have done so much better than we have.

My biggest goal right now is to save enough to at least semi-retire when my husband hits 65 in eight years; that cuts 15 years off the "normal" retirement age of 67 for me. I've learned a lot here, and I've already saved a lot of money (added directly to the retirement accounts). I'm even getting my husband on board; I convinced him to kick DirecTV, and we're working together on the dining out -- definitely room for improvement!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MaineSteve on August 22, 2013, 06:33:16 PM
Hi!  I'm Steve, and I'm starting this journey much later than ideal (at 47).  But still doing my best to make what's left of my life worth living.  Been reading Mr. Money Mustache for at least a couple years, but only now realized there's this awesome forum!  That wasn't very badass of me....
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BritishBob on August 24, 2013, 04:06:16 AM
Hi I'm Bob, I'm from the UK.
This is a great site, and I'm on board with the whole frugal lifestyle thing. I have a neat little pile of savings, but I need to invest in shares.
I'm struggling to find the British equivalent of the Vanguard. I want a passive income of about £24000 per annum (I think that's about $40000?).

The reason I need more than I currently spend in a year, is that the husband and myself are hoping to travel extensively in retirement (flights cost).
So that's kind of the plan.

Anyone got advice on where to go for British advice on this site? Cheers :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nsarwark on August 27, 2013, 04:13:42 PM
I've been reading the blog and ERE for a few months while researching ways to deal with a relatively low salary vs. expenses.  I live with my wife and two young children south of Denver.  Financially it's a mixed bag, with a cash-flow positive rental property in Maryland and a decent IRA account, but also $110K in law school debt and some debt on a HELOC from medical bills and a vacancy/repairs on the rental.  I'm trying to find ways to simplify our financial situation and get to a place where there's some positive movement instead of just treading water month-to-month.

-Nick
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mx905 on August 28, 2013, 12:20:56 PM
Hi I am fairly new to the MMM blog, I happened upon it as it was mentioned in another blog I follow.  I was raised on a farm and grew up in an area that most people follow the frugal lifestyle.  My problem is after college my carreer path took me to Boston, Philadelphia and NYC.  We lived in the suburbs and got into the keep up with the Jones lifestyle.  It never felt right, and a couple of years ago we moved to a small town well off the beaten path and again took up the frugal lifestyle.  I still work in the city a few days a week, but the commute is well worth the trade off's.  We have paid off all debt except the mortgage.  I enjoy working on cars, so we buy vehicles and pay cash and I fix what is needed.  We are diversified into several different investments strategies (real estate, dividend stocks, bonds, P2P lending,stocks, and selling  monthly equity and future options.) I look forward to reading about everyones journey to independence!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Watchmaker on August 28, 2013, 09:09:39 PM
Cheers,
I’m new to the site (been lurking about a month).  Just wanted to introduce myself as I’m really impressed with what I’ve picked up here already and I wanted to start contributing to the conversation.

My story is probably fairly typical for these forums.  I’m 30 years old (live with my SO and a dog, no kids).  Scientist by day, food blogger by night.  About a year ago, I realized I needed to alter my financial course.  Have been exploring and learning since then.  Finding MMM and this forum (and also playing with FIRECalc) really helped a few synapses fire off in my brain and got me motivated.

I’ll post more detailed economics here eventually (to keep myself honest), but briefly, I’ve just recently realized I have a spending emergency.   The SO and I were recently going over our expenses over the last 12 months and found out we had spent (this includes all expenses but excludes debt pay down) north of 60k.  We make enough that we still managed a 40-45% savings rate, but this level of spending is just too high.  For both of the 12 month periods before that, our expenses were ~40k.

I’d like to get lower than that 40k, but my first priority is to get spending levels down to less emergency levels.  Oh well, this will give us the chance to have some big early progress to report.

So, all that aside, let me say “Hello everyone!”
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: superknudsen on August 29, 2013, 01:31:25 AM
Hi

My name is Nicolai and I have been reading about ER for  a couple of months and I am really bidden by it:-)
I am 40 and from Denmark.
I am at the moment trying to make and overall plan to get out of debt/save money and convince my wife that it can fly.

Happy savings for all
Nicolai
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: galliver on August 29, 2013, 09:32:06 AM
this thread has been viewed over 45 thousand times.

But I'm pretty sure the thread counts a 'view' or a 'read' when someone goes in and posts an intro; doesn't mean they read all (or any) preceding posts (particularly on an intro thread). Still, glad someone found out I exist, haha. :)

My most favorite "do not read" type message is the one banks put...at the END of the email ("This email was intended for Mr X's eyes only and if you're not Mr X and you've read it you have now committed a federal crime, men in suits are on their way as we speak.") Typically, you have to read through the contents to figure out that it's not intended for you so the disclaimer at the end is useless!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pichirino on August 30, 2013, 08:58:55 PM
Hello Everyone,

My name is pretty irrelevant but I am in the same boat as many of you.
26 year old dude and working a full time job without kids.(yet)
I guess the only exception would be to be living on an island called Aruba.
It is sunny,warm and paradise like but costs of living here are far higher then the US and average incomes
seemingly far lower.Transportation sucks royally since busses don't drive in alot of corners and there is no such thing
as bike roads on my side of the island which is why most everyone considers a car vitally important.I want to challenge this conception after sharing all detaills but dont know if its possible or recommendable over bus transport +walking.

There are many plus sides but I hope to get advice and explore these issues and possible solutions.
I am however saving over 50% of my income and following most advice to the best of my possibilities.

Thank you all first and foremost for sharing your stories and comments,I gather inspiration and wisdom from many of them!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hemlock on September 02, 2013, 11:14:33 AM
Hello, all!

I've lurked in this forum for a little while, but now want to jump in on the fun!

I'm 23 years old, and found MMM through ERE, and found ERE after some gentle financial prodding from my girlfriend. It's been a great start so far, and I've definitely changed my perspective. I've never spent too much consciously (since I like reading, hiking, and biking) but reading these have made me think more about the big stuff like housing and transportation.

I'm from Orange County, California, but I'm considering moving elsewhere someday where the average house price is not hovering around 750k. ;)

Take care, all.
Hemlock
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chasesfish on September 02, 2013, 03:07:16 PM
Hi,

Enjoying the reading on here, 31 and getting close to the ability to walk away.  Then again, the job isn't that bad and pays really well.  Travel addict.  Reading all the mustachian ways reminds me of 6-10 years ago, was first married, little income, and supporting my wife through school.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: canadiansaver on September 02, 2013, 07:11:40 PM
Hi,

I'm one month shy of forty, and began to get my financial act together two years ago.  At that point we had had our third child, $80 000 left on our mortgage, maxed out $9000 credit card, and a few thousand on our line of credit.  Since being debt free by forty was not possible given our choices, I am aiming for debt free while I am still forty! 

After two years of getting a financial grip, our debt is down to $28 000! and we are one track to pay it off in a year.  I'm pretty pleased with myself.

We will have what looks like no savings, but there are a few pluses:  our home will be paid for, our two cars are paid for, I have been working in a job with a pension for eighteen years, we have some RESP (education savings in Canada) for our three children.  Also, I only get 80% of my pay so that I can take a year off work with income every five years.


I love the MMM blog!  It is what is keeping me on track and helping me to think outside the box when it comes to how we do things and live life.

Thanks MMM family!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ofthebeststuff on September 03, 2013, 08:30:48 AM
So, I came across the blog last week, and it's really kicking my ass.

I'm 30 years old, a Canadian living in Ireland. I've spent my life since childhood being "kind of poor" but spending wastefully on things like cappuccinos, fancy sandwiches, books, and beer. I have some natural moustachian habits...I don't care much about "stuff" or clothes or makeup or haircuts, (in fact I once spent a year in a spiritual experiment where I gave away all my clothes and just wore three rotating identical dresses for a year) I cycle everywhere, I don't pay for TV (I watch some box-sets online) I buy most of what I need second hand. (which isn't much, mostly jeans when the butt wears through on my current pair, from cycling.) 

I've almost always worked low-income jobs, being a bit of a drifter and a daydreamer by nature with very few go-getter bones to call my own. I'm now a freelancer, living on about 15,000 euro a year (actually I have no idea what I earned this year, because I only exist week-to-week, until tax time. Shameful.) ...but that's doing the very bare minimum I need to do to keep the wolf from the door. As in, like, 10-15 hours of work a week. I have no debts, but no savings, either.

I was looking up financial stuff for the first time because a.) I am in constant need of new ways to procrastinate, and b.) hey, suddenly I'm 30 and that carefree student live-for-today kind of lifestyle I've enjoyed for more than a decade doesn't look so practical now that I am thinking about maybe getting married and having kids. In Aesop's "Ant and grasshopper" fable, I have been a big old grasshopper.

I've felt like I have life pretty great, loads of free time to pick berries and make jam, ride my bike and read books, enjoying the "little luxuries of life" like 5 euro feta cheese from the goat farmer at the farmer's market. And it is pretty great, but I now see, thanks to MMM, that I am living life as if I'm retired, when really I squeak by invoice-to-invoice, with scary months when I end up needing to see a doctor, or a client pays me late, and I'm reduced to apologising to my landlord for being a week late and eating stale ramen from the back of the cupboard.

SO! I am trying to get my shit together. My freelancing gigs are quite new, but I know I'm capable of doubling or tripling my workload while still retaining some semblance of free time....it's just that I suck, am SUPER lazy, and a complete complainypants. I'm wondering now if I should try to get a regular kind of job instead, to stashe away as much as possible, since I'm starting kind of late, but that scares me so much I think I'm going to spend these first weeks cutting off the cappuccino, feta, and other assorted crap out of my daily spending, while kicking my ass to get a few new clients (just signed one yesterday) and then a few more, etc.

Financial independence seemed like such an impossible, ridiculous goal for me that I never even considered the option. My real hope for myself is that this new motivation to think about FI will the the fire (heh heh) under my ass that I've lacked all my life. I've just never had any drive to work hard and earn lots of money, because I'm pretty content without it. But now that I'm (very belatedly in some ways) growing up and thinking about the fact that uh, the future is coming (is here, etc) I think this new lifestyle might be the trick that gets me off my ass and into badassity. I'm already an eccentric, so I might as well be an efficient one.

I've enjoyed lurking these boards the last few days. Lots of brilliant bad-asses. I'm excited to join you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kay Bradley on September 03, 2013, 12:05:55 PM
Hi!

I'm Kay.  I'm about to be single at 53 (not my choice - but life goes on).  I'm in debt beyond eyeballs and am trying to figure out how to get back on track.  I used to make $20k a month and had no debt.  But I did the early retirement/pursue your passions and made all the wrong choices (OK, some were made for me - it was a Murphy's Law - everything that could go wrong did go wrong).  I'm trying to be positive and look at all this as a chance to hit the reset button.  I am very healthy and not worried about the work ahead of me. 

I'm trying to figure out what to do next and have several ideas ... so I'm off to another forum to post those and get feedback.  To be honest, part of the reason I want feedback is it's been less than a week since I found out I was going to be single (is there a positive way to spin this?  I'm trying!), and I need objective feedback because I'm not sure I'm thinking totally clear.  And I know clear thinking it what I need right now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jimnavarro2000 on September 03, 2013, 02:48:43 PM
Hi, I am 51 years old bachelor, living in Alaska. I find this blog very interesting and has wealth of information for someone like me. I would post a question later and solicit some opinions. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Moustache for creating a fantastic blog!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zendenise on September 05, 2013, 01:34:50 PM
Hi Mustachians!

My god, you're all so young, lol. I'm Denise, not quite a spring chicken anymore. At 50, I am waaaaay late getting my financial act together.

My financial situation is actually not too terrible. The only reason it's not is because I was widowed three years ago, and I got some life insurance money (not enough to pay off my house, but enough to wipe out all the other debt with a little left over, plus my husband's 401k). Prior to my husband's death, we were a mess. Living paycheck to paycheck, with two car loans and a mountain of credit card debt. He had a good job with benefits, but we lived way beyond our means for years. So stupid! I wish Mr. MM had been around back then to punch us in the face. I'm currently living on survivor's benefits, plus what I make as a waitress (no college degree, started having babies right out of high school, and have mostly been a SAHM ever since).

We were SO not prepared for this tragedy. You never think it will happen to you, until it does. He was young, only 42. Please, if you're married with kids, make sure your spouse will be taken care of. TALK about a game plan if the worst happens. Have a list of all accounts and passwords where your spouse can find it in an emergency. Ok? Ok.

So, I AM doing some things right:

1. I have a fantastic credit score, in the 800s.
2. Because of that, I was able to refinance the mortgage to a 15-year at 3.75. (Two points lower than the old 30-year.) The house is 900 sq. feet and perfect for me and my 11-year-old son. Even if I don't pay one extra dime toward the principal, it will be paid for by the time I'm 65. But I plan to pay it off way before then.
3. I use a cashback credit card for groceries and gas, and pay it in full every month.
4. I have the rest of the savings in an online high-yield savings until I figure out what to do with it.
5. I drive a tiny Nissan that gets great gas mileage, and I only live 6 miles from my job.
6. I spent a year getting certified as a health coach, so I do have training that could lead to a career doing what I love. Getting clients is another story...
7. I record every penny I make and spend in a spreadsheet, and have been doing so for almost a year. I know exactly what's coming in and going out at all times.

...And I'm doing some stuff wrong:

1. For months now, the outgo has been more than the income. I've been watching what's left of the life insurance money slowly dwindle. Must stop the hemorrhaging, STAT.
2. Groceries. Currently at 700, want to get it down to 400. I'm a super-healthy, organic, paleo-leaning foodie, but if Mr. MM can do it, so can I.
3. Cable. I know! Just ordered a Roku, will be cutting the cord posthaste.
4. Never shopped around for cheaper car insurance, cell phone plan, etc.
5. Co-signed a car loan for my oldest. He's responsible, but still. I wish I hadn't done it.
6. I spoil the 11-year-old. He lost his dad, so I tend to overcompensate, but I know I'm only hurting him in the long run.
7. Books! My kryptonite. Must. Stop. Buying. Books.
8. Waiting for some man to come along and save me from this mess. I finally got the memo: Prince Charming is not coming. And if he does, he deserves a woman who can stand on her own two feet. Time to be my own Queen, and take responsibility for my own future!

Thrilled to have found this forum, and Mr. MM's blog. Will be sharing here while I work on growing a sexy new 'stache. Nice to have some company along the way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SMP on September 06, 2013, 02:24:43 AM
Hi,

I live in western part of Germany. I am 30 years old, a mechnical engineer working in automotive industry. My wife is 31 years old and a teacher.
We have no debt except the mortgage for the house (1600 sqft) we just bought earlier this year.
We just married this year and the wedding was not frugal, but it was totally ok.
We do not have any kids by now, but this may change in the next 2 - 3 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lcg377 on September 07, 2013, 11:23:11 AM
I joined the forum, because we are tackling student loan debt, saving for a house payment so that we can move to a cheaper part of our state, and then can get started on FI! Retirement investing is a couple years away, when we are debt-free, and I have a million questions about that. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 1kickassgal on September 07, 2013, 09:52:47 PM
Hey everyone, I'm probably on the older side of the goers here, 51, but better late than never.  I've got 3 grown kids, divorced 3 years ago.  Not really what I planned, but life is so much better now.  Thanks to MMM, I have been motivated to save almost $20K this year alone, an accomplishment I NEVER would have dreamed of previously.  Glad to read everyone's postings and stories here, keeps me on track and positive about the future!  Best of luck to you all! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Elaine on September 08, 2013, 11:27:41 AM
Hello!
My name is Elaine, I'm 26 years old and in a long term relationship (5 years tomorrow, actually!), and we both definitely do not want kids. I guess a couple of years ago (when I got my first office job) I started thinking about how each time my peers would get a raise, they would also increase their lifestyle expenses. I personally never felt this made any sense, but even my own parents always said that saving didn't make much of a difference and that having a high salary was key. Naturally my dad is in his 60s and still working.

My Job: IT at a university, 60k a year
My Fella's Job: Full time warehouse ($10/hour, full time student (Actuarial Science) He's 29 and going for his bachelor's, he has about 2 years left. Obviously our money situation will change quite drastically when he begins work in his field, but we're both dead set on keeping our spending the same.
My Cat's Job: having a sensitive stomach that necessitates insanely expensive cat food.

We live in NYC so we don't have a car, we live in a 471 sq ft, 2 bedroom apartment ($750/month each), and honestly I can't even imagine having more space than this, I love it!

So glad to have found this site/forum, I've been feeling like I'm insane or something what with all the designer bag talk I hear at work, and the out to lunch co-workers! Now I have the best explanation, I'm simply MUSTACHIAN!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sf_raskol on September 09, 2013, 05:09:11 PM
Hello,
I'm a 29yo software engineer in San Francisco, and have been reading the blog for several months.  My wife and I are definite Mustachians, solidly on our way to FI.  I am very fortunate to work at a successful startup tech company that was recently acquired, resulting in my stock options being worth real money.  We cashed in the vested options and bought our first house, which is enabling us to avoid the crazy rental market here in SF (>50% increase over last 4 years).  Renting an equivalent apartment would cost us $1200/month more.  We're also eligible to convert the TIC into a condo next spring, which is likely to increase the home's (market, not assessed) value by ~80k after fees.  In other words, I've been extremely lucky.

We have no debt other than the mortgage, no cars - we get everywhere in the city by bike or walking.  I can walk to the grocery store, and Costco is just a mile away, allowing for bike shopping.  Our monthly expenses are approximately $3500 - 2500 for mortgage interest, HOA, and property tax, 750 for food, 85 cell phones, 40 power/gas, 35 internet (awesome local ISP), and 1-200 for odds and ends (clothing, netflix [no cable], car share, public transit, etc).  Our income has increased significantly over the past few years but we have thankfully been able to avoid lifestyle inflation.

Our non-mustachian aspects of life are probably food, not renting out our second bedroom, and having a smartphone.  One of our favorite parts of this city are its amazing restaurants, so we're actually likely to increase our $150/mo restaurant budget as we get older; we also enjoy occasional gourmet cooking and baking at home with some expensive ingredients, although our staple weeknight meals are quite frugal.  We are currently missing out on a potential $1500+/month income if we rented out our empty second bedroom, but we are pretty quiet, private people and just don't like the idea of sharing our home (only 1 bathroom) with strangers for now.  Next year that room will (fingers crossed) be home to our first child. For the phone, I just plain caved into the tech worker peer pressure of everyone around me having a smartphone, so that's that!  The company does give me a 20% discount and the minimum size data plan is all that I need.

I recognize that I'm not likely to see another lucky break like my startup's acquisition (90% don't see success like ours did), and also that the currently insanely awesome job market and work environment that software engineers like myself are enjoying is not going to last forever.  I plan to keep our lifestyle frugal over the next 10 years, cash out my stock options and invest them in index funds, lending club, and more real estate.  I'd also like to build up my non-software skills, semi-retire at 40, and switch to doing occasional contract software work and work on repairing/maintaining rental properties, with the rest of my time spent with family.  Oddly enough, this is pretty much exactly why my father did 20 years ago; having Dad around the house growing up was such a great part of growing up that I really want to do the same for my kids.

I'm really looking forward to reading and participating in this forum; I'm particularly interested in picking up more home improvement/repair skills.  I've done a few small projects since moving in - painting, light fixtures, etc - and had a lot of fun.  I'd like to tackle some bigger projects involving drywall, tile, plumbing and electrical, as well as detail/trim work such as wainscoting and crown molding, so as to have the experience if a real estate opportunity presents itself once I am FI and have the means to invest in rental houses/apartments.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bigderhak on September 09, 2013, 09:29:35 PM
Hi everyone!
I am Derick 32 married with 3 four legged kids.  I found the site when my wife and I started really looking at saving. I had been leading the consumer life but never in debt except for my house and car.  The cars are payed off but looking to down size. So many things have just started to click just from hanging around.

I started at the beginning of the blog and am almost caught up in about 6 weeks.  Just really getting into the forums, so hope to see all of you around and help each other start/grow our mustaches.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeepsleep1 on September 10, 2013, 08:48:42 AM
Hi I'm Narcolepto. My wife and I have recently celebrated our 1st anniversary, and 2-6 kids at any given time. I've spent most of my time living "like I'm in college" financially after mistakes followed by more mistakes, yet have had some decent incomes over the last few years. Recently realized that my way of living was always perfectly fine. Just need to figure out how to fix what we've broken (really already know,) keep living simply, and put that extra money where it should be. Have lived in Colorado the last 4 years and love it... Just happened on MMM while thumbing through a 5280 magazine yesterday. Approaching mid 40s, and Very motivated.. Cheers!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: young_one on September 10, 2013, 08:31:09 PM
Hey all. My name is Connor.

I am 22 years young living in Southern California and have been working for almost 3 full months at a large engineering firm. I will be brought on full time soon from my current intern position. This means a much higher paycheck as well as some great benefits.

I live with my girlfriend and have brought her into this Mustachian lifestyle. Savings haven't been great as car ('97 Chevy Malibu) troubles have come up and I also purchased a bike (but will pay for itself in less than a year.) I have just began riding to work last week, which is a great money saver.

I don't have many assets to speak of, but I am already making payments towards my $10,000 in student loans and also paying into my 401k to take advantage of my company match.

My early life goal is to reach financial independence (FI) by 35 years old. I also want to pick up a few different trades such as electrician, carpentry, and welding either along the way or after initial retirement. I would love to be able to design and build my own house one day. Connections I make while working as an engineer could greatly reduce some of the costs of design work and other elements.

I am looking forward to buying a much more efficient, used vehicle (hatchback) when my current car most likely does not pass the smog test.

Life is great!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kevan on September 10, 2013, 09:18:29 PM
Hello!  My real name is Kevan and it's spelled like Evan, which was my father's name.  My wife and I put three kids through college without loans, but I know that my financial behavior could be better, so that's why I'm here.

I found this place while researching MVNOs and have made some important improvements thanks to I. P. Daly's voluminous writings.  I hope to help others with my knowledge of DIY topics, especially plumbing, as I soak up the wisdom of those who handle their money better than I.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: From A Buick 8 on September 11, 2013, 06:58:33 AM
Hello to everyone, very much looking forward to learning a lot from this forum and website.

The DW and I are turning 50 this year. We just paid our last debt (our house) and we are both committed to being debt free from this point forward. We have one kid in college (cash flowing the cost) and another will be there in 3 years. Our goal right now is to retire once the kids are out of college so we have about 8 years to pile up cash to support our retirement. We have a fairly small house in KY, and we have always been the frugal types. We have about 500k put away for retirement and want to double that in the next 8 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EveofReduction on September 11, 2013, 09:08:08 AM
Hi, I'm Cristin. My husband and I have been debt free since age 34. We live a lifestyle of reduction and creativity. It keeps us at a perfect ratio of challenge and satisfaction.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: non geordie beth on September 11, 2013, 04:01:30 PM
So, hi. I'm Beth, I live in the north of England with my DH and our little boy who is 2. I managed to pay off all our debts in the past but unfortunately when I was on maternity leave I refused to live in the real world and went from obsessive budgeting to running up a credit card debt again, which wasn't my brightest ever moment year.

I had already started to wake up to reality when I found a link here from get rich slowly. That was on Friday. Since then I would say I've read at least half MMM's articles :) I am a little bit scared, because there is a looooooong way to go and my DH is far from being on board (not to mention the fact that about four weeks ago, before I started to wake up, we paid close to £1k for flights to go visit DH's mum and stepdad (... the main frustration is that if we'd booked earlier we could have got much cheaper)) but hey ho, what's done is done and MIL and S-FIL will love seeing their grandson!

So now I just have to plug the gap in our budget than means we currently overspend by £110 a month including our debt repayments... yeah, I'll be posting about that soon, get DH at least travelling in the same general direction even if he's not actually on board the same ship (!), and start cultivating my mustache :)

Looking forward to getting my arse kicked if it means that we end up better off :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dutch Engineer on September 11, 2013, 10:42:53 PM
Hello Everyone,

I'm 28 years old and live in the North of the Netherlands with my girlfriend.

We are renting a house because the real estate bubble is bursting here.

I've been a lurker here for months, Were both saving a good amount but getting FI is very hard in this country.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Silvie on September 12, 2013, 01:55:43 AM
Hello Everyone,

I'm 28 years old and live in the North of the Netherlands with my girlfriend.

We are renting a house because the real estate bubble is bursting here.

I've been a lurker here for months, Were both saving a good amount but getting FI is very hard in this country.

Welcome, always good to find other Dutchies here! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: throwerm72 on September 12, 2013, 10:51:21 AM
Hi I'm Mike. I'm 28 married with 2 kids and one more on the way. I work in IT and can't imagine continuing in my job for another 30+ years.

I found MMM through a yahoo article back in July. I've burned through the blog and finally showed up here desperate for more mustachian reading.

Not much in savings yet as we are paying off some debt and well I still have some student loans to the tune of 13k but after that we will be saving at least 35% of our pay (hopefully much more).

Near term goals include killing my 60+ mile round trip commute by finding a job close to home, downsizing our fleet to only one car and taking up biking to work.

Also both my femurs are both original and intact.  (No fair! I started a new page so the joke isn't as relevant. )
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JHC89 on September 12, 2013, 10:57:32 AM
Hi everyone! I'm James from Pittsburgh. I've been reading articles and forum posts for about 5 months now and I thought it was time to start paying it forward by helping others where I can.

I'm 24 and single, so it is fairly easy for me to keep a frugal lifestyle. I had been saving fairly consistently since a college professor gave a lesson on Roth IRAs when I was 19, but MMM showed me that I could be doing much, much more. I'm hoping to hit what is in my mind my first big stash milestone by the end of 2014 but still have a long, long way to go.

I can't wait to keep learning from all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rochdale on September 14, 2013, 08:30:18 PM
My name is Rochdale, and I am a lurker. ("Hi, Rochdale!")

Came out of lurkdom to say I hope that the Colorado Mustachians are safe and dry right now.

As for intros, I live in a cooperative (whence Rochdale) house with 17 adults, all of them frugal-minded. Being surrounded by moral support makes it easy to live a Mustachian life. I do like coming here, though, to see what other people are doing to grow the 'stache.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dodojojo on September 16, 2013, 07:31:10 AM
Forty and single.  I was in the process of house-hunting and after a weekend where my agent pressured me to buy one of two houses at prices/value I was extremely uncomfortable with--I read a post about owning versus renting by Jim Collins.  From there I discovered MMM.  That was about a month ago and all I can say is, "thank the fuck I didn't listen to my agent!"  Not that I'm entirely against buying but those houses were way, way beyond my means (not according to lender standards, but in terms of maxing out for FI).  Though a small part of me yearns for my "own place", I know that renting for now is the best way forward (I live in the DC area where real estate is unreal...).

I've always been very good at saving, not exactly Mustachian, but probably better than 95% of folks in the US.  I live in a very high cost but ultra convenient area of DC which has allowed me to be car-free for the past nine years.  My one bedroom apartment is probably the lowest cost one in the area where high end one bedrooms go for $2,500-2,800.

My problem has been that I've been incredibly negligent in investing my savings.  Just leaving wrong allocations for years and years, etc.  I'm working on that now and being much more mindful of how I invest without buying/selling too much.  I've always favored index investing anyway.  Using Firecalc, if I keep maxing out my 401K and IRA, I should be FI by 55 (high COLA and I will be supporting my mom).  Okay, it's a little depressing since that's not exactly early retirement.  On the other hand, prior to reading Jim Collins and MMM, I thought I was going to work for the rest of my life as I fretted about my and my mom's retirement plans.  So it's not all bad...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: decibelle on September 16, 2013, 08:48:07 PM
Hello there, My Statistically Significant Other (SSO) and I recently joined the MMM community.  His username is "watchmaker".  We're excited to get to know people here and learn some ways into the life of Badassity! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AustinKat on September 17, 2013, 09:36:17 AM
Hello! I'm AustinKat, from (duh!) Austin, Texas. I've been practicing voluntary simplicity/frugality/related points on that spectrum for over two decades now. I first heard of MMM on the Simple Living fora. I'm amazed at the community that has sprung up here in such a short time--I look forward to meeting people here and chiming in where I think I can be helpful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YoreName on September 17, 2013, 01:31:39 PM
Hi,
   I'm married with one child in college, living in high cost area but well positioned for early retirement from frugal living.  Been reading FIRE blogs for about a year now and repositioning to RE.  In actuality, we are FI now.

See you in the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Janice on September 20, 2013, 10:22:59 AM
Hi. I'm Janice from Chicago. My hubby and I adopted 2 precious boys from Russia. We've always been frugal (of course because my DH is an engineer and I'm Type A - no debt except for mortgage, max out 401ks, ROTHs, stick to a budget, etc) but since I was lead here by a Yahoo article, we are saving an additional $1500/month. Blows my mind we had that much extra money going somewhere other than paying down our mortgage. Our plan now is to pay it off in 5 years (3% rate @ 15 yr loan). We'd do it sooner if we switched the boys from private school to public. Hard decision. The public school is literally in our backyard but one of our boys has special needs and the current school has been amazing. So time will tell!

Love this blog and looking forward to learning more through the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: $200k on September 20, 2013, 12:16:37 PM
Just wanted to say hi to everyone.  I am close to $200k in student loan debt.  I'm a hard worker so I'm not in despair.  Mostly everything I read on MMM gives me inspiration, so big thanks to everyone for their stories and encouragement.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Meggslynn on September 20, 2013, 12:20:32 PM
Hello,

I found MMM a couple weeks ago and have been working my way through the blogs.

I am 3 year old female, married to a lovely person and mother to a wonderful 18 month old boy.

I have always been interested far more than the average person in personal finance. I learnt my lessons young and I learnt them quickly.

Being a mother and having a whole new set of costs (read: childcare) I have realized we need to scale back. Way back to ever get anywhere.

My goal really isn't super early retirement as I do enjoy my job and everything is gives me but been beyond secure. To know that whatever happens we will be okay and to go down to part time work in maybe 15-25 years.

I live in Canada and in a very well to do part of the country. The average income in my neck of the woods is easily $150K. The average mind set is bigger is better and more toys the better. Our frugal mind set is very very rare here so we struggle with that sometimes.

Hoping to dive deeper into this mindset and become even more confident in our beliefs and way of life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bigote on September 20, 2013, 05:12:34 PM


I am 3 year old female, married to a lovely person and mother to a wonderful 18 month old boy.


You're very articulate for a 3 year old.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gray Matter on September 21, 2013, 07:50:22 AM
I’ve been lurking for months now and am finally taking the plunge, because I know I can benefit from the collective wisdom here.  My DH and I are in our mid-40s and we are slightly Mustachian in that our finances are in pretty good shape.  We have always put 10-15% of our income in retirement accounts since we started working in our 20s and are now up to saving about 40% of our take-home pay.  Also, we have good emergency savings and no debt besides our mortgage.

But the rest of our life is not-at-all Mustachian (stressful jobs, long commutes, wasteful, etc.).  And that’s what I’m here to work on.  My husband is not as motivated to change as I am, but I can be pretty persuasive.  ;-)

We have three kids, three hound dogs, and a piggy we stole from the shed (jk on the piggy, though I’m not sure I’d even notice what with all the chaos around here).

Am looking forward to moving towards a more Mustachian lifestyle!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kristin on September 21, 2013, 09:12:10 AM
Hi,

I'm Kristin and I can't wait for the day when I have the option to stop working my desk job.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jessie on September 21, 2013, 07:52:58 PM
Hi! I'm Jessie. I'm an architect, and I'm about to go back to the Boston area from my native northern Virginia. I'll be reunited for good with my boyfriend (a computer engineer :-) ) and our two cats! Found MMM and GRS after graduating in 2010 $40k in debt, currently working my way out. 40% down and hoping to finish in the next three years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ichangedmyname on September 22, 2013, 11:05:20 AM
Hi! I'm Dyn, 33 from CO Springs. Married for almost 5 years. No kids.
Found MMM a couple of weeks ago and just reading the entries and trying to absorb all of the good info. I will be asking a LOT of questions. :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ayanka on September 22, 2013, 11:09:48 AM
Hi, my name is Ayanka and Im 25. I am going to move with my boyfriend next month in order to escape my crazy commute (45 mins and up one way). Sadly enough we are increasing his by doing so. I amn't really looking for ER, more for FI as the economical crisis seems to limit options and makes it harder to quit a steady job, no matter the conditions. And I hope to meet some non-American people inhere. No offense, but at the other forum I am hanging around I spend a quarter of my time explaining people from the states how to sort out their financial mess. It does get old after a while. So Im off to look for European/Asian people on the board :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kaivalagi on September 23, 2013, 02:58:29 AM
Hi MMMers! I have been reading this forum just recently but have been a fan of MMM for a while now.

'Change' would have to be my word for 2013 as I moved to Fiji, got married, tried to move back to the UK where I am from but they wouldn't have us due to strict new immigration laws, moved to Ireland instead and am now trying to get back to some sort of normality! Although I do enjoy change so who knows what will happen in the next 12 months :)

I have some debt, a student loan which works differently in the UK (repayments are income assessed and I am currently not earning enough to pay anything and the interest in minimal), but I do owe my Dad quite a bit as he leant us the cash to move to Ireland. I would like to pay that off as soon as possible really.

Anyway I'm looking forward to getting to know lots of you and to get going on the FI journey!

Clare
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mickey on September 23, 2013, 05:37:08 PM
Hi. I just wanted to thank MMM for giving me a kick in the pants.  Paying off my credit card every month and making 1 extra payment toward my mortgage or lingering student loans once a year wasn't getting me deeper in the hole, but it sure wasn't helping me dig my way out to FI.  I stumbled upon the MMM blog early this year, and decided to shift toward viewing my debts as a "debt emergency." 

I'm by no means at expert level, yet, but I've actually made progress.

So far this year, I have (1) figured out what the interest rates are on my debts, (2) added a monthly reminder to my calendar to pay extra, and (3) stayed on track to pay $6k (a little more than 10% of my gross income) toward principal on my debts. I've been able to do this by (1) canceling under-used expenses like Netflix, land line, and a gourmet cellphone plan, (2) staying OUT of real and virtual shopping malls (I don't even like to shop, so what was I doing in there), and (3) re-evaluating my food expenses with the goal of maximum health for least $$ (mainly planning ahead to avoid lunch panic purchases of overpriced un-delicious cafeteria food). I'm applying the scientific method to my expenditures:  I'm thinking of spending $X to do Y.  Do I think Y will make me feel better than putting $X toward my FI? Do I need Y right now, or can it wait a bit? After, if I decided to spend $X, did Y really make me feel good? Better than another step toward FI would feel?

I've also started being more introspective about how I spend resources beyond money.  Time, energy, attention. Instead of leaving me feeling pinched or deprived, this year has me feeling like I have more time and more energy.

So, thanks, MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Truckman on September 24, 2013, 08:55:04 AM
Hi everyone.  I'm Matt. Just discovered the blog and forums yesterday. Fascinated with the possibilities. Getting a late start at the "early retirement" thing since I'm 42 already, and nowhere near able to retire. It's going to take a lot of hard work, but I'd like to be there in the 8-10 year range.  Most of my life has been on cruise control, letting life happen to me instead of making my life what I want it to be. Horrible, horrible, horrible money manager and have a train wreck of a financial situation.

Anyway, I hope to be able to turn things around with the things I've found, and have yet to discover, here.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mahima on September 24, 2013, 11:26:15 PM
Hi I am Mahima from India. I like beading jewelry, reading novels and traveling.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: supertrill on September 26, 2013, 08:07:37 AM
Hi Mustachians!

Jordan here. Been reading MMM for months and finally starting in on the forums. Whenever I lose focus an MMM post always helps get me back in the right mindset. This is my get out of debt year started with 18k, currently have 6k to go. I'm 29 and would like to hit FI by 40. Live in Atlanta without a car so used to people thinking I'm crazy. I currently work in journalism/video production but am taking web dev classes to switch careers and increase my salary.

Any Atlantan's out there???? Just started a "Mustachian Meetup" http://www.meetup.com/Mustachians-of-Atlanta-Financial-Independence-Group and am really anxious to get together with some like-minded folk!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Norrie on September 27, 2013, 08:01:54 AM
Howdy. I'm Nat, I'm 37, and live in Oklahoma.
I'm a researcher/assessment analyst who focuses on social justice and program evaluation, and my husband is in a punk rock band for a living. We have two kids, ages 12 and nine, and they are totally bad ass.

We're completely debt-free aside from the house, to which we owe about $74,000. We're hoping to have it paid off by the end of next year. Though we're on solid footing debt-wise, we are brutally behind on retirement and kids' college funds.

I found MMM through the Dave Ramsey message boards (look, I know, alright, but his wee baby steps helped us pay off over $65,000 in debt). The timing couldn't have been better, because while the DR thing worked really well for us for debt, it's not been fitting well for me in terms of retirement, investing, etc.

I'm a total novice at this stuff, and I'll be the first to admit that it is completely over my head right now. I'm gonna spend a lot of time lurking and just soaking up your brilliance. Hopefully you won't find me creepy.

I'm really excited to get our shit together. Thanks for having me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Li on September 27, 2013, 03:18:05 PM
I've been reading MMM's posts for well over a year through an RSS reader and just discovered the forum a few days ago.  I live in Ontario, Canada (about 1 hour west of Toronto).  I'm more on the frugal side and would love to retire early although I may still work for fun.  My husband on the other hand is definitely not mustachian.  I'm hoping to find ways to turn our life a little more mustachian without him even realizing it. 

Love the posts and enjoy getting Mrs. MMM's view too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Golikety on September 29, 2013, 05:22:36 AM
Howdy - I happened to stumble across MMM while researching Peer to Peer lending a week ago.  His positive and informative review lead me to dig more on this Moustached Man, and boy am I glad I did.  I am in my late 20's, military, and single.  I have been reading books upon financial books while deployed with the goal of being financially responsible with my money when I return.  I want to make the most of my situation and how better to do that than to follow Mr. Money Moustache.  I look forward to meeting discovering fellow Moustachians and learning what is no doubt amazing advice on this forum.  I also want to be held accountable for my actions and goals so I plan to use this forum to help keep me on track. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thomas on September 29, 2013, 04:29:26 PM
Hi, I've been lurking for a while and realized I never even bothered to post an introduction.

I'm Thomas & have been in the Air Force for about 12 years. I discovered Jacob at ERE about a week or so before he quit and sent everyone here to MMM. Very glad he did that. I've got two kids & want to be able to spend as much time with them as possible both while I'm in the service and once I'm retired.

I'm nowhere near the level of mustachian demonstrated on these boards, but I'm one of the few people in my office that consistently brings in lunch, so I satisfy my competitive streak by knowing I'm at least doing better than a few. I've been consistently increasing my biking and using the phrase "what do you mean you don't own a bike" more often than I ever thought I would. Looking forward to seeing what the future brings.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: anneinpdx on October 01, 2013, 05:44:51 PM
Hi! I'm Anne.  I live in beautiful Portland, OR with my husband, 2 kids, and 1 old mutt.  I started my financial turnaround in Jan 2012 when our credit card had ballooned to $5600 after unpaid maternity leave and some unexpected major expenses.  Prior to this, we never carried a balance but also never really saved with any purpose.  We had a bit of a scare with the big bill and big increase in childcare costs with our 2nd baby.  I started with YNAB which totally helped turn our finances around.  I just checked and found that our net worth has increased $120,000 since starting.  Some of this is from growth in stock accounts but a lot is due to just plain old buckling down and saving/paying down debt. 

I found MMM about 6 months ago and this site has helped kick up our goals another notch.  We are planning to pay off the $21000 remaining on my private grad school loan this year.  After the loan is paid off, I am planning to stay home with the kids and just do some per diem work to pick up some income (I am in healthcare). I am also working on learning some programming skills on Treehouse and hoping to do some type of flexible work with that. 

Since finding MMM I have: learned to fix my broken car window and broken turn signal, cut my car insurance by 60%, cut my grocery bill by another $100, and am working on cutting ~$100 off my cell phone bill.  The site also inspired me to learn to build computers and I am volunteering at my local computer recycling center...learn skills, help build donated computers for others, and get free desktop at the end for me.  Win!   The MMM site has helped me shift from a "just stay within budget" mindset to "just how low can I keep my spending without sacrificing the things which bring true satisfaction?"   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lizfish on October 02, 2013, 08:24:42 AM
Hi, I'm Liz. I found out about this website from the YNAB podcast. I am 30, married with no kids (yet) and living in the UK. I am currently self-employed and under-earning by some margin, my husband commutes 60 miles round-trip to a job which is OK, but not great - which I would love for him not to do. We do not have any debt other than the mortgages (we will have about 2/3 equity in our house once we pay off one of them with a recent inheritance from my mum's passing) and we both have some personal savings. Not sure about my DH's pension pot, but I've not contributed to mine in the 3 years since I left employment (pensions tend to be linked with jobs here) and in all honesty I doubt it's much above £20k GBP right now which is pitiful. We both maintain separate bank accounts and contribute to a joint account for all household expenses inc holidays and home improvements (many of them to stop heat-loss)

I am a newbie at this early retirement stuff. I am an avid YNAB user, and a natural saver and don't really shop much. My DH has a taste for electronic equipment and loves his car. (always used) I have various hobbies and generally just don't earn enough to make what I feel is a significant contribution to our mortgage-free future, and early retirement beyond. I've never invested in the stock market, and I have a natural distrust for the people looking after my pension because I don't understand it and I feel that the person making money out of it is almost certainly not me.

All in all, I am very glad to be here. I know that we have half the battle won by not being knee-deep in consumer debt, not buying a house we could barely afford, and not spending hundreds of pounds a month on restaurants and new clothes like so many people we know. BUT I do not know if we have what it takes to strip down our spending to reach the level of saving 50% (in fact I don't even know how far we are from it - as a couple that is) But I know for certain that I am not up for that 9-5 stuff. I am not up for my husband spending 10-12 hours driving a week to a job he doesn't really enjoy that much. I am not up for buying stuff because people think it's a bit odd that we don't see shopping as a leisure activity.


But I don't own a bike. Is all lost?


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lizfish on October 02, 2013, 08:51:20 AM
it's just that I suck, am SUPER lazy, and a complete complainypants.

Right there with you on that. Since leaving a super-stressful 9-5 to 'work out what I wanted to do', and then going self-employed in the industry I thought I wanted to get away from, I've barely worked more than 3/4 days a week and most of the time not even that. I don't really enjoy freelancing that much. I hate having the money conversations, and am really bad at starting off client relationships well. Yes I get to set my hours, listen to music, take whatever breaks I want, but in reality I just sit at a desk just the same, just on my own instead. My DH leaves the house at 6.45 most days and gets back at 5.30/6. I feel so guilty for that.

I wish you well in getting your sh** together. I'll let you know how mine goes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JessieImproved on October 02, 2013, 09:49:06 AM
Hi, I'm Jessie.  I found MMM from NW Edible and I've been hooked ever since.  I started growing my 'stache long when I decided to start trying for kids (great timing, I know).  I now have 2 girls, one preschool age and one barely over a year.  My husband is frugal at heart but definitely not Mustachian - I'm slowly but surely working on the conversion. :-)  I'm hoping to start my journal soon - I'm sure you guys could give me some face-punches to get this ball rolling faster.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mnpsatan13 on October 02, 2013, 11:07:18 AM
Greetings everyone,

I'm Prabhakar from India. (Yes, MMM has reached India!)
I work in a beeg multinational firm as an Assistant Manager & live with my wife & daughter.

All my debts will vanish next year, thanks to MMM blog.

Keep rocking!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: salocin on October 03, 2013, 10:03:18 AM
Hey there, salocin here. I'm 26, almost 27 and work in IT. I too, cannot imagine doing this job for much longer. I found MMM via reddit.com/r/personalfinance

I need to learn to be less compulsive, more frugal and stop trying to buy things to make me happy.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: greenmimama on October 04, 2013, 08:29:52 AM
Hi, I'm Suzanne my hubbby and I live in MI with 3 young boys, where we are currently trying to build a bigger mustache, I just recently found out about this but have been a huge Dave Ramsey fan for 20 years, so it follows a lot of the same principles, but we are now going to shift a bit and really hunker down to build it up!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: potatoface on October 05, 2013, 05:06:09 PM
Hi I'm Tony and I'm an alcoholic aspiring early quitter. After suffering from buyer's remorse one too many times I fell into minimalism & taking better care of my finances. I eventually found MMM after seeing a link to a guy who retired at 30. While I'm 3 years too late to do that, I'm making a goal to cram as much money as I can into my savings hole.

I've spent the last 11 years working in a northern Virginia hotel, father to a teenager, and I believe the reason my hair is failing out is because it wants to escape my ugly head. Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anatidae V on October 07, 2013, 12:39:13 AM
Hi! I'm a 24 y.o. environmental engineer, living in the most remote city on the planet, which coupled with it's cute little resources boom, has made it one of the more expensive as well. Supported by family through university, I delayed moving out of my grandmas for nearly a year in order to save cash.

Been devouring personal finance advice since I left uni - got a drive to prove my family's investment in me was worth it! Partner of 6 years found YNAB, I said "sounds nice..." 6 months later, I actually downloaded the free trial, and two weeks ago we paid for it, and then they mentioned MMM! Feels like home *sigh*

I have some good mustachian tendencies (It's broken. Can we fix it first?), some bad ones (house is a $475p.w. 3 by 1.5 for 2 people and a cat, walking distance from tiny shopping center and a train station). These extra bedrooms are used as a study and craft room, in my defense... oh, and I drive to work every day because I don't actually have the option of public transport or bike riding (I HATE it). Working on my boss to allow more time in head office (train!) or home (roll out of bed!) Looking for tips for living in my expensive lovely city - who knows, maybe its' as cheap as America sounds but I've just been doing it all wrong? My goal is to become FI in 10 years, start a family within 4, and convince my SO of how great an idea all of this is :)

**Forgot to say: I have no debt, but my darling SO has a HECS/HELP/Whateverit'scallednow debt, which we have no intention of deliberately paying back ever. Why? Because the government indexes against inflation, with no interest, and we are under no obligation to pay any of it unless he earns above a certain threshold.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fyzbo on October 07, 2013, 09:38:55 AM
Hi everyone, 31 year old living in Cary, NC.  Still working a day job, but only debt between my wife and I are two student loads and a mortgage.  All fixed with very low interest rates.  Joined the forum to gain insights and find help in how best to invest our growing savings, it currently sits in an extremely low interest savings account.  Will be asking many questions in other topic groups.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RobertBirnie on October 07, 2013, 10:06:44 AM
Hi Folks,

I just joined the forums so that I an chip into the discussions on here. Looks like a great resource!

I'm a 26 year old with a wife and a 15mo baby daughter. I'm from San Jose, CA and work in the tech field. My wife and I had been starting to save like crazy for about two years now and we were super excited when I found MMM and like minded people! Currently we're max on 401k/IRA accounts and putting a substantial amount into our student loans ( ~ 3 years left till gone). So just starting out really and excited to share the ride with you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FirePaddle on October 07, 2013, 04:19:16 PM
Hiya folks.  This blog has inspired me to get our asses in gear.  Thanks MMM!

My wife and I don't want to work until I'm old and tired.  Over the last week, my wife and I have paid off our last student loans ($10k), and now are on track to pay off our one car loan ($15k, 2010 model) in less than a year.  We also have goals of reducing our "misc" spending category from ~$1200/month to $525 (50/wk/person allowance and $125 for restaurants), and reduce our grocery bill from $700 to $500.  This is just the start.  I feel like we have a decent start already, as our net worth is [deleted] right now, 34 years old, no kids, but we have 2 cars, don't carpool enough, have been spending too much for short term happiness, etc.  I'm already looking at selling my V8 dakota and getting a mini van, because I've always wanted a van!  We have somewhat unique needs living in AK (which I know is not cheap!) such as taking our own garbage to the dump, hauling our own water in a 200gal tank (1600lbs) to our house, and steep roads and winter for 7 months of the year, etc.  I hope to adjust the principles here to our life in the north (and then maybe retire in a new location where our money will go way further!)

I hope this is the start of a great time.

Tom
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Scrooge McDuck on October 07, 2013, 08:58:03 PM
Hi all - been a massive fan of MMM for about a year now but first time in the forum.  A New Zealand couple in mid/late 20's and on a mission to reaching the point where we have the freedom to take on whatever work when and where we want.  Although pretty good with money the blog has enabled us to reinforce why we spend money on some things but refrain on others.  We feel very empowered and are now riding the front of the wealth building wave.  Surfs up!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trombonedadio on October 09, 2013, 06:42:18 AM
Hi I am Trombonedadio.  I spent 20+ years totally immersed in a professional music career, which although I loved it, caused me to be living an unbalanced lifestyle. At a certain point my playing career came to a grinding halt, however I have managed to keep my educational career continuing. When I first stumbled upon the MMM blog two or three years ago, I realized that I have been living the MMM lifestyle for many years. You can check it out - most professional musicians do not make a $&*tload of money....  so, largely due to necessity, frugality has been at the top of our list, like, forever.

Now I am "retired" from the orchestra job I don't really feel "retired" but rather "busy." Some of those "busy" things pay me money, some save me money, and some have no noticeable impact on our finances.

As always, I make an effort to enjoy life to the fullest - especially to recognize when I am wasting energy on unnecessary stuff as opposed to when I am investing energy in useful/fun/rewarding stuff!

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: reginna on October 09, 2013, 07:53:27 AM
Hiya folks.  This blog has inspired me to get our asses in gear.  Thanks MMM!

My wife and I don't want to work until I'm old and tired.  Over the last week, my wife and I have paid off our last student loans ($10k), and now are on track to pay off our one car loan ($15k, 2010 model) in less than a year.  We also have goals of reducing our "misc" spending category from ~$1200/month to $525 (50/wk/person allowance and $125 for restaurants), and reduce our grocery bill from $700 to $500.  This is just the start.  I feel like we have a decent start already, as our net worth is ~$450k right now, 34 years old, no kids, but we have 2 cars, don't carpool enough, have been spending too much for short term happiness, etc.  I'm already looking at selling my V8 dakota and getting a mini van, because I've always wanted a van!  We have somewhat unique needs living in AK (which I know is not cheap!) such as taking our own garbage to the dump, hauling our own water in a 200gal tank (1600lbs) to our house, and steep roads and winter for 7 months of the year, etc.  I hope to adjust the principles here to our life in the north (and then maybe retire in a new location where our money will go way further!)

I hope this is the start of a great time.

Tom

Look forward to following your adventure!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dude on October 11, 2013, 07:24:08 AM
Greetings, all, dude here.  Been fascinated with the MMM blog since I found it about a month ago.  Revelatory is the best word I can use to describe it.  Have been on a cost-cutting jihad since I started reading it.  I'm on track to retire from a government law enforcement job at 55 (I'm eligible to retire at 53, but 55 is the age I'm planning on based on several factors).  Pension is decent (okay, it would sustain two of Mr. Money Mustache's families), but only a 34% replacement of my current salary.  Been maxing the 401k out for better than a decade now, and feel like I'm all set for an early(ish) retirement (though getting the wife on board may be another matter!).  Anyway, MMM has opened my eyes to the incredible amount of waste in my household's personal finances, and I'm determined to take control of it.  This blog's message of financial independence -- and MMM's devastating logic in presenting its possibility -- has resonated very strongly with me.  I can't wait to utter MLK's beautiful words, though obviously in a much less significant context, "free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, I'm free at last."  Looking forward to sharing ideas and learning new methods of improvement with this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MammaStash on October 13, 2013, 05:24:05 AM
Hi All,
Just found MMM via an interview with YNAB software founder. So I've got a lot of work to do but there are good foundations to work with - biked heaps when I was young, stopped watching TV news like forever-ago, flipped at consumerism about the same time, like to count stuff...like money for instance, hate commuting, etc. Just had a little anti-mustachian detour in life for like the last 20 years!

Ok ... so where's the Australian based data? I need to make myself total comfortable with some of those cool little formulas Mr. MM throws around.

Hope to see you all around here from time to time.

Mamma
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mitch76 on October 13, 2013, 03:00:18 PM
Hi,
I'm Mitch, live in the UK.
Just discovered MMM and loving it.
I'm 37, one kid, another on the way.
Mortgage paid off, no debt, about 40k stashed so far (Vanguard Lifestrategy in ISA's).
Gonna try to stash like crazy from now on, this is truly an inspirational site, thank you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: monarda on October 14, 2013, 12:22:32 AM
Hi, I'm monarda

I just discovered MMM this evening. What a resource!
I'm a landlord and scientist. Real estate equity is my retirement plan, since 2001.
I'm very frugal and green and curious to find out how mustachian  I am.  I want to learn more about how I should spend (or not) in the next five or so years.

Thank you!
monarda
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lauraredcloud on October 14, 2013, 09:09:54 AM
Hi, I'm Laura from Boston. I'm 27. I discovered MMM and YNAB through the Personal Finance subreddit and was blown away. I'm building up from "no knowledge or interest about finance, sorta half-assedly budget, pretty sure I make more than I spend"a year ago to a 48% savings rate today. Not sure if that is sustainable, but I'm trying. MMM is a big inspiration. Financial independence is the motivating goal that really made savings seem worthwhile for the first time. I like my job, and I don't picture myself being idle after FI, but you can't put a price on freedom. I've been on a frenzy trying to optimize everything from hacking away at shopping, groceries, and and utility usage to properly understanding and taking advantage of my job's benefits to applying for side gigs. Let the games begin.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DebtBeard on October 15, 2013, 08:01:51 AM
Hi there, I'm from the Kitchener-Waterloo area in Ontario, about an hour and a half west of Toronto.  Discovered the blog about a week ago and have been devouring the articles, after getting over my shock of how awesome this site was!  Though I've yet to really use any of the awesome advice, I'm all fired up to give it a shot!  As a self-diagnosed money idiot, this is the real kick in the pants that I needed!  So I'm coming to all you more senior mustachians to help shed my ignorance and reach this financial independence thing that's become all the rage here :)

Hope to talk to you soon!
DB
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stripey on October 15, 2013, 04:02:05 PM
I'm 28 living in Australia. Basically, I am close a financial clean slate I suspect. I comfortably live on about AUD 25k in a city with a very high cost of living, but could cut back. I have no debt to speak of, and a little savings. (I have 'student loans' of about $31k but in the Aussie HECS-HELP system is only indexed so I will probably just ignore it).

I am looking forward to some positive peer pressure in how to manage my money better! Hope to talk soon!

Stripey
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wilma on October 16, 2013, 01:58:56 PM
My name is Michelle.  My hubby is super excited about growing his mustache.  I am not so sure, so I am trying to get more info so I can get on board.  I am the shopper of the house, I homeschool our 9YO and we have a 16YO who is a junior at the local high school.  We make an insane amount of money but we are not rich.  Would like to change that.  Need to treat our debt "like the emergency that it is".  Right now we have two car loans, a mortgage, student loans, a HELOC, and a couple of credit cards.  We have not been adding to our debt for a couple of years, but we are not paying enough of it down either.  I am not convinced that it is possible for us to get our expenses down to this level, but I am open minded.  Can't hurt to try, right?  We are 9 years from having an empty nest, I would like to be able to travel and spend time with my husband semi-retired at the age of 50, by then.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Loud Noises on October 16, 2013, 02:05:41 PM
Loud Noises here.  I came upon MMM a few weeks ago and have been digesting it regularly.  MMM lines up with much of the way I have been thinking about my life lately.  I'm 28 and love what I do for a living.  In fact I hope I never stop doing it.  My goal is merely to achieve FI so that I don't have to worry about money, because my career is notoriously feast or famine.  I have a long way to go but every journey begins with a single step.  I'm projecting a roughly 50% savings rate over the next year and every dollar moves me closer to my goal!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: auntbecky on October 17, 2013, 01:10:47 PM
Hey everyone!  I'm Becky.  I'm 32, married and have 3 kids.  We are both IT professionals and make a decent wage.  I am currently in a disappointed/rageful (alternating back and forth) state at how much we bring in, and how we are no better off than when we first married and lived off of one very small income.  I am very thankful for the blog and forum guides and figured it was time to stop lurking and start making myself accountable.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anodyne on October 17, 2013, 06:12:37 PM
Hi guys,

I'm a 24-year old recent college graduate living in the San Diego area. I've been reading MMM and other FI blogs for a while, but as I'm starting my first "career" 9-5 job next week, I thought I'd join you all on here and ask all you wise people for some advice. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sneezy on October 20, 2013, 11:36:31 AM
Greetings!

I just found MMM (through ERE) this weekend. It has been quite a while since I felt so inspired and excited about my possibilities.

My wife and I live in Oak Ridge, TN (near Knoxville), and I work at the national lab. My plan of record to this point has been a traditional retirement at age 63 (2023) with a pension, social security (if there's anything left), 401k, and IRAs. However, exposure to the ideas here at at ERE has gotten me thinking about the possibility of accelerating that schedule.

Current situation: about 6K of income each month, with a mortgage (started at $153K in 2011, now at $88K, plan to finish by end of 2015) and a car loan (8K, plan to pay off with proceeds of selling already paid off 2nd vehicle next month -- we're keeping the small efficient Versa and selling the big wasteful Quest). We're currently putting about half my take home on the mortgage and see some ways to increase that a bit around the beginning of next year.

Of course, once the mortgage is gone, that 50% will be going into building the 'stache. So far, we have around $240K in assets (401k, IRA, and taxable investment account) accumulated, so we're not doing too badly.

What I hope to learn here is how to reduce our expenses further so we can get to FI with a smaller 'stache, faster.

As it turns out, I do have a bike and rode it to work for much of 2010 and 2011. Over the past summer, my wife took up running and I stopped riding the bike so much as I was running every morning with her. However, the ERE/MMM gospel has inspired me to get back on the bike. Riding to work most days will save us about $1000 a year in gasoline, not to mention the wear and tear on the car.

The ideas of simplicity/frugality/minimalism on the one hand and early retirement/financial independence on the other have always appealed to me. ERE and MMM (and I hear there are others out there) are the first sources I've encountered that show how the two fit together in such a synergistic, serendipitous fashion.

I'm very excited and happy to be here. Looking forward to getting to know everyone.

Tom
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RockinRobin on October 20, 2013, 03:49:26 PM
Hello,

I came upon MMM through Reddit, one of my other addictions. I am a 52 year old nurse in NC who has three grown children and a wonderful husband and one old dog. We are currently trying to whip our finances into shape for retirement in the next few years. We have quite a few assets, but I really don't know what we spend since we have been flying by the seat of our pants for years.

Since I started reading the blog, we have seriously downsized our spending on many things, but the food budget is our biggest problem area. I am still trying to figure out what the monthly food budget is exactly...I tend to stock up on things when I find a good deal so it's going to take a while to break it down.

Let's just say I'm still working on it. I'm hoping to get our expenses down to a point where we can retire even sooner, maybe in the next year or two. Thanks for reading :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NearlyThere on October 21, 2013, 01:16:29 AM
Morning guys and gals,

I found MMM via monevator well over 6 months ago and digested the entire blog in one sitting. It wasn't a pretty sight the following morning. I'm 31 years old, married (no kids) and have 2 successful small businesses. I think I live frugally, but then again I last Wednesday I easily spent £100+ on eating out. Not mustachian and deserved of a Major Facepunch, hence the name.

The plan is to curb my frivolous food spend first and foremost as this is the largest area of concern for me. The rest will follow suit!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: random_nobody_23 on October 23, 2013, 03:44:10 PM
Hi all,

22 y.o. just about to begin my career as a teacher. Living with partner and my dad to save money.
Moving west soon.

Have always been frugal due to necessities of being a student but been actively working toward FI since 20.

Some savings between the two of us, a $22,000, newly acquired debt from university.

Would love to be FI before 35.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2girlsdad on October 23, 2013, 04:06:42 PM
Hi.  I'm Brent, and I'm new to MMM blog.  It's an awesome site--I've spent better part of day at continuing education seminar cruising around and I'm really enjoying it (the site, not the seminar).

Mrs. Brent and I are early 40's and are proud parents of 7 year old and her 5 year old sidekick sister.  We live in Northern California and look forward to growing our family mustache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xingcat on October 24, 2013, 08:29:28 AM
Patrick here. 45 and living in the Boston area.

I found this board from Get Rich Slowly (which I think has gone a bit downhill) and found that I'm really interested in the tenets of early retirement and financial independence.

I've been very good about saving, and now I have to make the leap into investing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: surfastarian on October 25, 2013, 10:17:16 AM
Travis.  29 and 21/24th's years.  Around 34 days until my 30th birthday.  Just counted them.  Seemed easier than doing the math.

Live in the Atlanta area.

Am sometimes fond of beginning sentence fragments with verbs.

Been a long time reader of the blog.  Brilliantly written.  Love the style.

Awful debt.  Made stupid decisions.  Surrounded by crap.

Read intro thread and rules.  Never heard of a hierarchy of disagreement, but may work it into a lesson one day.  Liked it.

Thought suggestion to post an introduction thread was a good idea.  Did so.  Wrote a poem.

Hope you like it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Empire Business on October 26, 2013, 03:34:02 PM
Hey guys.  I am 42 and live in Seattle with my husband, no kids.  Our small "starter home" (lol, I plan to die in it) is almost paid off, and I am trying to decide what to do after that.

I have always done pretty well with being mostly frugal with a few glaring exceptions.  Now I am looking to trim more, but I am finding in some cases it may take an up front expenditure to save money in the long run.  For example, the home does need some repairs, and I am looking to change its heating system to a different type.

It seems like you have a great community here, and I am looking forward to getting all of your advice and pitching in if it's something I happen to know about. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Siamond on October 26, 2013, 06:39:56 PM
Hi there. After spending a little while on the ER forum (on my way to FI/ER... maybe 2014, maybe 2015, the sooner the better!), the cFIREsim author (Hi Bo!) suggested that I join this friendly MMM forum. So I did. And from the little I've read so far, this certainly seems very worthwhile. Many thanks for all the contributions of the community here.

I am 51, married, I have 3 boys, 2 in college (OUCH!) and 1 younger. I live in the Boston area, and I love to fish... Once I can get out of the regular work grind, one of my side activities will be to act as an occasional fishing guide, notably with kids. I always enjoyed it very much, so I might as well make a few $$ while pleasing kids, parents and enjoying myself by the same token.

Oh, and I do have a mustache. Comes with a beard (and not much hair left on top)...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moomingirl on October 26, 2013, 07:02:46 PM
Hi everyone, I'm in NZ, and working towards (and looking forward to) early retirement.

I'm pushing 40 (hard!) and wish I had found MMM and ERE ten years ago. I'm making up for it now though.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BroncoRon on October 27, 2013, 06:46:27 PM
Hi - I'm Ron.

I'm a 27 year old Engineer in NY.  I make a nice salary but am trying to kill the remainder of my student loan debt before purchasing my first home; hopefully by 30 years old.  I'd like to retire by 45.

I'm looking to learn more about investing and saving, and becoming more "frugal" with my spending

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: syslogv4 on October 28, 2013, 05:12:03 PM
Hello everybody

About Me:

I am 24, married my highschool sweetheart at 21, bought our house at 21 and have no credit card, student loan or car loan debt.

My wife is an EMT (soon to be paramedic). We are right at the national average for household income.

I drive a 1993 Chevy S10 (got for free from my dad when he bought a newer truck). My wife drives a Scion (we paid cash, salvage title, but nothing wrong with it) We also have a F350 for a farm truck (again paid cash)

Other than the last few months, we typically have a 45% to 55% savings rate.

We bought a foreclosed house and got a great deal on it (cheaper than rent). Although, we are selling to buy one with more land.

We are looking forward to increasing our savings % !!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Heart of Tin on October 28, 2013, 05:13:38 PM
Per forum etiquette I'm here to say hello. My name is Heart of Tin, but you can call me Tinny. I'm 24-years-old living in Kansas City where expenses are low, and the weather is erratic. My field of expertise is actuarial science, but I'm still waiting to get my second foot in the door so that my savings can really take off. I can't wait to meet all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Leggo on October 28, 2013, 06:36:29 PM
I'm Leggo.  Well, technically, that is my husband's nickname that I stole because it is awesome.  I guess I'm Mrs. Leggo.  Anyway...spent a lifetime thinking I deserved the finer things.  Just now realized that stuff does not equal happiness and trying to make it right.  Have about $100k in retirement savings once you subtract the mortgage.  Also just realized I've been ripped off by paying for WL insurance for 20 years, but fixed that immediately.  Like MMM said, we're going to live to be 120, so do I really want to spend the next 80 years paying for that?

Two kids...yep, recognize that they are a money suck, but for us, SO WORTH IT (to each their own).  I have fantasies of early retirement and homeschooling them while traveling the world.  Let's get to it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: D.williams on October 29, 2013, 02:54:41 PM
Hey guys,

My name is Dan, I am a landlord and look forward to contributing to the community any way possible! Until next time folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ejann1 on October 29, 2013, 07:11:23 PM
Hi, I'm Eva!  So great to have access to such an inspiring, helpful community of like-minded folks.  I posted my first on the forum on October 19, "Simple but fundamental question."  I'd love to hear from everyone. 

I'm 24 with no debt, working full time.  It's going well, but I've so many questions about how to do this whole retire-early thing...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pixie on October 31, 2013, 10:42:32 AM
Hi, I am a full time sahm, homeschooling three kids 14, 11 & 8.  My dh is a public school teacher & does remodelling jobs on the side to bring in extra income.  Historically, we haven't made good financial decisions.  We got married at 23 right after dh graduated.  We didn't know how to make good financial choices, or to even how or why to think about our future.  We've had some good things happen, but we didn't capatalize on them, so we're not better off.  The one thing we have going for us is dh's retirement plan.  Currently, We try to be frugal, but still live paycheck to paycheck & can't manage to save or pay off debt.  We're about to receive an inheritance that can turn this situation around & I really want to manage it well.  I'm going to post a case study, so I won't go into more detail here.  I literally cried when I found out about this unexpected inheritance, I want to use this to change our lives.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rocksinmyhead on October 31, 2013, 10:46:09 AM
25, live with my boyfriend and Oscar (who is a 10-yr-old husky/German Shepherd mix and not an actual human child). Living in Oklahoma for the last almost-2 years, which is way different from where both of us are from but we're finding fun things to do, and it has the upside of a very low cost of living! Like Ron, I am trying to pay off my horrifyingly stupid student loan debt before we buy a house, and hopefully also before we get married (which is eventually in the cards, no specific date). It's hard to determine exactly how much I've paid off since I started paying on them last year, but I just paid off the second one with a bonus last week and I'm down to $38,000... woohoo?! Due to the not-married thing our finances aren't actually combined, but we talk about our future financial goals a lot and share costs on most things.

I got started in my job late (beginning of 2012) due to grad school, but it was worth it for the salary and a fun job. More than actual super-early retirement, I'm hoping for financial stability and a sorta-early retirement (anything before 55 would be peachy!) Watching my parents and my boyfriend's parents near 60 with barely any retirement savings and their homes not paid off is fucking terrifying... I don't want that to be us. I guess I also really like the concept of "fuck you" money... I want us to have the freedom to quit our jobs or move if we are really unhappy.

MMM was suggested to me by my aunt, who said "I know you are a frugal, thoughtful person"... I was super flattered because their family has always been very frugal--not retired yet but it enabled my aunt to be a stay-at-home parent, and they were the first one-car family I knew :)

Anyway, this is getting long, but super glad to have found this resource... I look forward to learning a lot from advanced Mustachians, and getting better at growing my own 'stache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalInTraining on October 31, 2013, 07:42:54 PM
Hi Everyone!

While I don't think of myself as an extravagant person, when I think of the amount spent on takeout food over the last decade. . . well, let's just say it adds up.

This blog has given me the kick in the pants (or punch in the face) I needed to pack a lunch and cook dinner at home for the past two weeks - a longtime goal often ignored.

I live in New York City, so some details of the Moustachian lifestyle are bit different for us.  But I'm finding lots of ways to improve my badassity, and starting to bring my husband along for the ride as well.  He likes conveniences, but our debt makes him uncomfortable, so vowing to pay it off is something he can get behind.

We still have lots of progress to make, but I look forward to more inspiration from you all here on the forum.  Glad you are here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YMDreamer on November 01, 2013, 10:01:14 AM
Hi, I am new here and already replied to a message before properly introducing myself. Sorry for that.

I found many things I can relate to on the blog of Mr. Money Mustache. For instance being a biker since early childhood and choosing to relocate to diminish my husband's commute. FIRE is my goal, but we (my husband and I) are only starters when it comes to building stache.
Being unemployed at the moment does not really help and I may need some punches in the face to improve that. On the other hand, our only debt is our mortgage and we were able to put quite some extra money into it this year, which was awsome.

I will start a journal to give more detail regarding our situation and tell about improvements on the Mustachian road. I am looking forward to meeting other Mustachians, although I am a bit insecure. MMM and the forum inspires me a lot and I hope the Mustachian 'movement' will grow and grow. On the same note, I hope the forum will stay as nice as I think it is now. Thanks everyone who contributes to the good atmosphere and the useful conversations here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mollylolly on November 02, 2013, 10:46:44 AM
Hello! I have spent most of my free time over the last few weeks reading every MMM post from the beginning (even took a day off from work for the project!) and now, somewhat sadly, I'm all caught up. Have already made MASSIVE and AWESOME life changes based on my Mustachian education--have sold a ton of crap (including a ridiculous BMW), optimized for energy savings around the house, and dialed waaaaay deep into our family finances. I'm super stoked to have come across this incredible resource and am truly grateful for all I've learned. Looking forward to checking out the conversations here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pipercat on November 02, 2013, 07:28:36 PM
I just recently found MMM through YNAB, and I have been spending quite a bit of time reading all the posts from the beginning.  Today, I discovered these forums as well!

Although my own mustache is barely peach fuzz, I am already using many mustachian principles in my own life.  I look forward to learning more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: onFIRE on November 02, 2013, 11:06:28 PM
Thanks to the Tightwad Gazette and Your Money or Your Life, I spent my 20's being frugal- paid off $5,000 of student loans early, saving money to quit my job and travel for months every few years, etc. Spent my 30's getting married, buying a house, and getting comfortable spending what I made.  I look back now and wonder what the hell happened?  My Dad died when I was forty and that plus some other stuff created a sort of midlife crisis and I realized that I didn't want to waste to much more of my limited time on this earth working.  A frugal friend directed me to MMM and my course was immediately corrected.  So far we have gotten rid of the car loan and have cut spending way down.  Next, we will attack the mortgage because that will be the FU money we need (without a mortgage we can live on my paycheck alone and I don't make very much) for my husband to have the option to quit his job- or stay if it seems more bearable when he no longer HAS to stay and we can reach FI even earlier.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Russ on November 03, 2013, 06:39:44 AM
Thanks to the Tightwad Gazette and Your Money or Your Life, I spent my 20's being frugal- paid off $5,000 of student loans early, saving money to quit my job and travel for months every few years, etc. Spent my 30's getting married, buying a house, and getting comfortable spending what I made.  I look back now and wonder what the hell happened?  My Dad died when I was forty and that plus some other stuff created a sort of midlife crisis and I realized that I didn't want to waste to much more of my limited time on this earth working.  A frugal friend directed me to MMM and my course was immediately corrected.  So far we have gotten rid of the car loan and have cut spending way down.  Next, we will attack the mortgage because that will be the FU money we need (without a mortgage we can live on my paycheck alone and I don't make very much) for my husband to have the option to quit his job- or stay if it seems more bearable when he no longer HAS to stay and we can reach FI even earlier.

Hell yeah, another Madison member! Keep an eye on the meetup board if you're interested; we're probably going to have another one here in a month or two.

Welcome and congrats on the turnaround!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: onFIRE on November 03, 2013, 07:22:10 AM
Russ- I am married to No Mas, who came to the last meet-up, and hope to make the next one.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Russ on November 03, 2013, 07:45:59 AM
sweet. Your husband is one awesome dude.

look forward to meeting you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Onomatopoeia on November 03, 2013, 03:14:58 PM
Hello everybody, I'm new to the forum. I've been lurking for a few weeks, love reading the blog/forum. I'm 27 and have been working in engineering since graduating college in 2008. Although I've always been considered "cheap" by family and friends, I have spent WAY too much of my money on convenience, which I've been successfully curtailing over the past few months. I want to become financially independent so I don't have to work in a cube farm and can spend more time with my future children.

I'm looking forward to increasing my savings rate and meeting you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frostymustache on November 03, 2013, 06:57:53 PM
Hey! I'm Frosty.

25, Wisconsin, on the path to a better financial future!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mumintheburbs on November 03, 2013, 07:29:31 PM
Hi! I'm in my 30s and married with three daughters.
I was raised by (partially) self sufficient hippies, now I'm married to a super consumer in the burbs of one of the most expensive cities in the world. Trying to work out what my values about money, life and happiness really are and if there's any middle ground! Loving the MMM blog and community so far.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Annamal on November 03, 2013, 08:13:46 PM
Anna

33 New Zealand software developer, no kids, no house, no car  some savings and one partner.

I was raised by mustachians (parents and grandparents both) and while I haven't been as frugal as I could have been I've never been in debt either.

I'm still contemplating taking the plunge and buying a house in the horrendously inflated NZ property market (it's awful but it has been awful for so long that the awfulness has become the new normal).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mikeigle on November 05, 2013, 12:46:12 PM
this is mike i., 25, from gainesville florida, checking in for the first time.

by the time i graduate from grad school in 2015, i will have around 90k in student loan debt. (right now the figure is at 45k)

yes, this makes me angry. i want to kill this debt as soon as physically possible–neigh! before.

i am determined to retire from the 9-5 scene by the time i turn 40.

i need all the help i can recruit.  this blog/forum seems to me a solid source of financial wisdom.

anyone have any advice for the student life? any links to articles...  good books...  quick (or long) tips?... any personal success stories...

many thanks to any and all who put time into badassing the system!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SDIRA on November 06, 2013, 02:59:06 PM
Hey everyone,

My name is Loren and I'm new to the forum. I live in Louisville, CO with my wife and two young boys. I've recently been turned onto this website and look forward to participating.

I bring a unique knowledge base to the community to look forward to helping others where ever possible. I specialize in self directed retirement plans for alternative investments. Essentially, the company I work for offers retirement accounts (IRAs, 401ks, HSAs, ESAs) that help facilitate investments outside the stock market. Common investment examples include: real estate, gold and silver, notes, private equity, and more. We provide the custodial services and administration services to handle all bookkeeping and IRS reporting for these types of assets.

I bring this to everyone's attention because the tax benefits associated with certain qualified plans can dramatically effect your retirement.

If anyone has questions or needs assistance, please don't hesitate to private message me. I'll do whatever I can do help this community.

Thanks and I look forward to meeting others.

Loren
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ThisIsBananas on November 07, 2013, 08:42:14 PM
Howdy, Im Jack
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jbird on November 08, 2013, 02:37:53 PM
Hi, I'm jbird. I'm here to guilt myself into making better choices about money. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chuck on November 09, 2013, 11:47:57 AM
Hi!

I'm Chuck, and I found this site by accident while googling ways to tax optimize my investment accounts. I'm a 25 year old DoD contractor vet living in NoVa burbs. A very recently reformed Volcano of Wastefulness, I converted to mustacism before I knew it had a name by changing my eating habits, moving extremely close to work, and cutting my car spending by over 80%.

I'm quite a ways away from FIRE, but I'm close to the the more attainable "Financial Security" (which I define as "can get by on minimum wage if necessary."

Been a reader for 6 months, figured it was time to participate. Glad to be here :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ragstoroths on November 10, 2013, 06:43:14 PM
Hey Everyone,

Originally from the cornfields of IL and now living in Philadelphia. I grew up poor and, although I've always worked, all of my earnings have gone to my education (and one manic spending spree in 2011). I'll have my $200,000+ degree in December with only $7,000 in debt. Only asset is a very small Roth IRA,  but also no liabilities.

Right now working to finish up my last semester and start the job hunt. My degree is in the humanities and I have work experience in non-profit program management and in retail management. In hindsight, I wish I would have done more with economics, management or business strategy because my interests tend to lean in that direction. Not sure where to go from here.

Hoping to learn a lot and connect with interesting, like-minded people like you through this blog.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: baniak on November 11, 2013, 08:42:45 AM
Hello,

I'm Layne (aka baniak). I discovered Mustachianism a few weeks ago via the YNAB podcast interview with MMM. Definitely was a wake up call to me - that I have veered far off the path towards goals that I have held for most of my life.

I'm 35, and in the past 7 years I have yo-yo'ed between having savings and being in debt. Currently, I am "lucky" only to have a small credit card debt, which I will be paying off ASAP. From there, hope to start growing my 'stache.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bartstache on November 13, 2013, 11:59:33 AM
Hi I'm Bart and I've been a viewer of MMM for about 4 months and thought it was finally time to jump in.  I'm married and look to be a bit older than most here at 47.  My wife and I have always tried to live within our means but never really had a plan for getting to retirement.  MMM has given me the direction I was looking for and has already sparked multiple changes in my life. 

After years of hearing financial experts saying I need to have more in retirement savings than I'll probably ever make, it is refreshing to finally hear some people making sense and finding out i'm not really all that far away from FI. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Torgo on November 13, 2013, 08:07:55 PM
I aM tOrGo... I tAkE cArE oF tHe PlAcE wHiLe ThE mAsTeR iS aWaY...

Bonus points to anyone who catches the Manos/MST3k reference.

24 year old molecular biology graduate student here, trying to deal with the fact that a lot of the biological research jobs with the most professional freedom have lower pay.  Gotten various bits of inspiration from this place over the last few months.  For the past two years, my savings rate on a grad student stipend already averages about 26%, so not doing terribly already, rather interested in poking around here more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aspiring mustachian on November 14, 2013, 06:53:18 PM
Hi,

I'm 28 and working on getting myself out of the financial hole I dug. I graduated with a B.A. in history from a "prestigious" (i.e., brand name, lol) university in 2011. I have $31,000 in student loan debt, around $800 owed to a bank, and probably some other things that haven't caught up to me yet. I decided never to get another credit card after getting into trouble 7 years ago and subsequently realizing how evil credit is (and how irresponsible I can be, so I'm not blaming the CC companies), so at least I don't have any credit card debt.

I just got my first ever full-time job that pays a living wage. I've been following MMM for a couple of months now and figured it was time to join the forum so I can learn from people who are farther in their journey towards FI. My partner isn't on board with total frugality, which is a little frustrating, but I figure he will either come around once I start making progress. I got him into couponing and stocking up on insanely cheap groceries, so perhaps there's hope. At this point we don't have joint finances, but I know it will be a problem if/when we get to that point and still don't quite see eye-to-eye on finances. One example that bugs the living crap out of me is that he believes in buying stuff just because he wants or I want it. I'm content with ogling and handling something, then realizing that I don't need it and the money is better off in my pocket.

I've made some progress so far. I upgraded from a POS oversized vehicle to an early '90s manual transmission econobox in decent shape and I'm learning how to drive it (yup, I'm one of those millennials who doesn't know how to drive stick) with the help of my partner. When I was working at a shitty job at a big box retailer that shall not be named, I got into saving part of my paycheck during the weeks I was given almost full-time hours. Once I have a decent income (currently I only get paid from my side gig and when the on-demand temp agency has work for me), I want to set up a $1000 emergency fund, start paying down my loans more aggressively, and start saving up for an expensive medical procedure I know I'll need in a few years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: olsmj on November 15, 2013, 06:36:19 PM
Hi! I'm a 26 year old chemistry teacher in the south and I've been reading MMM for about 8 months.

I was raised by musicians who encouraged education and experiences over "stuff" and prestige, so I've always been pretty frugal. My saving was always pretty short-term, though, focusing mainly on travel or other big purchases. I traveled to Italy this spring and realized that I want to have the freedom to go where I want when I want, and I don't want other people to own my time. I started researching how to do long-term travel and that eventually led to ERE and MMM. It opened my eyes to all the cool stuff my salary can do! I started investing in more than just my IRA and critically examining everywhere I put/spend my money. I'm saving at about 55% right now (investing about 45% - the rest goes to travel) and I'd like to increase that but I also feel comfortable with my spending.

I think the focus I've devoted to my financial situation has led to more awareness of my life overall. I feel happier while spending less money! I'm developing healthier habits (still not on a bike yet, I have a boatload of excuses that are all empty but I cling to them for some reason!) and am more appreciative of what's around me.

(also, the Manos reference above is awesome! MST3K and Rifftrax are delightful!)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sunshine on November 17, 2013, 05:28:34 PM
Hi everyone! My spouse and I are both 43 and retired is where we want to be! I looks forward to sharing some info and picking everyone's brains!  We are debt free with an ok start but we have a lot to learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: suzanneseale on November 18, 2013, 06:55:27 AM
My goal is to own (i.e. no mortgage) my first property at 25, and completely financially independent by 30.
Other things I dream of are owning a franchise, owning an apartment complex, taking a trip to space, inventing something useful, building my own house (i.e. pulling out the hammers and saws, not hiring contractors. Never understood why people refer to that as building their own house) I may get married after I achieve the above.

Wow, your dreams are epic!  Good luck with them all!

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/05/28/weekend-edition-the-magic-of-thinking-big/ (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/05/28/weekend-edition-the-magic-of-thinking-big/)
I also read the book and take it seriously. Thank you :)

I think that goal is quite possible. I did it but I don't have kids. My 4-year college education was paid for by my parents and I paid for my 2-year grad school with money I earned while working nights as a mental health counselor which paid a very low salary. One thing about the job though was that I was not required to dress well, drive a nice car or pay for expensive lunches. In fact, the opposite, I was encouraged to look poor.
I ran my own graphic design business which was quite lucrative at the time and still worked at the nighttime mental health job 3 nights a week which was full time and I was able to sleep during my shift.
I had a husband who spent more than me, so I had to support him and the house we bought. We added a small income apartment to the house right away.
Our parents each gave us money toward the down payment. My husband's schooling was also paid for by his parents. We divorced and he got a sum of money from our savings. He did not like the mustachian ways and decided to take the savings and spend. (Something to watch out for when you are married.)
Once he left, I got 2 roommates, plus having the tenant and I had reached financial independence and paid off the house in 5 years. It could have happened sooner.
I worked the 2 jobs for a total of 10 years while also working on the house.
Since I had expected to have children, I wanted to be there to take care of them instead of always worrying about money and going to a 9 to 5 job.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: myllanac on November 20, 2013, 11:05:18 AM
Hi, I'm a recent fan of MMM (thank you Jesse at YNAB) and young enough (27) to benefit from this approach.

I plan on asking more specific questions in a separate post but a little about me:
- Age 27, married (wife is 26), two kids (one is two and the other is four months).
- We have no debt except our one-year-old mortgage (30 years at 3.5% fixed).
- I am the sole breadwinner; my wife does some babysitting/child care but that is less than $5,000 a year, and not year-round. With two kids and our income what it is, we do benefit from a negative payroll and income tax rate thanks to the EITC. We use that for once-a-year expenses (car registrations, life insurance premiums), and our short-term savings goals (a replacement minivan within two years).
- After (minimal, due to above) tax withholding, health and retirement contributions (maxed 401k), our core expenses minus our mortgage ($9k per year PITI, 30 year fixed) are already at about $25k, close to MMM.

The main things I'm looking to get advice for are:
- How to optimize our spending, particularly in the largest areas of our control: food, car gas, utilities, and personal and household expenditures (basically the non-food staples you buy at the grocery store - toilet paper, paper towels, cleaners, toiletries, etc.).
- Income generation ideas for stay-at-home-moms of infants and toddlers. We don't do daycare and we have another 9-12 months until our oldest is ready for preschool.

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to meeting many of you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 20out on November 20, 2013, 02:31:40 PM
Hi.  Been lurking for a couple weeks.  Wife and I are 29 and plan to retire at 50.  Debt free except house.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: melalvai on November 21, 2013, 09:23:51 AM
I don't read these introductions and I don't expect anyone to read this, but providing a bit of background just in case anyone reads something else I wrote and wonders "Who does she think she is?"

I learned about MMM through YNAB and through a friend (the director of the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation is a fan).

We just became a 2-income family (combined income $129k) but mine will go away in a few months. We own one car (paid cash) and we rent our house. My husband has student loan debt and our daughter is quickly incurring student loan debt. :(

We're on average 40 yrs old (as of Dec 2013), and I'm overeducated with a PhD in Biology. I'm a research professor in a private osteopathic medical college-- research only, no teaching. My research area is a collaboration with an orthopaedic surgeon and we are studying posttraumatic osteoarthritis. This is not the field I was trained in, and sorry, we haven't discovered anything useful yet. In fact we won't discover anything, as we didn't get a grant this summer and therefore my contract is not going to be renewed.

Far from being devastated when I got this news, I was excited. I've been dissatisfied with this career for 13 years-- far too many-- and I welcomed the opportunity to change. I haven't been able to before, because I've been supporting the family. On a postdoc salary. But 3 years ago, my husband went back to school and got a degree in Computer Science. While I was a research prof, he wasn't able to get a job since we lived in a small town. But when we got the news about my contract, he put in 2 applications to a slightly bigger town and immediately got 2 offers.

That student debt of his is looking a little less of a stupid decision now that he has a job which enables me to finally break free of a career I dislike.

We became a 1-car family in 2004 and I started biking, just until we could afford a car payment for a 2nd car. Ha! Not on a postdoc salary, and I discovered that I loved bicycling and I loved not having a car payment. Wow, that opened my eyes. Not have a 2nd car! Not have a car payment! These amazing concepts fly in the face of everything I thought I knew.

What I don't like is traffic, and bike/ped advocacy is the one thing that makes me feel empowered to handle the inevitable honks, yells, buzzes, and the worst kinds of harassment on the road.

You know what else I like? Bike touring!

As I look ahead to switching careers when my contract expires, and saving up during these few months that we have a hefty double income, I'm considering urban planning, traffic engineering, or bike/ped advocacy.

Our daughter is a freshman at an engineering school. She's considering civil engineering. I'm jealous. Also worried, as she will end up with a lot of student debt and she has been very unhappy during her first semester. But I have to let her make her own financial mistakes, and who knows, maybe the student loans won't be a mistake for her.

That random collection of facts will explain quite a lot if you're stalking me. If you're curious, I'm happy to share more. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bdonney on November 22, 2013, 05:55:36 AM
Hi, my name is Kyle, I'm 26 years old living in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. found this blog about a month ago. Never really do blogs or forums ever despite being in IT, computer and programming work. so this is new to me. I've read through quite a few of MMM blogs and most interested in joining discussions because I'm not used to meeting people with similar frugal thinking. MMM preaches to the choir with me, but I may have just saved one of my friends sending him to this blog. I talk about retirement and people think I'm weird. Engaged to a girl with some debt issues that I've been trying to teach the frugal ways to her for the past several years. That's my story in a nut shell.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrY10cK on November 22, 2013, 02:21:56 PM
My second post on the forum.

The Porsche 911 that I wanted when I was a kid is now a Campagnolo equipped super light road bike.

The pickup truck I used to have is now a 29er with a cargo trailer.

My version of the Hummer/Suburban/Escalade that never goes off-road is a fat bike with 4.7" wide tires and it does go off-road, very well in fact.

I'm really interested in recumbent trikes but that's something for the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ReepWhatYouSow on November 23, 2013, 08:40:01 PM
Hello All,

I'm a 28 year old mechanical engineer in Columbus, OH.  I was turned on to the blog by a co-worker about 10 months ago and have been catching up and following along ever since.

Was raised by a family of entrepreneurs so have always been somewhat frugal, but trying to implement things from the blog that are an improvement from what I've been doing.

Looking forward to getting some advice on a new adventure to join the family business in the near future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Woodreaux on November 25, 2013, 09:01:01 PM
Hi all,
Just found MMM and have enjoyed reading thru from the start.

Married. 2 boys (5 & 3) and a girl on the way.  But I'm determined to "retire" early dammit.

Cut my debt free teeth on Dave Ramsey and have since moved on.  We snowballed about 40k in debt in a year and a half and now just have the mortgage.
I plan to pay the house off (157k) in 5-7 years.

Anyway, that's a glimpse of me. Just wanted to say hi and I look forward to learning the Mustaschioed Way with all of you.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frugalchevy on November 26, 2013, 06:37:39 PM
Hi, I'm Shavonne and live in Calgary, Alberta Canada.  Married with one grown kid.  Love Money Mustache and have learned so much.   42 years old, no debt, emergency fund in place, looking at our first revenue property. Just built our dream home and are working hard to pay off our $425,000 mortgage before I hit 50!

Dreaming of early retirement......
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lovesthesea on November 27, 2013, 12:07:44 AM
Hi, I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband.  We got out of consumer debt this past March (debt due to start up cost for starting our private practice businesses) and have been saving about 40% of our income since.  While we were digging out of debt, I had this very simple system of decorated envelopes which kept us on our budget: we allocated cash into them to pay our expenses throughout the month.  Counting out hundred dollar bills for rent really does have a different effect than writing a check or debit.  We now have enough $ to get into a small house after we do our taxes in January, one that we plan to have paid off in a few years.  Our plan is to have a house we own outright, at least one rental, and also funnel excess money into stocks.   To get all this expedited, we've been living in a 375-square-foot studio apartment for the past two years!  Every married couple should do this, as it will either make you or break you, plus every home afterward will feel like way more than enough.  I'm glad I found this site; I was on ERE for a little while but found the tone too serious.  Saving money is fun!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: azmtnbiker on November 27, 2013, 09:04:57 AM
Hi Mustached ones.  My name is Mike.  I'll be 50 next year.  I live in Tucson, AZ with my wife of 26 years.  We have two awesome kids, ages 21 and 15.  We started the debt-free journey years ago using John Commuta's (sp?) book Debt Free and Prosperous Living which is very similar to the Dave Ramsey "snowball" method.  We eliminated all credit card debt prior to our first child's birth, took a couple of years to eliminate the car loans and three years ago we made the last payment on our primary residence.  We also own a vacation home free and clear.  My wife hasn't worked since our youngest was born and we have lived well below our means for many years.  I like what I do so, even though I could call it good right now, I plan on working for another five or six years, unless I get a wild hair.  ;)  (We can't really hit the road until our youngest is in college anyway.)

We are sold out on the MMM philosophy and a several years ago began moving toward a simplified lifestyle.  What used to be counter culture now seems to be mainstream.  I am encouraged by the Mustached One's blog and am working even harder to streamline my life.

Really glad I found this blog!

Mike
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2goodkids on November 28, 2013, 08:37:06 AM
Happy Turkey Day!

Hi, I'm Joe, lucky father of 10yr old twin boy and girl and husband of a great woman.
Just discovered MMM and what perfect timing to find it; wife and I are 46 and putting refined plan in place now to allow "retirement" in 9 yrs from my full time, big company job. She works part time. Got a good head start on savings, low debt and grandma is adamant to foot the full bill for both kid's college educations. That last one I still have to pinch myself about. I paid for 100% of my own education.

Anyway, Not sure if the full MMM lifestyle is for me but what I've been reading so for on the site and comments in the forum is hugely inspiring and helpful to me.

Looking forward to reading and contributing.

Joe
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hernandz on November 28, 2013, 09:58:53 AM
Happy Thanksgiving. I'm very grateful to have found this community that will help me pick up the pace to financial independence. 

I'm a native New Yorker, originally from Brooklyn, now in the lower Hudson Valley, in a cottage with a mortgage. I have a car loan that I want to kick to the curb and I'm working down the last $4K of medical debt as my husband retires on disability. 

You guys will laugh at this -- Went to Mint and read that my credit card, which I have vowed to kill, has a balance of $0.73. So rather than waiting a full month, I decide to send an extra payment of $1.00. Yesterday, went to Mint and start swearing as Mint indicates balance is now $1.73      &*#% credit card company must have socked me with a minimum finance charge, right?  Nope.  I have a credit of $1.73.  I am *so* used to saying I owe $x, that I couldn't see that it wasn't a negative figure.

The big fat hairy goal for 2014 is going back to school to complete a 4-year degree. We have an emergency fund that is separate from the funds that can be used for school or car loan repayment.  The plan is to find an online or mostly online program so that I will continue to work  and save for retirement while attending school. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Alfred J Quack on December 02, 2013, 02:02:55 PM
Hi there,

I've been lurking for a bit and am impressed with both the crowd and the results I've seen so far. This enticed me to join and share ;) The nickname Wauske is Dutch (as am I) which losely translates to Spiffy.

Mrs. spiffy had already convinced me to more agressively pay back our mortgage but after reading the forums and Blog I thought to crank it up a noth (or 2). Currently we have already reduced the principal to about three-quarters of the original 120k in 2 years.

Pre-MMM:
Income: 40K annual income (22k after taxes) for myself and some 2k after taxed for the missus.
Expenses: 500-ish mortgage (about two-thirds is interest)
Extra payment: 500
Water, heating and electric: 250 (35 water, 100 electric and 115 heating). The electric and heating is pretty high because over-paying results in a major cashback at the end of the year. Practical amounts would be about 50 for electric and heating each (electric is also hot water, heating is via a shared heating system).
Health insurance (is mandatory): 168.5
Other insurances: 55
Cellphones: 12 (2 cellphone plans, not 1)
Groceries: 250-300 (produce is not very cheap but we go to the cheapest possible store)
Cable TV+Internet: 45 (Cable TV is mandatory for Cable-internet, I severly dislike the DSL monopolist so this was my only viable alternative)
Car-tax: 24


After MMM (won't list the unchanged values):
Extra mortgage payments: 850
Cellphone: 6 (killed my data plan)
Health insurance: 148.5
Cable TV+Internet: 38 (can't go cheaper)
Insurances: 24 (killed an obsolete one and transfered the others to a cheaper party with higher deductible)

As it stands the above should result in being mortgage free in about 7 years (with additional payments from tax returns etc.). Spiffy jr. however might throw a wrench, he's currently 9 months old (and relatively cheap). Depending on schooling and pre-school the timing would likely end up being 10-years before being mortgage free.
The current stash is large enough for us to risk spending roughly 60% on our mortgage relief. No definite plans on investing yet though, me and DW are in disagreement :P
Title: Sassy Lady Doctor
Post by: Maltipoomoney on December 03, 2013, 03:14:11 PM
Hi! Maltipoo doodle dog lover here.
45 married, 2 teens, aiming to FIRE from full time work in 5 years. I work 60-100 hours per week as a physician in a small US Midwest City.
Saving 27% of income now (I include the match)
Will be 30% next month
Jan 14 am aiming to increase to 50+% - got a raise, and paid off a 2011 car and cash flowed a home improvement in 2013, these $$ will be redirected!! Home improvement should encourage staycations, over vacation home.

Goal - 1. Build a fat emergency fund in 2014  - The Fat Fund
2. pay off mortgage in 3 years.  - 5 years ahead of schedule - Debt Free !!
3. Then Live off husband  returning to work (he has been stay at home dad for 7 years) or just some PT  shift work then; 1-2 per week.  Would be ok to help out college for 2 kidlets.

Adopting some MMM habits;
Cooking in
Bringing lunch
family game nights, park hikes instead of pricy spendy events
fixing broken things
DIY projects in the house
Reconsidering spendy kids lessons and travel teams;
Spendy lady clothes (wearing mostly scrubs anyway!)
Family vacations, retooling to family visits
 
MMM habits under scrutiny

Unfortunately, I Can't bike to work, or grocery; but only to a CVS pharmacy and park. I work some nights and call shifts and hospital is in a high crime inner city area 20 miles away - and - I am a wimpy girl afraid of being shot. Also time is of the essence in my line of work. I do drive a hybrid though. I am considering where I could relocate though, to bike to library/grocery/parks eventually, maybe work in a closer hospital here in the burbs.

Though we bought cars new,  we do keep our cars for a long time. Will examine this in the future. Our 2005 Odyssey has 124K on it and is doing great!! Perfect teen learning vehicle.
Needed for sheetrock transport, etc.

Confession; Am guilty of expensive private school syndrome. Started in public school. I appreciate the extra attention my kids get. They are a little uncertain at times.
DD is a junior and I am not going to pull her out in the end zone. Am ok with this. It is late in the game already.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ricky bobby on December 03, 2013, 06:29:51 PM
Hi,
I'm Chris, and I have bad spending habits.....

New to the forum and learning every day
Title: On fire for FREEDOM!
Post by: Mlkmn on December 04, 2013, 05:47:50 AM
Hi everyone. I found MMM a month ago and got my wife on board, so we are are going full force.

We are both 28 yrs old. We just moved back to Indianapolis from Tennessee because of jobs. My wife makes $42k and I make 40-45k depending on how many extra days I can pick up at work. We live across the street from where she works and I bike 7 miles one way to work.

We have 59k in student loans, 25k in upcoming adoption costs (Its not negotiable and I just count it as part of our debt emergency), and 4k in upcoming school costs to do an RN-BSN program because it is pretty much required in Indianapolis to have a BSN for nurses to do anything outside Long Term Care.

Post tax income: 5k/month
Rent: 1200
Cellphone: 26
Internet: 30
Electricity: <70
Food and household goods: 300
Insurances/Registration: 60

We are trying to keep our total living costs as close to 1600 each month as we can.

We don't eat out, have canceled our Amazon Prime membership, and are challenging each other to not spend money this entire week.  Also, we are selling a bunch of stuff, I am learning web programming languages in my spare time, and our family and friends are donating to our adoption costs.

We plan to be debt free and investing in two years or less. Its going to be a fun ride.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ambergris on December 05, 2013, 02:11:58 PM
Hi everyone,

Long time lurker finally decides to post.

I'm a 37 yr old university professor, from Britain but living in the US for the last (gulp) 16 1/2 years.  I'm tenured at a good 4 year state research institution.

I grew up with some excellent Mustachian principles (including some poor but spectacularly resourceful and ingeniously Mustachian-before-there-were-mustaches family members) and hence never really got into significant debt.  I was slowed down on the income side a bit by the inevitable lots of years in school and an early marriage that ended shortly after I got my first full time job.  Fortunately, all those degrees were essentially full ride, and I paid off my total of approximately $2000 in student loan debt about 9 years ago.

I'm probably about 8 years off a fairly comfortable 3%WR FIRE, despite a bit above mid-5 figure income; I have about a 50% savings rate.

I'm car free, which is fun but makes my neighbors think I'm crazy.  I'm a walker, rather than a cyclist; my walk is about 5 miles round trip to work.  I don't understand all this mustachian obsession with expensive machines when they have perfectly good feet to get them around. :D

I've been a Boglehead for some time (I first learned about investing and indexing from the Motley Fool before they became a series of ads for investing newsletters; I picked up on the BH's from there).  I found MM (IIRC) on a thread on the BH's, and enjoyed reading him talk about all the things I'd been doing for a while.  MM opened my eyes to a variety of other possibilities, such as early retirement. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GodlessCommie on December 06, 2013, 09:05:39 PM
Hello Comrades, GodlessCommie here.

Found MMM on FatWallet. I have been reading it pretty much non-stop for the last week. I think my wife is getting worried about this new obsession of mine. I better scale back a bit, just so that she doesn't think it is some sort of a cult.

As I now realize, I was in many ways close to Mustachianism all my life. Growing up in Soviet Russia gave us plenty of good examples of (and experience in) simple and frugal life. We got caught in consumerist craze upon coming to the US, and made plenty of stupid moves, but fortunately managed to still spend below our means and never get into any debt besides the mortgage.

What has been lacking for me is understanding of what was possible and systematic approach. MMM provides plenty of both, which I already started putting to a good use.

PS: funny how life gives us opportunities that we don't recognize... Within the first year in the US, a guy at work told me about Millionare Next Door (or a similar book), and how it was possible to acquire amazing wealth by doing simple things like bringing lunch to work. I thought he was an idiot. Now I know an idiot was the other guy in that conversation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: somepissedoffman on December 06, 2013, 10:08:40 PM
Hey guys,

My girlfriend introduced me to MMM a few months ago.  MMM resonates with me because I abhor debt and love bikes, and I believe ranting is the pinnacle of human expression.
I came out of school 30k in the hole, plus a 10k car loan pre-MMM (in my defense it was the cheapest new car one can buy, and is a manual hatchback) about 3 years ago, and have since obliterated those emergencies.  Girlfriend and I bought a house, so most of my money goes into that.  Hair's not on fire any more, but still looking for ways to improve savings.

I work as an electrical engineer, which is pretty sweet.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MicroRN on December 08, 2013, 03:19:15 PM
Hi everyone - I found MMM through a minimalism/voluntary simplicity board, and I think the two go hand in hand beautifully.  I'm a nurse, my husband is a navy nuclear engineer, and we have two little boys (10 mos and 2.5 years).  We're fortunate in that we have no CC debt and we'll be able to have our remaining debt ($15K car loan and $6500 student loan) paid off by June.  We also have a high income and military benefits, so we've managed to get by for a long time without having to really think about money.  We're also fortunate that we're 31, so we have time to make some serious changes in our lifestyle.     

I really want us to be in a position that we can do whatever we want, so I'm trying to get our debt gone and our savings/investments bulked.  It'll be a hard road with my husband, because he's of the "I work hard so I spend money to make up for it" camp.  Unfortunately, that attitude is really strongly reinforced by the Navy officer culture.  I handle most of the family finances, so I'm trying to put together some information for him.  Basics like groceries/household goods I handle anyway (and I've cut those expenses by 50% over the past 2 months), but he has bad eating out, buying-gadgets-on-Amazon, and funding-things-on-kickstarter habits.  Anyway, I'm here for ideas and support! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jbmatth on December 09, 2013, 06:35:53 AM
Hello all, I'm JBMatth, I've lurked for a while and am now getting into some better habits.  I'm a mechanical engineer, and have been working in that field for 5 years and am up to around 110k.  My wife is a GM for a couple hotels and pulls in 60k, but after our second daughter is born (30 days from today, woo hoo!!!!!!) She will be the regional manager for the same company making ???.  I have reduced our expenses by about $500 a month and am still working on reducing them further.  We were saving around 50% before joining the MM fan club, and that will only rise from here.  We have three debts as of now, our house which we owe 77k (5.5%) on, a rental house my in-laws live in we owe 23k on (6.1%), and my wife's new car which we owe 10.6K on (.9%).  I know a new car, but it is a manual and gets 31.2 mpg so far.  My wife uses it for work and has to drive 25 miles each way for work and day care, I bike 4.6 miles each way when the temp is above freezing (read wimp).  We plan to knock out the rental house first, then save for another house that will fit us a little better.  Then knock out all housing debt while saving for retirement.  We could be FIRE by 40-45, 27 now, but may work until 55 because of great retirement benifits I wouldn't get if I retired before 55.  I plan to donate a sizable amount from our stach shortly before retirement for a personal goal.  I look forward to reading/learning more as time passes.  Good luck to all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: erinlibrarian on December 09, 2013, 05:51:05 PM
Hi there,

I've been reading MMM for a year or so and have slowly made changes here and there. I just got married a month ago and my husband and I agree that it's time to really buckle down.

I called Sallie Mae this morning and paid $12,500 of my student loans that were accruing 6.8% interest. I figured that it was better than having the money sitting in my savings account earning 0.01%. I still have about $7000 left to pay (at 1.8%) and hope to do by next summer.

Looking forward to turning over a new leaf in 2014!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bugbaby on December 09, 2013, 06:57:51 PM
hi, i'm babybug. i've been lurking all year until a recent little post binge. I'm 37 y/o single mum in new england. working to pay off massive student debt and hopefully go part-time in 1-1.5 yrs. thank you for all the learning & motivation from mmm blog & forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vogon poetry on December 10, 2013, 06:24:15 AM
Hi!
I'm Cadence, librarian and recovering cheapskate.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pursuit 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Al 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. 


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Miss Scribbles 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: annaraven 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.
Title: Hi everyone and a request for Australian members.
Post by: Big_Paul 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: blue mutant 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lrgibs01 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2bfree 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pav 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: icebear 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: iheartfrugality 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! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: londonbanker 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LongBeachLion 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MontanaMoneyMustache 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aj_yooper 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.)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugal Friar 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).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thegoblinchief 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: iannj 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sydneystache 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: b4u2 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: californiapuppets 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 :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squidrow Wilson 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mamagoose 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 :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Davin 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?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bonyolult 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Financial Cyclist 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: heiding 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 :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: padad 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tyler Newleaf 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CaliToCayman 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: terutt 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Happy Little Chipmunk 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!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Accountess 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Clever Name 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mrsggrowsveg 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fitzgeralday 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!       
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VuwylkOnlezzyen on January 03, 2014, 08:59:04 PM
Hi, I'm stupid and am still working on figuring all of this out.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalInKansasCity 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mooshie 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Weedy Acres 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. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: beanlady 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ZugZug 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
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour 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!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ebenezer 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ZugZug 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
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Skydog 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. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Paulie 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
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mikaty 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
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LibrarIan 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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jjquantz 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
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Little House on January 12, 2014, 07:18:08 PM
I'm Little House. I own Little House in the Valley, a blog about personal finance and little houses. I absolutely love little house architecture, the idea of living in a Tuff Shed, and enjoy riding my bike. I've been following Mr. Money Mustache for a few months now and enjoy reading the articles. Working on living a simpler life...in Los Angeles of all places!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LibraryGirl on January 12, 2014, 07:26:49 PM
Hi everyone!  I'm Kim, I'm in my early 30s, and I have a whole pile of debt that makes me feel so insecure.  To me, financial independence is really about feeling comfortable and stable.  I have really started to tackle the debt in the last couple months, and then I found Mr. Money Mustache.  I'm obsessed with the blog and excited about the idea of biking to work.  When I used to bike everywhere, I also happened to weigh 40 pounds less with no effort, so I'm hoping to kill two birds with one commute.

Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RobsEG on January 13, 2014, 05:05:04 PM
hey there mustachians! I'm Rob from Jacksonville Florida. 25 and married with 2 kids. been reading the blog for about a year now (on and off) in order and I'm currently on April 2013 articles.

thought I was already pretty decent with my money till I found this blog. hah was that a joke. tweaked some of my spending and went from saving 6% to about 20% of our take home pay. joined the forums so I can keep learning and saving! on the road to financial independence, just looking for the shortest route :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ginastarke on January 14, 2014, 02:43:20 AM
Hi, Gina in Oregon here, hub , no kids, paying off the zombie debts from a much scarier period as we track them down, but nothing recent. We cut our expenses to the bone saving for last year's vacation and realized we liked it. Since that worked so well, we're  putting that money  towards savings- including saving for a clown-mobile for when a hoped-for promotion to another city happens, and  more into retirement just in case I decide I want to retire someday.

I work in customer service for a bank and easily 60-70% of the customers I talk to are on  Social Security or otherwise right at the financial edge. Watching what those people go through is a horrifying learning experience, so it's a big motivator.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jugglingcontinents on January 15, 2014, 07:35:15 AM
Hello,

I'm A, and I'm a 30 year old working professional in the Netherlands. I'm new to Mustachianism but I can't wait to get started on the path to FI. My fiancé and I are both expats (him: German, me: Indian) and though we're moderate savers, we haven't done a thing with our money until now! We've both been scared to invest since we're not clear which country we'll eventually end up living in (NL, India or DE).

I'm hoping that with FI as a goal we can ramp up our savings rate, take the plunge re: investing and live a more conscious and environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Eventually, I'd like us to have the option to work part-time, and have more time for our (hypothetical) kids/ traveling/ hobbies/ growing our own veggies/ afternoon naps.

Thanks for reading and nice to meet you all!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moonsalute on January 16, 2014, 05:02:04 PM
Hi! I'm juli in PA.  2 kids, 3 dogs, 1 bird and a husband.  My kids cost a lot of $.  So does my husband.  But I'm determined! I'm 44, live a higher middle class lifestyle.  But still, the only things that make me happy are not material... they are found in nature.  Hiking, biking, and trad climbing.  That's my weakness.  Its hard to be frugal on climbing gear :) 

I'm made fun of for my sustainability as I call it.  I don't like to waste energy, food, water..  I'm not the "normal" mom or neighbor!  Glad I found MMM.  More folks like myself :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Guru on January 16, 2014, 06:12:17 PM
Another Pennsylvanian (Erie)- just joined after a year or so of lurking. At 58, I guess I'm not the typical Mustachian; "early retirement" is off the board for me, but having parlayed 30+ years of below-average wages (don't get me wrong- I enjoy my work) into an above-average net worth I'm happy to be in a position to retire "eventually".  I married for the first time in 2012 and enjoy bikiing, gardening and our two cats.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: horsepoor on January 17, 2014, 03:38:03 PM
As my user name indicates, I'm a horse person, a decidedly non-mustachian life choice.  Luckily, I enjoy my career for the most part, and being a government employee, I have no intention of cutting bait before I'm fully vested with my pension.  However, I have some stupid, albeit-low-interest debt to dig out of, and would enjoy more peace of mind through having a healthy nest egg outside of my retirement account and fewer monthly bills to worry about.  I've finally made the mental shift that is going to get me off the spendy treadmill of doom.

Fortunately, I have a healthy income and reasonable expenses, as well as a penchant for DIY-ing, which includes training my own horses and even trimming their feet instead of paying someone else to do the job.  Goals for this year are to exterminate my credit card debt, start a Vanguard account, and accelerate payments on my car while increasing contributions to my retirement account.  Have already taken some steps to switch from Verizon to Republic, get rid of my gym membership, lower my grocery bill, put myself on a discretionary budget with Mint, and shop for cheaper insurance.  Excited to start seeing the results!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CJY on January 17, 2014, 04:16:07 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm Carla, age 33 (almost 34), in Toronto.  I started reading the blog a few months ago after it was featured in the National Post.  I read "Your Money or Your Life" during university and have always been inspired by the "crossover point".  MMM has reminded me about the importance of lowering expenses.  I'm currently writing a case study, just have to be brave enough to post it!

Good luck to everyone on their journey to FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brianeboatman on January 17, 2014, 04:42:32 PM
My name is Brian Boatman. I live in Nevada and am a retirement savings "nut". I can't wait to meet all of you and get motivation from you! This is such a badass site. Thank you to Mr. Money Mustache for creating such a cool site and forum. This is something that I've thought of doing. No need, already done!

I'm 37 and plan to retire at 55. I've worked for the Nevada State government for the past 11 years and will to 17 more. The idea is to retire...for good. I don't want to be like so many others I know and retire, just to go back to work a short time later. I will be prepared to hang it up for good at age 55....no excuses!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TreeTired on January 17, 2014, 07:37:58 PM
Howdy,   MJ  age 60.  Just read the article on Marketwatch.com  and many of the themes resonated.   My last job ended 6 years ago and we sold the house in NJ and moved to NC.    Only recently have I been willing to refer to myself as "retired."    Love what you have (things AND people).   Don't love what you don't have. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kaminoge on January 19, 2014, 09:35:10 AM
Greetings all!

I'm Kaminoge. 40, currently in Bulgaria but originally Australian (although its a long time since I lived there).

I've always had a frugal bent (thanks mum and dad!) but haven't had any specific goals (apart from saving enough to ensure I could retire some time in the vague future). Recently  however I've become intrigued by the ideas of minimalism and FI. I haven't yet worked out what I need to do to make that happen but I'm looking forward to learning.

Financially I'm in pretty good shape. No debt except for very large mortgages but those are all on investment properties that are doing nicely. I'm here to learn, to rethink my strategies and to seriously consider whether ER could be on the cards for me. Right now I'm not earning much (Bulgaria is one of the poorest countries in Europe) but if I wanted to up my salary I could easily go back to Asia (before I moved here I was in Tokyo).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oceanowl on January 19, 2014, 01:08:37 PM
Hi All,
I've been lurking and reading for a long time, decided it was about time to get actively into the conversations, as I find so many of the discussions to be really interesting and relevant to my own life. I'm 39, married, with a 2 year old. I have serious need to be outdoors as much as possible, and the family spends a whole lot of time hiking, biking and paddling around.

I was a serious over-schooler (M.A. in Anthropology, M.Ed in Reading) and horrific under-earner for a long time, and did all kinds of programs/volunteerism/internships/travel etc through my 20s that allowed me to feel good about giving back to the world around me, but left me in a pretty shabby financial situation(living off credit cards during grad school, giving up paid but boring work for travel opportunities, etc. I have since majorly reformed) While I don't regret the life experiences, I am only just about to finish paying off the results of some poor credit card choices.  Mr. Owl is a saver and planner with a very good salary, but waaaaay more conservative in terms of following the traditional retirement path. He doesn't buy into the idea of retiring early, mostly because he doesn't think it would be possible. We own a duplex and rent out the other half. We live below our means, but could easily increase what we save and detonate the house/loan debt, But I have to make the argument for why that would be something worth a little bit of sacrifice for. Since he's hardly ever had debt other than house debt he doesn't have the same kind of aversion to it that I have, since I've felt how crippling it can be to life options and choices. But hey, small steps.

Goals for 2014
- Plan for transition into staying home as of June. We can easily have me do this and still live below our means, but I want to find some side hustles that will help me get rid of the student loan debt ASAP while I am home and that could transition into something that I could ramp up as the kiddo needs less intense care. The nice thing is that while staying home I will have the time to implement a lot of cost saving measures that we don't do now, so with this and by ditching ridiculous daycare costs and a facepunch worthy commute to my current job, we aren't actually losing much by having me home.

-Annihilate the last shred of credit card debt (March) and build up as much of a cash cushion as possible before June.

-Several health related goals- priority needs to be on increasing cardio workouts to 4x a week. So far so good with that one. (I have recently realized that 2 years is probably far past the point where I can claim that "baby weight" is what's slowing me down) Our community is not super bikeable for errands. I ride the main road by us on my rec rides, but I'm nervous about having the kiddo in a bike trailer with all the crazy traffic. We'll see if I can find some ways to make this happen.

Looking forward to chatting with you all!



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oddients on January 19, 2014, 05:28:19 PM
Hello everybody!

I'm a college dropout, a polyglot, a linguaphile, and an avid cyclist. I've been working in IT and VoIP for a long time. I excel at what I do, but I am also aware that I am very lucky and privileged and make way more than I need. I travel a lot for different projects, but I don't pay for that. Additionally, I work my main project remotely, out of the USA, so I plan to take the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion this year. I'm 29, single, and childfree, and I'm on my way to FI within 4 years.   I have never owned a home, and the only time I have ever had a car was in high school when my parents gave me their old one. I got rid of it when I moved out at 18. I save the majority of what I make. I don't keep a super tight budget, but that's because I don't spend much to begin with. I spend about $100 a month on food and $200 a month on alcohol. I have some expensive electronics, but they are pretty much required for work. I have always rented, and it's worked out very well. I'd like to have my own place though, so I am saving up for one.

Goals for 2014:
-Max out solo 401k
-Max out Roth IRA (backdoor)
-Save enough to buy a house outright in 2015
-Find a house / property that I want to buy and live in. Or keep renting and save / invest that money.
-Get dental work done. I'm not having any problems but I bet I have a few cavities.

Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: maoriwarrior on January 20, 2014, 12:16:47 AM
Greetings, fellow mustachians,

My name is Don and I work as an IT specialist for a government agency in North Carolina.  Many thanks to MMM for the stupendous blog and forum. You have truly changed my life. I own a house,  have a mortgage that I've reduced the interest rate down to 3.5%, and I rent two rooms out.  Thanks to MMM's suggestions here on the blog,  I've reduced my electricity / heating bill by 12% by switching to LEDs and CFLs,  and tossed $300 of R30 insulation rolls into my attic. I've upgraded to an energy efficient unit, swapped out an old range for a new Energy Star range. I've installed new siding on my house. From the standpoint to recycling usable items and keeping them out of landfills, I've donated tools, the leftover extra siding and guttering, and a used ceiling fan to Habitat for Humanity. I've sold a bike on Craigslist and turned around and bought a new (used) one. I'm a workout hog, but I've reduced my monthly gym fees from $75 to $10 using discounts based on age, number of workouts, and referrals. I volunteer at SCORE as a business mentor; SCORE is a nationwide organization that helps entrepreneurs start and stay in business.  I use my Paypal credit card for all my point-of-sale purchases on shopping, grocery, pharmacy, and gasoline instead of my bank debit card and get 1% back at the beginning of the month for every purchase - it's like getting several hundred dollars for free each year!  I use my employer's health savings account, which by taking pre-tax dollars, reduces my end-of-year taxes, while simultaneously reimbursing me for pharmacy and doctor visits.  I've switched my investments over to TD Ameritrade, so that I can track them better, view reports more intuitively online, and reduced my broker fees.  Thanks for all the suggestions - - MMM and Mrs. MMM do a fantastic job!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Silvie on January 20, 2014, 12:33:16 PM
Wow Don, that should be in the celebrations topic :) Well done!
Title: I'm Dayna.
Post by: daynavanna on January 20, 2014, 01:19:12 PM
Hi all --  I'm Dayna.  I'm 28 and I live in northern New Hampshire.  I was introduced to MMM through the YNAB podcast and forums.  As I've found myself quite addicted to learning more and more about my personal finances through the YNAB boards, I figured I'd branch out and join another fiscally-minded community.  I'm just now starting my journey to become more financially independent.  It's going to be a long road, I'm sure, but I've started the first steps just in learning and starting to budget. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wishiknew on January 20, 2014, 03:00:51 PM
Hi, I came across MMM on Marketwatch and spent Sunday reading the posts... am up to June 2012.  My handle is "Wish I knew".  I retired on January 10th at the age of 64 after working in the Corporate Tax world for over 30 years.  I'm not in the age group of most of the MMM forum, but have already gleaned several useful gold nuggets.  I purchased a new Rav last year for cash (my 2000 Camry had 185,000 miles and needed about $3,000 worth of work).  I plan to travel across the U.S. (often alone) and thought a new vehicle made sense... especially as I plan to keep it for at least fifteen years, now I need a rethink.   Secondly I have been paying a financial planner to manage my funds as I was always too busy to learn about investing enough to competently handle my future.  Being risk aversive, I only lost 15% in the recession.  I can save buko bucks by managing my funds myself, but I need some suggestions as to which books to read first.  My fear isn't that I didn't save enough for retirement(no pension), but that I'll lose it through bad investments when I do need to leave an estate for my 43 year son who is disabled with traumatic brain injury from being hit by a car when he was three.  Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RugosaB on January 20, 2014, 07:49:46 PM
Hi, from a 55 yr old wife, with a 57 yr old husband, of almost 33 years.
We live in Ohio, in farm country. I'm the country gal, learned frugal-ness at birth from my parents, married to the city guy, whose parents never heard the word frugal. He moved out here and more or less became countrified and frugal-fied.

We bought a house that no one even looked at when it was listed, a year before we were married. We put in a new heat system, new wiring, new plumbing, the list goes on, and never hired anyone until we added on, and then it was just the shell.  We did the rest. My dad was a field tile contractor, we even put in a new septic system and tiled the yard ( for drainage - around here it's necessary)
We bought our house, on an acre, for 45,000, the mortgage was for 35,000 in 1980. The mortgage was at 12%!!!! So when we had enough money saved to refinance, we figured what the heck and we just paid it off in 1989.
Not bad for 2 college-degree-less blue collar kids who started with 0!

I became a SAHM when our first, of 3, was born, with the plan to go back to work when they were bigger. My husband moved up in his job to a point that it was a smarter decision for me to not work. He talks about retiring when he's 62 but I know he won't even consider retiring before then. Up until last year we had to have his health insurance at work because our daughter has a health situation that no ins company would touch her and his employer has included children up to their 26th birthday for the last 15 years. Now she gets insurance through college and with Obamacare now, I think she'll be ok.

The money we invested when we were younger is now paying off, last year the investments value grew to twice what his income was. I think he likes his job though, where they have him now is worthy of his intelligence imo.

Love reading the posts and thankful I was allowed to join
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yoke on January 20, 2014, 08:49:57 PM
Hello. Like-minded young person joining here. Always preferred simple living and being "boring." Most of my friends are 30 to 40 years older than me. People have told me that there may be a 50 year old man living inside me. I'm sure their opinion had nothing to do with my appetite for a morning bowl of bran flakes. I also own a 1995 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Elite. Beautiful luxury vehicle.

Graduated high school last spring. Parents got divorced. Taking a year to work, save money, and rebuild my personal "foundation." Going to school for engineering this coming fall. Will try to avoid debt like the plague.

Have enjoyed the works of Jacob of ERE, Dave Ramsey, David of Raptitude, Elliott Hulse, Mavis at onehundreddollarsamonth.com, Mr. MM of course, and some other random people of the Internet that have influenced me. Here's to you, Internet People.

I'm starting my life fresh on the premise that I suck and have much room for improvement...in everything.

I hope to become a badass, but unfortunately, I don't think a mustache would fit my face. (Metaphorical mustache here I come.)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JetsettingWelfareMom on January 21, 2014, 03:54:35 AM
Hello;
Married with two girls. Greetings from Bangkok.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jhartt3 on January 21, 2014, 06:39:43 AM
I'm new here and just feeling my way around.  I have been adamantly saving since i graduated from college 3.5 years ago.  Including my home equity my wife and i have around 210k saved up for retirement.  This is all in 401k's, Roth IRA, Home equity, and my company ESOP plan.  If i remove my equity we have 158K in those retirement accounts.  I'm 27 years old now and until i ran across this blog had assumed i would need about 5MM a saved minimum to retire.  and had my sights set on retiring at 45.  After seeing this blog and understanding how many of these habbits I already use.  I believe 35-40 could be a realistic option.  My only current problem is convincing my wife. 

My non mustachian habits:

-I am an avid wakeboarder - i own a boat - i live in a lake community (though this is the most affordable lake community in the- KC area)  ---- The boat i own actually has equity in it as i bought an older one at a very good price. 
-We travel a ton.  Probably to the tune of how much MMM traveled in his early days.  I try to do this as affordably as possible and having thousands of airline miles and a SW companion pass helps most of this be very cheap.  we probably spend 400/month on travel
-car loans - my wife has 3.5 years left on her ford escape (2010) not going to be able to convince her to get rid of this... but the interest rate is 0 so i'll let her pay that off and cont. My truck (UGHHH) i got a ford escape hybrid last year with the intent to sell my truck as i dont need it.  Still havent sold it but i can get 45 MPGs in my hybrid driving correctly.  Just really need to ditch this truck
- we probably spend a bit too much at bars with friends each month 100 a week maybe.  This is insane and I will put a stop to it

Current goals:
Go to 4 day 32 hour weeks by 32 so i can spend time with my future kids.  (this has been my biggest worry as i have a higher stress, travel alot engineering job.)
Thanks everyone for reading glad i found this forum
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. Liberty on January 21, 2014, 08:26:10 PM
Sup peeps?
New here, lived an interesting life so far.  Just turned 35.  Disabled american vet, pinching pennies just to see myself slipping farther into dept.  But maybe this site & the people here can help keep me motivated to change some of that nonsense.  Looking forward to finding out anyway.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Valdas on January 22, 2014, 02:11:04 AM
Hi,
My name is Valdas, I live in Vilnius, Lithuania. (if there are more Lithuanians, send me msg). 27years old. I work as a project manager in advertising industry. Due the cultural and mom influence managed to avoid big debts (just 1000 USD, student loan). Saving rate just starts to improve, now ~about 40-50%.
Found this blog few months ago, and finally made all articles :) I like MMM perspective of life and money, actually its pretty similar to mine - frugality policy. BUT this blog gave me a good kick-wave that I need to keep that direction, that I am not alone. Tips are great.

Goal: Save for new home for me and my new family and then retire at ~33.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Workinghard on January 22, 2014, 04:24:12 AM
I doubt if anyone reads these, but here goes. Lol.  I've always lived debt free and below my means.  My husband not so much. After we were married 22 years ago, I found out he owed ~40k between his car, credit cards, and home improvement loan. It took 4 years to pay it off and be plus 60k. That was working 40/60hrs a week even while pregnant as an ER nurse. We still haven't reached FI because I quit working for 10 years. We're back on track though and I'm hoping our net worth will reach 1m in 2016--the year my dh will retire at 66. I'm also hoping he will be able to work per diem for extra spending money. I'll continue working and we can easily live off my income (if I remain FT at the same company) his social security, and continue to save a little.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. Liberty on January 22, 2014, 05:12:13 AM
I doubt if anyone reads these, but here goes. Lol.

Glad to hear you are back on track
:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Milspecstache on January 22, 2014, 05:40:23 PM
35yo and 6 years to go to military retirement.  We live off of a small portion of my income and use the rest to pay off our house mortgage (5yr loan ends March 2014) followed by the mortgages on 2 rental properties I also own.

I've also been frugal, at least by the standards of my friends, but MMM takes it to a whole new level.  Already learned much but had to create a forum account to start asking questions.  This forum is a real gold-mine of advice.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nvmama on January 22, 2014, 06:24:57 PM
Hi everyone.  I'm new here.  I stumbled across MMM when asking google a financial question.  I'm glad I found this site.  I am 36 yr old who lives in the southeastern part of Massachusetts.  I'm originally from Wisconsin.  I have a husband and 2 wonderful children (6yr and 3yr old).  I have always been a fairly frugal person, and my husband is the "saver" of his family, but in his family that is not saying too much as they are all pretty big spenders.  We have some debt that we are working on paying off from one big slightly impulsive decision, and our home mortgage.  Both of our vehicles are paid off and I had paid for my college education by working while going to college and never had to take out a loan.  Even though we are chipping away at our debt, I would like to do so in much bigger chunks, but unfortunately I keep running into the huge roadblock that is my husband.  Even though he is not a crazy spender he is more of a "live for today" type of guy.  You should have heard his reaction to me wanting to just cut back the cable service, He nixed that idea.  Anyways, I have enjoyed this site and hopefully I will be able to make some of the small changes while working on my husband.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jpoysti on January 22, 2014, 07:04:37 PM
Hi fellow Mustachians.

I'm a 23 year old guy from North Carolina. I'm still in college studying Finance (at NC State) because I have been always fascinated with the allocation of capital. Personally I've been a semi-frugal type since childhood, though gadgets have been a weakness in the past. Discovering the MMM blog via WaPo last April has greatly improved my financial efficiency.
I'm not lucky enough to have parents paying for my school so I'm taking on some debt but I plan to pay it off within a few years of graduating.
If anyone in the Raleigh/Triangle area is meeting up definitely inform me! I'd love to meet fellow mustachians especially those more senior than I.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rick1028 on January 22, 2014, 09:48:24 PM
Hi my name is Ricky, I am married with one wonderful little 2 yr old girl and another child on the way.  I am ready to work towards obtaining my families financial freedom.  I do have debt buy not an obscene amount but I hope to be debt free (other than my house this year).  Thanks.

Ricky.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Travis on January 23, 2014, 01:11:03 AM
Hello everyone.  I discovered MMM through being a YNAB user for the last year, though I'm only just now finishing MMM's posts from 2011.  I have no debt and I think I'm doing very well in preparing for retirement, but I'm always looking to do better.  I'm an officer in the US Army and have 10 more years before I retire.  This may or may not be an MMM-style retirement depending how the numbers look by then.  My biggest financial goal is once I retire from the Army we find a house and pay it off as fast as possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ashyukun on January 23, 2014, 08:43:45 AM
Joined up yesterday but just now finally getting around to an introduction post.

Found the site thanks to a thread on the car forum I frequent, Grassroots Motorsports, and as I'm having to do a lot of trimming in my spending thanks to having a house that just does NOT want to sell and for a while having to soak both the mortgage and rent at my fiancee's place have definitely welcomed some of the advice I've found here. Said fiancee is actually far better at the whole MMM-style living thing than I am as she's always had a much lower income than I have.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AdrianC on January 23, 2014, 11:23:31 AM
Hello. Just joined the community. Only heard of MMM last week. Been reading the blogs. Great stuff.
We are sort of Millionaire Next Door types rather than MMM types at this stage. Still working (self employed consultant). Investment returns at a 4% SWR would easily cover expenses, but that is partly due to the terrific market gains of last year. I want a bit more margin of safety.
So, still working while the work is there. Making hay while the sun shines, so to speak.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Torran on January 23, 2014, 12:04:51 PM
Hello,

I'm new here although I've been lurking around reading posts. I love the open minded attitude on this forum as well as the decency and ingenuity of folk living a little differently to the norm and helping each other to stay motivated.

I'm in my twenties, female, single, live in Scotland, and have been in thrall to consumerism for most of my life. I spent the last 10 years shopping instead of living. Recently woke up a little bit and realised life is something completely different to what I thought it was, and nobody cares what shoes you're wearing anyway. Thoroughly enjoy the antics of MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 23, 2014, 12:25:37 PM
Welcome to the forum, Torran!  Isn't it so exciting to have woken up from the consumer fog?  (It happened to me as well.)

Are you from Scotland originally? Scotland is near the top of my list for places to visit.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NewStachian on January 24, 2014, 01:22:30 PM
Hi, everyone! I'm very excited to be here. I only recently found this site, but I've had Mustachian tendencies for well over a decade! I'm 30, just got married and bought a house last year, and just got my wife into MMM. She isn't as hardcore as me, but definitely not hooked by the consumer mindset either.

I have a few Antimustachian things going for me right now, but that's okay. My house was a bit pricey (700k, 3.8k/month), but it's exactly where my wife and I wanted to be, allows me to bike to work, and still lets us bank over 40% of our savings each year. We're also renting out our basement to a good friend of ours to mitigate the costs.

I'm on the site to learn more about what all of you have done and see if I can adopt more of those principles for myself. I'm relatively handy around the house but am looking to get into more carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work. I plan on starting small, and don't worry, I have a multimeter to check for voltage first!

I'm also a casual iOS developer, trying to get myself a little passive revenue stream from that ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: economist on January 26, 2014, 10:07:29 AM
Hello,
I'm Tom, I found the blog through the WaPo interview. I was already into personal finance but but reading MMM really inspired me to take things to the next level. Current situation: Recent grad, tons of student loans (which I was treating as an emergency even before coming here) and a low-paying entry level job. Hoping to learn from the community.
Title: Hi
Post by: SweetLife on January 27, 2014, 12:32:08 PM
My name is Sherry and I have started the slow process of "mustashioism" ... love how very helpful everyone seems! I am not one to ask for help normally (last of 5 kids and terribly independent...) BUT I know when I am over my head :) AND my husband and I are welcoming a "0% chance of having a child on your own" baby in a little over 6 months ... at 43yrs old.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SheepInWolfsClothing on January 27, 2014, 09:39:47 PM
Hi everybody,

I'm a college student and I want to maximize my potential so I may retire/completely outsmart the system at a young age.

Looking forward to meeting you all. Thank you.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Czechgal on January 28, 2014, 12:52:30 PM
Hi, I'm Trish.  42 yo recently divorced < year (yea) single mom of 2 ages 10 & 7.  I am currently in nursing school and should graduate in December 2014.  I have cc debt < 5k.  Student loans apporox 25k ouch!  Im going to school full time so my only income is child support and a part time job that pays very little.  Monthly income is about $900 (rent is $750).  Once I finish school my goal is FI within 15 yrs. Thankfully my kids & I have gotten used to living on so little.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mo mo hawk on January 28, 2014, 03:09:05 PM
Greetings from Chicago!

I've spent the last few weeks reading MMM's posts and it's lit a bit of a fire under my ass.  Looking fwd to getting some much needed advice and hopefully doling out a wise crack or two as I join this journey with you all.

-mo
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cherry Lane on January 28, 2014, 08:46:36 PM
Howdy from Virginia!

I've always been naturally frugal.  Never had debt aside from mortgage and car-loans-of-convenience (that is: had the cash, but why spend it when you can get a 1-2% loan?).  Building up a nice little nest egg.  Thought I was doing well, even convinced myself I should be spending more of my money, live it up a little.  After all, with my savings rate I'd still have plenty to live on by the time I'm 60 or so. 

So, shortly after spending 50% more on a car than I'd ever spent, or even considered spending before, I happened across MMM a few months ago.  Yes, I facepunched myself for buying that car.  No, I didn't sell the car.  I've since read all the blog posts and >75% of all the comments.  I started biking to work (3 mi each way, two of the three days per week that I commute) in November, and have so far kept that up.  I'm about to institute a complainypants 20F threshold on biking, though, as it took me 3 hours to warm up after last Thursday's 13F commute.

MMM has cost me money already, too.  The first post I read was the first one about MVNO wireless phone service.  Where I had been spending ~$100/year on prepaid service (voice/text), I've now switched to an MVNO at $10/month ($120/year) because:  on ATT (instead of TMobile) I can get service in my house - yay!, and now I have voice/text/data, for the every-once-in-a-while it is handy to have data access.  I think that's worth the extra $20/year.

I'm 39.5 and have decided I'll be retired by 50.  I have now about half what I'll need for true FI, but I'll have some healthy pensions kicking in at age 60 to help.  So I only need be semi-mustachian.  I'm now in the process of refinancing my mortgage to a 10-year loan, so the timing of the end of my loan will match up nicely with the end of my working.

For the first time ever, I've computed my after-tax spending/saving rate.  In 2013 I saved 49%/spent 51% (considering mortgage principal to be saving, not spending), and not considering buying the new car. (facepunching myself again)  Can I pay off the car in 2014 and still save 50%?  Maybe.  Can I pull the plug on cable and stop having someone else clean my house?  Well, one of those is much more likely than the other.  Perhaps my fellow mustachians can help.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 28, 2014, 11:54:50 PM
Can I pull the plug on cable and stop having someone else clean my house?  Well, one of those is much more likely than the other.  Perhaps my fellow mustachians can help.

Are you asking if we can help clean your house??

Just kidding.  ;-)

Welcome to the forum!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HappyCamper on January 29, 2014, 03:24:21 AM
Hi, I'm a Happy Camper! Recently retired but my awesome husband is still working :( Hope to learn a lot here so we can both be free!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MWorkman on January 29, 2014, 09:53:35 AM
Good Morning To All,

Brand New Mustachian here and I must say this is exactly what our family has been looking for. The information and direction it provides are what most of us deep down know but weren't willing to follow. I'm happy and blessed to have found my way to the realm of Badassity and looking forward to the journey that lies ahead.

Matt from North Carolina
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Greybeard on January 29, 2014, 03:46:47 PM
Hello,
Found MMM via the recent article on Marketwatch.  I thought I was frugal and about ready to retire until I started reading the blog.  Many posts still to go, but I'm taking notes.
My wife and I are both employed with a gross income of around $160K and debt free except for a 4.5 year 2.99 percent loan on a 4x4 for about $25K taken last year following a collision that totaled my 13 year old debt-free truck. (Not our fault and no one seriously hurt).  I know I should punch myself in the face because now my fuel economy sucks and I bought it new. I am fortunate, however, in that I have a third car that I could sell and use the proceeds to cut the loan balance in half.  It is just a way overpowered toy anyway.
We have about $650K split beyween two almost equal 401K accounts.
I want to to leave my current job in three years and retire (at age 58). My wife plans to work until she is 58 (five more years). Our plan is to start picking up an early $1,200 per month pension from my previous employer in April and for my wife to pick up her early pension of about $1,000 per month when she is 55 in 3 years.  Based on what we can save from our jobs between now and then, we should have about $30,000 to 35,000 per year to live on debt-free for 18 months until I hit 59 1/2 and can start drawing 401K money if neded.  She gets to do the same a few years later, and then Social Security can kick in at 62, if we feel like it.
Are we almost there, or am I missing something? 
   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sherr on January 30, 2014, 09:21:28 AM
Hello,
Found MMM via the recent article on Marketwatch.  I thought I was frugal and about ready to retire until I started reading the blog.  Many posts still to go, but I'm taking notes.
My wife and I are both employed with a gross income of around $160K and debt free except for a 4.5 year 2.99 percent loan on a 4x4 for about $25K taken last year following a collision that totaled my 13 year old debt-free truck. (Not our fault and no one seriously hurt).  I know I should punch myself in the face because now my fuel economy sucks and I bought it new. I am fortunate, however, in that I have a third car that I could sell and use the proceeds to cut the loan balance in half.  It is just a way overpowered toy anyway.
We have about $650K split between two almost equal 401K accounts.
I want to to leave my current job in three years and retire (at age 58). My wife plans to work until she is 58 (five more years). Our plan is to start picking up an early $1,200 per month pension from my previous employer in April and for my wife to pick up her early pension of about $1,000 per month when she is 55 in 3 years.  Based on what we can save from our jobs between now and then, we should have about $30,000 to 35,000 per year to live on debt-free for 18 months until I hit 59 1/2 and can start drawing 401K money if neded.  She gets to do the same a few years later, and then Social Security can kick in at 62, if we feel like it.
Are we almost there, or am I missing something? 

Welcome! If you want a more detailed answer you should post the question somewhere like Ask A Mustachian.

It all depends on how much you spend in a year. Your two pensions alone will give you income of $26k a year, which is actually quite easy to live simply-but-well on (especially if you have a paid-off home). Add in 4% a year of your 401k balance and that's another $26k a year, not to mention whatever social security is when that kicks in. If you're used to living on $25k a year then you're afloat in a vast sea of money and can both retire this second (assuming you could get the second pension this second...).

If however you're used to living off of $100k a year you'll have to do a bit more figuring. How much will you expenses decline when you stop working and stop having to commute / maintain a professional wardrobe / etc? What if anything are you willing to give up about your current lifestyle to drop your yearly (hypothetical) expenses from $100k to $50k?

There are certainly things you'll want to think about like the increasing possibility of expensive medical care as you age, but I'd say you are very close if not there already (for comparison, my goal is $900k in investments (no pension) and a paid-off home, and I think that's a very generous amount of money).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on January 30, 2014, 10:54:56 AM
Hello all. I'm Jordan, a Software Engineer in Colorado Springs. Been a lurker for a while, and was hardcore enough to read every article (made an ebook too, but I just found out that someone beat me to it). With the help of the optimism gun and thinking big, I quit my job where I was under appreciated, under challenged, and under paid and just threw my resume out there. Managed to land an 82% increase in pay by the end of the first week. I stumbled across MMM about a year ago because I picked a weird keyword when looking for a Marks Daily Apple article (I've been primal since December 2012). I read http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/08/07/mr-money-mustache-vs-marks-daily-apple/ (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/08/07/mr-money-mustache-vs-marks-daily-apple/) and started poking around. And by poking around, I mean I started with the first article. In that single sitting, I got to the point where MMM and The Realist combined into one being. I was hooked, and have been ever since.

Where am I now?
I suck. Since I had been reading this blog, I was able to maintain my current spending level even though I got that huge "raise". I've used GnuCash for 7 years, and track every penny. I recently set up a Mint account, now that I am concerned about my net worth. That being said, even with a savings percentage of around 40%, and no debts with interest > 3.5%, I still spend way too much. I have one more big purchase to make this week (it's been on my list for a long time), and then I'm kicking it into high gear for sure. I live in the Springs, bike to work relatively often (not 100% though, which is dumb), and make a very clown like commute to Denver twice a month for work (I am planning on biking the 150 mile round trip some time in April though).
I call myself a Mustachian in Training (even put it on my G+ page and work email signature) because I've got the philosophy down, but I have some huge areas to work on.

So that's where I am. It's actually a bit depressing when I put it into words, since it's all very obvious that I continue to make dumb choices...daily. I finally just got my domain (jordanread.com (http://jordanread.com)), and found a decent blog engine, so I'll be writing down my experiences there. Maybe publicly putting it out there will prevent me from sucking. Who knows?

Anyway, glad to be here, and look forward to talking to you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NCintheDMV on January 31, 2014, 08:27:25 PM
Hello so I have been reading the blog and lurking in the forum for a while now.  I am a single late 20's female that lives in the DMV which stands for DC/MD/Virginia area.  Since reading this blog I have paid off my car :) and I am working to pay off my student loans.  I am looking forward to reading and learning more this forum.  I have a great interest in personal finance and teaching people how to budget, etc. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Drunkandgreasy on February 01, 2014, 10:44:08 AM
First day here, learned lots already...I'll post my question ASAP....
Btw, hello!

Cheers and beers
Hodge
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: La Bibliotecaria Feroz on February 01, 2014, 07:01:27 PM
Hi! I'm a mid-thirties mom of two little kids. I can't afford to work (I do a little part-time work from home... it at least pays for preschool for the tykes!) and my husband's a teacher, so we don't exactly have a "gushing firehose of income." But we've been able to make some positive tweaks since we discovered MMM through the Washington Post interview last year. Current project: trying to sell our fancier car to get out of the loan and free up the equity.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: c12mintz on February 02, 2014, 02:40:13 PM
Hi everyone-- brand new here this morning to the forum and yesterday to the site. I've already brought 3-4 people into the fold though!

I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Millionaire Next Door, and love the idea of a free support/community blog to keep it going. I especially enjoy how this site is international and has a broad political spectrum of participants.

I am a part time investment enthusiast and CFA Candidate (testing L2) and very active on Seeking Alpha: http://seekingalpha.com/author/j-mintzmyer

I'll try to hang around the "Investor Alley" section to provide some help where I can.

NW combined with spouse, we're almost to 6-figures, so gotta keep that train rolling. Everyone on here is an inspiration, and I hope I can help others out as well. I'm 23, wife-to-be (next month) is 24.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ghost of the Wild on February 03, 2014, 11:56:59 AM
Howdy Y'all!

I've been reading the MMM blog since early last year when I heard about it from Early Retirement Extreme. (http://Early Retirement Extreme.)

The money savings tips and life philosophies have been awesome!

I'm currently on a 6 month mini retirement up in Big Sky, MT so that I can snowboard all season long and work on my own personal projects without a job getting in the way.  I am doing everything on the cheap and I will probably end up spending about as much money as some folks use up on a 2 week vacation

I'm looking forward to participating on this forum and being a part of the MMM community!

Creating a healthy and sustainable ecosystem is one of my biggest concerns for mankind and that is why I love the MMM lifestyle.

Keep up the good work everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: homehandymum on February 04, 2014, 01:59:29 AM
Hi all

I'm a mid-30s female, happily married with 3 kids, living in New Zealand.

We home educate, with me being the primary educator, so as a couple we're already 'semi-retired' in that I haven't earned a thing for 10 years.  On one income we've nearly (nearly!) paid off the mortgage - less than 2 years away from it if we can keep up the frugal motivation.

MMM has been the kick up the pants that I needed. We've been exactly this close to paying off that mortgage for 4 years now.  We're both naturally savers, rather than spenders, but we got lazy, prices went up, salary went down and we had just stopped paying attention.

MMM sure got my attention :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crzycicada on February 04, 2014, 12:14:47 PM
Hello all, I'm a real estate broker in Texas and am looking at ways to cut costs, increase fundage and retire ASAP!  Basically why everyone else is here...I look forward to all the learning and new friends I'll make!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lordrtype1 on February 05, 2014, 05:11:08 AM
Hi!

I'm Reg.  I've actually started a lot of debt reduction (out of necessity, than want), and since I would prefer to never borrow another dime from anyone again, I've been checking out the best ways to go about this.  I found your blog as a result, and am looking forward to putting some of the great advice found to work.  I will say that many of the recommendations I found, I've actually already done! But, I can see I'm only scratching the surface.

Outside of worrying about my remaining debt, I work in construction again, finally, but I also grew up doing illustration work, even went to school for it (not at college level or credit, though our teachers did teach at local colleges), and I've written two novels.  I'm actually trying to get them published but, as you can tell, I'm in need of a professional proofreader.  But, that is another matter entirely.

Looking forward to reading the rest of the blog, and picking everyone's brain. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mortgage Free Mike on February 05, 2014, 10:52:44 AM
I'm Mortgage Free Mike, a long-time reader of MMM, but new to the forum. I recently left my full-time job to go part-time after paying off my $86,000 mortgage in 2 years. It has given me the freedom to live the life I've always wanted while continuing to be career-focused. I also re-launched a blog, Save on Almost Everything. I am here because MMM's readers are some of the best and brightest. I want to see how everyone saves!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gin1984 on February 07, 2014, 07:48:45 AM
Hi, I am new and excited to join.  My husband and I are both grad students, with a one year old daughter. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Beridian on February 07, 2014, 01:55:05 PM
I have been following MMM for about a month, I am 54.   I have been using MMM principles for quite some time, but I admit to being sloppy and stupid at times, I can and will do better.   I look around my house sometimes at all the junk I have accumulated and it makes me want to weep when I think of where all those dollars might have been better placed (Hooray for Craigslist and Ebay!).   Despite suffering a huge financial setback due to divorce (long story) I have managed to hold on to a bit of a nest egg.  I have about 200K in retirement accounts plus I have 28 years with a large company and I am expecting a modest pension, the company retirement should also help with health care worries since that is part of the package.

MMM has motivated me.  I have a 5-year plan, by the time I am 59 I want to increase my savings to 500K (or more) and pay my mortgage down to under 50K (currently at 90K).  It may seem ambitious but I think I can pretty easily max out my 401K and Roth IRA each year (around 30K annually), and once the alimony is paid off (2 years) I can double up or even triple my mortgage payments (I have a 15 year loan).  With a little help from a favorable stock market and all the great advice I get from MMM I think I can reach this goal.  Not counting the alimony, I am keeping my monthly expenses down to $2500, so I think the 500K and the pension will be enough for me to consider myself financially independent.

And that is what I really really really crave…financial independence.   I may or may not want to retire at 59, but I want the choice to be mine.   I currently work in telecom and live under the constant very real threat of being downsized.   Consequently I jump through a lot of hoops and kiss a lot of butt at work in the name of keeping my job.   I don’t love my job, but I don’t hate it either, it is a good working situation and the money is great, I don’t think I could do better elsewhere.  Sometimes I feel like the guy who performs by spinning plates on sticks.  I look forward to the day when I can ignore the plates and let them crash to the ground and be my own master.   

My financial plan is set, now all I have to do is wait, watch, and hope.   What I do need to improve on is learning to be happy right here and right now.   Life really is this present moment.   I tend to focus too much on how happy I think I will be at some future date.  Maybe some of you have some advice.

If you are interested you can read my rant about divorce and alimony here (sorry if I sound a bit angry, but I am):

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/things-you-wish-that-you-knew-when-you-were-40/msg214712/#new
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rpm1200 on February 07, 2014, 03:17:35 PM
Hi everyone!

I found MMM last fall through J.D. Roth / GRS, been enjoying it a lot. I have to admit I'm one of those guys who thought that I needed a car to get to work. But I plugged my route into Google Maps and there was a really straightforward cycling route, so I started riding in to work - so much better than commuting by car! My employer has an indoor bike rack and shower, making it easier. It's about 20 minutes by car, 55 minutes by bike.

Once the snow started falling I stopped riding because I only had a road bike with skinny tires, but I picked up a hybrid off Craigslist last month and have been fixing it up to use as a cold-weather bike. Now I just have to get used to riding again (plus I'd like to increase my cadence, I have only been doing 60-70 RPM).

My wife and I made some bad decisions and ran up a lot of debt in the early years of our marriage, and we have been slowly climbing out for a few years now. We don't have much of a 'stache yet, but having had to spend so much of our earnings on debt service showed us how little we truly needed to live on. Now all of the high-interest debt is gone and we are working on principal reduction. We are being careful not to inflate our lifestyle while chipping away at our monthly costs.

Within the last couple of years we switched our car insurance, energy provider and cell phone company, also refinancing the mortgage and a car loan, resulting in savings every month. We still need to work on being more careful and deliberate with meal planning/grocery shopping, eating out as little as possible and cutting out fast food entirely.

Anyway, looking forward to hanging out here and learning from everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Engineer_Erik on February 08, 2014, 09:46:19 PM
Hi!  I'm Erik, a 33 yr old engineer from the Bay Area of California working towards FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pell mell on February 09, 2014, 07:07:01 AM
Hi I've been reading for some time and was very excited to find this site. The philosophy resonates very strongly... well, for me it does, anyway.  I read an article or two (not so hard-core, I didn't think) to my fiance and he was, how shall I say, horrified? Appalled? Grossed Out?
Anyway, Case Study to be posted soon. Not generally a masochist but I hope to be Punched Out in the near future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Eggman111 on February 09, 2014, 12:52:39 PM
Hi everyone!
I started using YNAB in November 2013. While visiting their forums at the beginning of January 2014, I saw a link to MMM and clicked on it. I soon found the simple math behind retirement article, which shattered my previous thoughts about how long I would have to work. I started from the beginning and just finished reading all the posts.

I work as an aerospace engineer near Vancouver, Canada. I'm married (no kids - yet!), and while we're not huge spenders, I've realized that we do spend quite a bit of money on things we don't really need. I bike to work, but our one car is a gas-sucking SUV. We're going to sell it and get something at least twice as fuel-efficient (35 vs 17 mpg). I just switched my cell phone plan from a $65 to $25/mo (I wish we had more options in Canada, but that will hopefully come soon). There are plenty more places to save money, and I'm looking forward to learning more from MMM and this forum.

Cheers!
Title: Hello from Ontario, Canada - small steps so far
Post by: ontario74 on February 09, 2014, 02:10:41 PM
Hi everyone, Thanks for all of the great stories and tips! I already follow a few myself (waste-free cooking, second hand shopping for clothes, not eating at restaurants).

I'm a single mom and professional living in Ontario, Canada. I make a relatively high salary and decided to pay down my line of credit (car and kid's camp fees) once and for all. I have 8K left on the LOC, good rate (6% I believe) and zero on my credit card. Mortgage still has a ways to go, bought house 7 yrs ago.

I was paying down the LOC at 275$ every payday when the LOC was at 11.5K and it just wasn't going as fast as I would have liked, so...I created a budget, tracked my spending and realized that even with January pay reductions (CPP, etc.) I can pay up to 1500$ per month. It was a shock to see how much extra money I had available.

My magic number is $3400 per month. That's how much I spend including mortgage and the funny thing is, this is the monthly amount that's been projected for my pension. I have 20 years left before I retire, so the amount could rise to $4000 and higher based on salary increases and inflation of course (pension is indexed).

So the plan is: even with pay increases and fluctuations over the year, I will stick to $3400 spending per month (not larger irregular expenses like car repairs, kid's swimming lessons) and sock away the rest. I opened a savings account and I plan to save and pay cash for bigger purchases that people normally put on credit (travel, appliances).

I hate the debt but finally zapping it is wonderful!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RichWard on February 09, 2014, 03:38:24 PM
Hi everyone!

Today I decided to stop lurking and start participating in the forums.

I am 24 years old and a recent college graduate. I have a decent paying job in public accounting which has allowed me to start paying down my massive amount of student loans and still contribute to my roth, savings, and maintain a decent standard of living.

During my college career, I made several hefty mistakes in regards to money management and student loans. It was not until my final year of college when I received a letter from my primary student loan lender about the deferment period ending, that I had the "oh shit" moment (the opposite of the "ah ha" moment). Since then, I have made progress on my financial situation, which is still poor, but improving.

Each month I review my expenses, explain variances from my budget in writing, and review my personal balance sheet and income statement. I have a girlfriend who is on board with being frugal and paying off her student loans as well. Instead of going out drinking, going to movies/dinner, etc like our friends our age, we cook at home, play cards, read books, and rarely wake up hungover on the weekends (unlike a couple short years ago in college). The next step for us is to find supplemental streams of income in order to support our desires to travel and to become debt free quicker.

I look forward to learning from everyone and contributing to the great discussions I've been reading on MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SCBMMM on February 09, 2014, 04:12:00 PM
Hello all,
really enjoy the stories and tips on this site..  I have no kids of my own but have turned my nephews ages 22 and 24 on to this site..
they are getting inspired and we discuss some of the topics on here often.. Really happy they are receptive to the information and its a fun way for us to stay connected..
wish I had this info when I was their age...
Thanks and happy to be here
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pastelfish on February 10, 2014, 09:10:36 AM
Good morning all the mustacharinos and mustacharinas! This is an awesome collection of people and knowledge. Thanks to the primary MMM family for making this happen.

I live in the midwest, and have a fondness for atypical thinking, skills and especially am fond of measuring outcomes.

Thanks to all, hoping to accelerate FI and match you all. See you there, then
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TropicNebraska on February 10, 2014, 07:30:18 PM
Hi! I'm Nick, 28. I work as a firefighter/paramedic. Workin' hard to achieve FI everyday.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: serhomeslice on February 11, 2014, 11:01:43 AM
Hi everybody,

My name is serhomeslice, and I've been a spender for 43 years. 

Since starting to read this blog 2 weeks ago, I fired DirectTv (now have 2 antennas), paid off my vehicles, drive my wife's Civic instead of my truck to work, and I've quit going out to eat lunch, but I've got a long way to go.  I have a decent job, but along with it, I have a 21 mile commute(bummer - avg 45 mins both ways).

I am on the road to mustachianism.  I've included a mustache on my avatar, not because I've attained mustachianism, but because mustaches are cool.  I've actually got one of those look at me I'm 15 and cool 3 hair mustaches, but I'm on my way to a fu manchu - hopefully. 

Just wanted Mrs. and Mr. Money Mustache to know how much I appreciate the blog.  Have learned a ton and hope to contribute in the future. 

serhomeslice



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lexie2000 on February 11, 2014, 02:51:06 PM
Hi!!

I'm lexie.  Hopin' I like this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bateaux on February 11, 2014, 07:42:33 PM
Hey I'm new to MMM but not new to the quest to retire early.  I'm 45, married and have two boys in college. 
We have our mortage paid off and have a little over 1 million saved in retirement accounts. 
My goal is to retire before 50, which I reach in 2018.
Being debt free is wonderful.   Get it done.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tacosrocket on February 12, 2014, 03:55:30 AM
Hi, I'm Tobi.

I haven't gone to college because I'm scared of being in debt!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Deev on February 12, 2014, 12:17:22 PM
Greetings from Southeast Louisiana!

I'm a software engineer who found MMM about 4 or 5 months ago, and it has changed my life completely. I was already a saver, but I had no idea how much some habits would cost me, so within the past few months I:

Moved into my house (started a mortgage, but cost of living down here in Louisiana is low, low low, so I put down 20% pretty easily)
Traded a premium-gas guzzling sports sedan (Nissan Maxima) for a hybrid (Prius), lowering my cost-per-mile by about 2/3.
Upgraded to a smartphone (on Republic wireless)
Started my investment accounts (in addition to a 401k and an individual IRA that I already had)
Decided not to pay for cable TV in my house (savings of $70 a month)


But - my dear fiancee has a crushing amount of student debt, and a pisspoor job with which to pay it off... :(

But, with the tenets of Mustachianism, I am able to pay almost entirely for both of our living expenses, AND have a bunch leftover for investing!

Overall, life is getting better :)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: anisotropy on February 12, 2014, 03:06:02 PM
Hi, been reading the blogs for about 4 months or so. We just turned 30 and live in Canada, where things in general are more expensive than the great US of A.

I think we are at FI already but still working to build more margin of safety. We both have OK jobs and plan to work for another 10 years....maybe. A day will come when we decide to call it quits, until then just keep hoarding the stash.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: baseballhum on February 12, 2014, 06:37:55 PM
I discovered MMM a few months ago and have posted a few times. I'm 24 in a Midwestern city, engaged to a grad student. Fiance has student loans (hair on fire! haha) but once he makes more than 10k a year with his pitiful grad student salary, it should not take long to pay off at all.

I have learned so much from MMM and these forums. I want to say thank you to everyone for all your advice and help!! I feel very lucky that I found this site so early in my life. I may not be close to FI, but I now have the tools to get there faster!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Firefly on February 12, 2014, 08:25:21 PM
Hi there! I've been reading MMM site and this forum for quite some time and finally decided to join. I am in my late 30's. My husband and I both have full-time professional jobs, although lately I have been contemplating cutting down the hours - I have a 6 year old and an 8 mo old baby and feel like the stress of the full-time job and taking care of the kids and the house is wearing down on me, making me suck at all of my jobs :) I know, it doesn't really go well with our goal for an early retirement. Both, my husband and I are "late bloomers" in our professional lives - we both went to college later than most and didn't start making money until relatively recently. Even though we make good money now, we are still playing catch up. Still paying off student loans. Still saving for the downpayment on a house. Been feeling for a while that we are doing something wrong - with all the money we make we should be in a better place than we are now. So I've been looking around for the resources to help us get and stay on the right track. That's how I ended up here and boy am I glad that I did! Glad to meet everyone and looking forward to sharing our experiences!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zolotiyeruki on February 13, 2014, 12:39:55 PM
Hi all!.  My Mustachian older sister introduced me to the blog, and I wasted way too many hours reading the archive.  That didn't seem to slake my thirst, so here I am in the forum.

I'm 32, married with 5.5 kids, living in the Chicago suburbs.  We're quite a ways from FI, but the only debt we have is on our house, and we live pretty frugally--outside of mortgage/taxes/insurance and charitable contributions, we only spend about $32k/year on our family of 7.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: momo5 on February 13, 2014, 09:16:21 PM
hi, I just heard about MMM from one of my friends on fb. very intriguing and I'm excited to learn more.
I'm a sahm of five kids living what I thought was frugally, in NY. I see we have lots of room for improvement in that area :)
I have many many questions and I'm happy to have found this site :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: f33sh on February 13, 2014, 11:09:16 PM
Hi all, I've been reading through the MMM site over the past couple weeks.  I'm 29 and live in San Francisco working in a well-paid professional job.  I've always been fairly frugal, and despite living in an expensive city, have been able to accumulate some solid net worth so far.

Reading the blog has inspired me to cut back on some recent lifestyle inflation tendencies, and set some goals around reaching Financial Independence in my 30s.  Also interested in learning about real-estate investing in the process.  One of my biggest motivators is not wanting to work a full-time corporate job when I have kids.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on February 14, 2014, 04:42:31 AM
outside of mortgage/taxes/insurance and charitable contributions, we only spend about $32k/year on our family of 7.

Wow--that's truly impressive!  I'd love to see more about how you accomplish this!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zolotiyeruki on February 14, 2014, 08:16:55 AM
Wow--that's truly impressive!  I'd love to see more about how you accomplish this!
Well, I can share details, but I don't think this is the right thread to do it in.  Can you point me in the right direction?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on February 14, 2014, 08:28:40 AM
Yep, here is one thread:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/what-is-your-annual-budget/

and here is another:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/what%27s-your-budget/

It looks like the second one might be the closest fit.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DanielleS on February 14, 2014, 01:58:20 PM
Hello, I'm a longtime reader of the blog. My husband and I both retired a few years ago in our early 40's.

We were both quite frugal for years before meeting each other in our mid-30's, and both took some extended time off during our careers. So that all worked out :)

We spend time traveling, we're landlords, and we also are helping his parents during some health issues. My husband plays around with electronics and does lots of projects, and I write, cook healthy food and do projects.

Let me tell you, anyone who is starting out being frugal and finding it difficult, or is slogging through a few mid-career-year doldrums, IT IS WORTH IT! IT IS WORTH IT TO NOT HAVE TO GO TO WORK ANYMORE!!!!!! NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!

So a big hello to everyone! I'll post something else in the budget section.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: limeandpepper on February 15, 2014, 04:22:09 AM
Let me tell you, anyone who is starting out being frugal and finding it difficult, or is slogging through a few mid-career-year doldrums, IT IS WORTH IT! IT IS WORTH IT TO NOT HAVE TO GO TO WORK ANYMORE!!!!!! NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!

Haha love it! Love your enthusiasm! I can feel your joy right there!! And I can totally imagine myself feeling exactly the same way, the moment I don't have to work anymore, ever again!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moonwaves on February 15, 2014, 12:55:31 PM
Hi,
I'm Moonwaves (that may not be my real name :) ). Still in debt but very close to debt-free now and trying to make sure I'm on the ball and get going with some good savings as soon as possible after that instead of just taking it easy for a couple of years. The only good thing about my stupid debt situation is that it meant I never did get around to getting a 100% mortgage plus loans for furniture during the Celtic Tiger years, which means I'm not now saddled with a huge mortgage and negative equity.

Found MMM via an Australian blog, declutterer.wordpress.com (http://declutterer.wordpress.com/) and am making my way through the archives. Was interested to see that there were German members and, since I live in Germany, thought it would be sensible to join in and maybe figure out how some of the Mustachian principles and ideas can best translate into life here. I was pretty good at maths in school (that's not a typo, I'm Irish and we don't learn "math", we learn "maths" :) ) but not really very interested in it so although I do remember learning about compound interest a very long time ago, I never really connected that to my real life situation. MMM seems to have come along just at the time when it seems to have finally started to percolate to my brain and I've had several lightbulb moments recently - about time!

Look forward to getting to know my way around here in the coming months.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: andreab on February 15, 2014, 04:33:43 PM
Hi, everyone,

I heard about MMM on facebook a few weeks ago and I've been hooked.  I've read just about every blog post and I'm starting to look at ways to reduce my daily budget. FIRST is my electric and heating bill...my house must barely hold itself together based on the bills I get each month. I never knew there was anything wrong with them til I saw MMM's and others' bills.

I have quite a bit saved up in retirement and investment accounts and am hoping to retire in 3 years (I own two small businesses).  I'm 46 and the single mom of an amazing 17-year-old.

Looking forward to reading the posts!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JosephBoyle on February 16, 2014, 08:53:59 AM
Heyheyhey, I am Joseph from Ireland. I'm glad to be in this community! Have yourselves a nice sunday
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wordygirl on February 16, 2014, 02:02:12 PM
Hi. I discovered this blog about a month ago and have been reading through it ever since.

I'm 46, married with two kids (tween-agers), and live in Western Canada. Husband is an engineer and I'm a stay home mum plus I work part time as an academic/science editor.

Looking forward to meeting people on this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on February 16, 2014, 05:10:46 PM
I'd just like to say, to all the new folks out there:
Welcome!! and we hope you have a great time here, and learn a lot.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mlindsey2@elon.edu on February 17, 2014, 01:20:11 PM
Hello,

I'm Michael.  I'm at 20 year old student from North Carolina (although currently studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain).  I love everything about the philosophy about this website and I am striving to live this type of lifestyle.

I'm an accounting finance double major and I'm planning on getting my CPA out of school and going to work for one of the big four (I received internship offers from all and I'm about to intern with KPMG this summer in Charlotte).  I'm quite excited to begin my career so I can start practicing the ideals all of you express (although I've already started saving-but Barcelona is not being to friendly in that regard).  I love intelligent conversation about literally anything and I'm so excited I stumbled upon this site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: birdman2003 on February 17, 2014, 06:21:32 PM
Hello, my coworker told me about MMM.  We were talking about how so few of our coworkers take advantage of our company's very generous 401k match, and that led into a discussion of the desire to retire early by achieving FI.  The last few months I've been devouring the blog posts (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/all-the-posts-since-the-beginning-of-time/ (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/all-the-posts-since-the-beginning-of-time/)) and have gained much insight about index investing.

Every time I'm tempted to tap into one of my investing accounts to finance some folly, I freak out and tell myself, 'This is unacceptable behavior, you cannot afford to shrink your already tiny stache.'

Now I'm starting to browse the forum, and I'm sure I'll pick up even more good pieces of advice from everyone here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Matth on February 18, 2014, 09:25:40 AM
Hi!

My name's Matthew. I'm in my late 20s, married with two kids. We live in Madison, WI, and I left my fairly high paying but very demanding job in October, six weeks after my second child was born. Fortunately, we've been living well below our means and it hasn't been a problem.

I found Mr. Money Mustache just before leaving my job while researching clothing lines, and it really put into focus a lot of what I've been thinking over the last few years (especially after reading the Millionaire Next Door). We have a relatively small amount of Truly Stupid Debt, and a larger amount of student loan debt, but I'm very excited by the position we find ourselves in. My goal is to be retired by the time my eldest daughter starts high school, which is about 12 years from now.

If you're in the south central Wisconsin area, feel free to reach out. This area seems like a great one for FI.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Drew on February 18, 2014, 01:05:20 PM
Hi everyone, I'm new here.  I'm 24 years old and have been following Dave Ramsey's advice, but then I found this blog and realized I can reach my goals so much faster if I really tighten up and work at it.  I'm sure I'm going to be asking a lot of questions and looking for a lot of advice from you seasoned Mustachians!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Silvie on February 18, 2014, 01:57:13 PM
Hello,

I'm Michael.  I'm at 20 year old student from North Carolina (although currently studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain).  I love everything about the philosophy about this website and I am striving to live this type of lifestyle.


Hi Michael, I am also currently living abroad in Barcelona (I'm from Holland). If you have any suggestions for cheap places to eat, hang out, etc. or you would like to meet up, let me know!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CND on February 18, 2014, 04:27:48 PM
Hi All,
I'm 42 and have been living the MMM lifestyle for some time now with my wife and two kids.  It's nice to find a place where my philosophies are validated.  Sometimes it feels weird to not want a BMW, etc.  Especially when a lot of my peers live pretty high on the horse.  I'm FI, still working 10 hours/week at a business that I enjoy and provides a nice income.  But my passion is bikes.  Road, mountain, cyclocross is where I can be found just about every day.  One of the greatest joys of not blowing money on stupid shit has been the ability to buy bikes for others.  It is one of the best feelings of my life.  Thanks for listening!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nicknageli on February 18, 2014, 04:30:53 PM
One of the greatest joys of not blowing money on stupid shit has been the ability to buy bikes for others.  It is one of the best feelings of my life.  Thanks for listening!

Pretty cool.  (http://www.vwvortex.com/Anthony/Smilies/thumbup.gif)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ThermionicScott on February 18, 2014, 10:34:14 PM
Howdy, I'm Scott and found my way here via some repostings of the "What do you mean you don't have a bike?" classic on BikeForums.net.  Starting in January, I devoured all of the MMM blog posts (along with most of the comments) and then decided to venture on to the MMM forums. 

The "simple math of..." post really kicked off my enthusiasm for cutting costs and increasing my savings, and it looks like I should be able to achieve FI by 40, and I have a wonderful girlfriend who is more-or-less on board.  :^)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Maybe Later on February 19, 2014, 07:11:47 AM
Hi,

I've been a reader for some time and am just now joining the forum.  I'm a married father of three in Western Canada and we have been living a financially responsible, if not particularly frugal, lifestyle on a small acreage outside the city.  Personal finance is an interest of mine and I can't recall how I arrived at MMM.  I have a great job that allows me to do things I believe are important to society. So, retiring early interests me less than financial independence that will lead to being open to whatever options life offers in the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Badass by 41 on February 19, 2014, 11:28:05 PM
Hi!

Just finished reading the blog archives and punching myself in the face for the last 15 years of being a mindless slave to consumerism.

My wife and I and our 3yo son are ready to "live the dream" and are aggressively changing our ways in the hopes of becoming full-time parents in the next 5-6 years.

Can't wait to dig into the forums and light this fire cracker!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on February 20, 2014, 09:15:56 AM
Hi!

Just finished reading the blog archives and punching myself in the face for the last 15 years of being a mindless slave to consumerism.

My wife and I and our 3yo son are ready to "live the dream" and are aggressively changing our ways in the hopes of becoming full-time parents in the next 5-6 years.

Can't wait to dig into the forums and light this fire cracker!

Welcome. Look forward to seeing your progress.

"Never underestimate the efficacy of face punches." - Muhammad Ali
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nicknageli on February 20, 2014, 11:53:09 AM
Can't wait to dig into the forums and light this fire cracker!

(http://www.vwvortex.com/Anthony/Smilies/thumbup.gif)  Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Grant Q on February 20, 2014, 12:54:44 PM
Hi All, I'm Grant.  I found the blog about a year ago while searching for instructions on how to pour a concrete shower pan!  Have read every article since then...it's been a life-changer for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on February 20, 2014, 01:16:46 PM
Hi All, I'm Grant.  I found the blog about a year ago while searching for instructions on how to pour a concrete shower pan!  Have read every article since then...it's been a life-changer for me.
I don't know you well yet but I just wanted to remark that you have good taste in names.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: k8henderson on February 20, 2014, 04:34:43 PM
Hi I'm Kate! got two kids, 3yo boy and a 7mo girl. its an expensive time in my life! I like to knit and sew and all that because it I have a fabric/yarn problem saves us so much money. ha!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: genselecus on February 20, 2014, 05:25:49 PM
Hi all, my name is Ballin and I'm new to the MMM forum. I've been reading the blog for a while now (recommended by the older and wiser sister) and wish that there was always a new article waiting for me, but alas MMM has a life or something... Anyways I can bum around in the forum when I don't feel like doing work for my job. I'm 26, studied engineering in undergrad, now live in the SF bay area (Oakland), and work for a small consulting company that has me traveling on a consistent basis. I'm hoping to be retired in the next 10 - 15 years and have learned a ton since following MMM which has given the me push to get there.

I also want to point out how awesome this community is. Just reading the most recent few pages on this thread shows just how amazing the people are here. We all come from different backgrounds, live in different places, have different jobs and goals, and yet we have found this common place to learn and grow. Thanks everyone (and a big thanks to MMM) for making this an incredible experience and journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bärtle on February 21, 2014, 04:48:06 PM
Hi,I am Bärtle,38 years old and married.I am originally from Germany but live a town over from MMM now.
Our hair is on fire but we are determined to get it done by July or August this year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Willbrewer on February 21, 2014, 06:55:51 PM
Hi,

My name is Bill, and I just found out about MMM yesterday, and was up until past midnight checking out the blog articles. I haven't made the best choices with my money over the last few years, but did manage to buy a new travel trailer and pickup truck in 2011 (both free and clear). I sold my house and have been living in the Arizona desert this winter. Rent for 7 months is a total of $180. My expenses are pretty low. And the southern AZ weather is awesome in the winter!

However... my income is drying up, so I will be looking for a job when I get back up to Seattle next month. Then I can start investing the greater part of my earnings to build up my retirement fund. That's the plan.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: overseas_stache on February 22, 2014, 02:15:08 AM
Hi - I am overseas_stache!  As the name implies, I'm an American working in the Middle East now.  I love this blog!  The combination of humor, optimism, math, and practical skills is unique on the personal finance interwebs.

Only thing I don't like is how bruised I feel from having to punch myself in the face after reading almost every article!  I thought I had the MMM ethos, but, boy was I wrong.  Time for a serious reboot.

Adios ... from Saudi Arabia.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PennyMinder on February 22, 2014, 01:35:18 PM
Hello All!

I've been reading this blog and forums for a while now and decided I should join in.  My family has always been fairly mustache like, but because of a couple bumps in the road and perhaps a lack of understanding compound interest we are a bit behind in our retirement plans.  I intend to remedy that! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MinimalistMoustache on February 22, 2014, 02:37:35 PM
Hi Fellow Mustachians!

I've submitted a few posts, just realizing I've not yet introduced myself :-) I am 57 years, living/working in Seattle, WA, mother of one (adult).

First found MMM a little over two years ago, but seriously had difficulty getting through the "face punch" references (I know, my issues). About a month ago, I started to read the blog again -- this time, in earnest. At first, I felt very late to the FI party. Though I live rather simply, I've had expensive "binge" splurges throughout the years and given away/donated a huge amount of my income. In hindsight, this was not financially the best course of action, particularly before paying into a retirement fund.

While I don't expect FI before I'm 60, I believe it's never too late and there is never too little that can be learned. I would appreciate some financial insights. Later this weekend, I'd like to post some questions to "Ask a Mustachian."

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: anne on February 22, 2014, 07:37:47 PM
Hi Guys -

I'm a bookkeeper by day and artist by night and weekend. Married to a musician. We've always considered ourselves to be pretty frugal, but after reading the blog we realize there's still plenty of room for improvement! Grateful for all the specific advice as well as enjoying the more abstract/philosophical posts.

Working at paying off my student loans while still carving out time for the art stuff.

Cheers,

Anne
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Carlsky on February 24, 2014, 10:44:54 AM
Hi All

My name is Dan, I am in Kingston, Ontario.  I discovered YNAB last year and discovered MMM through his interview with Jesse.  I was blown away by the simple math for retirement and decided to start following the blog.  MMM is the reason I ride my bike to work every day even the stupidly cold days.   I have been following the blog for the past 4 months and really enjoy the articles.  Right now my wife and I are working away at reducing our monthly expenses and pay off our light of credit.

Cheers,
Dan
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Murdoch on February 24, 2014, 05:23:45 PM
Hi all,

I came across MMM through the Bogleheads forum. After a year of reading and absorbing investing books and forum topics over there it gave me a great understanding of investing principles.

I finished the last MMM article yesterday (read them all in chronological order) after coming here 4weeks ago and feel that MMM has really educated me on the spending/cost side, rather than the earning/investing side. Together, this combination is a powerful force pushing towards FI.

I'm a 29 year old Australian living in North Queensland, a hospital doctor by trade, live with my fiancé who is a high school teacher, and we are both pretty frugal and excited about FI.

Planning to start a journal on this forum to keep track of how we are going financially, and to keep myself on the straight and narrow. Hoping to keeping reading and learning from others.

Cheers
Murdoch
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ms. Peachfuzz on February 26, 2014, 02:54:11 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm a 29 year old living in Alberta Canada (a very non-mustachian place) and I've been following this blog / reading the forums for a few weeks and decided I should join in. I'm so excited to find a place full of like minded people since I've been a frugal saver my whole life, unlike my friends or family. I'm looking forward to learning  from all of you. 

Cheers!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fadedsunrise on February 27, 2014, 02:32:34 PM
Hi!

Law student, 23, single, and in too much debt. Found this blog about a week ago through another and have been reading through it slowly between classes. Looking forward to an income and to facepunches! (or roundhouse kicks, since my favorite hobby is taekwondo).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CompoundingRocks on February 28, 2014, 02:43:42 AM
Hey peeps

a mate told me about this place and great to see like-minded people around!

look forward to interacting with youz

as you can tell - yes, I'm an Aussie!
=)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: peppermint on March 01, 2014, 03:42:07 PM
Hi everyone. I've been reading MMM for awhile but just signed up for the forums. I'm a 30 year old research scientist, Canadian but now living in the Triangle area of North Carolina. Having been in school forever and then working in academia, I've gotten used to being frugal. Trying to be smart and proactive about personal finance. I have a small car loan I'm in the process of paying off but no debts otherwise. Looking forward to learning from everyone :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tai on March 01, 2014, 05:49:46 PM
Hi, I'm a single mom in my 40s living in expensive Toronto. I do some things right like renting close to work and using public transportation, but I still have some cc debt and a bit of a restaurant habit so there's lots of room for improvement. I've already learned a ton reading the blog and looking through the forums, and it's good to have encouragement. Maybe some day I'll actually be brave enough to hang out my financial dirty laundry!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rudem3 on March 02, 2014, 12:08:47 PM
Hello!

I'm a 26 year old with 32k left on SL debt. I started out with 50k debt and not able to find a job in my field. I recently threw 10k after saving money while only paying the minimum balance of the loans! Doh! Either way, my eyes were opened and the #1 priority is to get out of debt by the end of 2015.

I'm currently back in school which is being paid for by my company and I'm getting paid while I go. I really lucked out! I can't wait to get these paid off and actually have a (real) savings and life!

Matt
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustachianWays on March 02, 2014, 01:39:40 PM
Hi All,

I'm a 23 year old that discovered MMM about a month ago. I've been devouring the site and forums ever since. Turns out I have been a practicing Mustachian without knowing anything about MMM! I read Millionaire Next Door about a year ago and it only confirmed my already frugal approach to life.

Current stats:
Income: ~$80K
Savings Rate: ~65-70%
Net Worth: ~$42,500 (401k: ~$28,000, Roth IRA: ~$5,600, Traditional IRA: ~$1,000, Cash: ~$8,000, Debt: $0)

My short-term goal is to reach $100k net worth by May 2015 and hopefully soon after invest in a rental property, once I get properly educated and have enough for a downpayment. I'm currently thinking about a duplex where I can also live (perhaps a basement apartment). Long-term goal: retire around 30 (easier said than done)

Looking forward to learning a lot from the site!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Joelle on March 04, 2014, 07:10:26 AM
Hi All,

I'm Joelle. I'm 46 (I will turn 47 next week!). I'm French, and I live in the Paris suburbs, which is an incredibly expensive place to live in.
I have been married for 2 years.
I discovered MMM 3 months ago, just after discovering YNAB (I was looking for a tool to manage my Personal Finance).
I had never thought of retiring earlier than the legal age here in France (62)!!
I am quite far from FI...
For now, my objective is to at least spend less than I make (while continuing to pay for the mortgage, saving a bit for retirement... and paying all the taxes we have here...).
I am glad to be here.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ftao93 on March 04, 2014, 08:41:07 AM
I'm Ryan, long time reader/lurker.

I make money at my corporate job whilst surfing in between, learning more and more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dragonstache on March 04, 2014, 10:27:51 AM
Hello!

I'm really excited to be here. I discovered MMM a couple of weeks ago and have slowly read most of everything. I think that its safe to say I'm an early retirement addict.

I've always been frugal by nature, but never really understood saving to invest. A couple of years ago I lived in a tent and on a farm for free while working full time, then worked two jobs while living in a ski town. I was able to save a couple of thousand dollars on close to minimum wage, but I then blew it on a three month trip to South America :)). Didn't really understand saving, compound interest, and the shockingly simple math behind early retirement at the time, but I understood that material things and eating out weren't going to make me happy. I'd say it was good, productive, non consumerist, almost mustachian use of my life energy, as I created a memorable life experience, and learned a new skill (la capacidad hablar en espanol, casi con fluencia, y entender casi perfecto), as opposed to some new thing.

23 y/o, in the United states. Just graduated college now, and heading to graduate school next year, so my savings are going to be few and far between for the moment, but I'm just happy soaking up all the knowledge and experience via MMM and the forums. All of y'all are incredible; it takes an incredible amount of emotional courage and willingness to be vulnerable for you to open up your stories, life, struggles and triumphs on these forums, and I want you to know that it doesn't go unappreciated. I hope to be like you soon! But I already opened a Roth, and can't stop talking about FIRE with my friends!

My goal is not necessarily retirement, but FI and the ability to use my skills and energy in a manner that I see fit.

Happy to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: macskabagoly on March 04, 2014, 11:21:28 AM
Hi All,

I'm from Budapest, Hungary. I've been reading Mr. Money Mustache since last Summer and I recommended it to all of my friends. My goal is not FI but a happier life without buying things I don't need and being grateful for what I have.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ducky19 on March 04, 2014, 12:44:04 PM
Hey everyone, I just started reading the blog a couple months ago and wanted to get involved in the forums.  I'm 39, married with 3 kids.  We've got a combined annual income of ~$100k, but have only recently been making this kind of money.  A couple of years ago, we were in the $60-70k range and yet we still weren't saving a whole lot more money.  My wife is definitely into the concept and we've started tracking our spending and plugging holes.  We just made the switch to Republic Wireless and should save about $1400/year.  I just opened a Roth IRA with $10k we had sitting in the bank earning (almost) nothing.  I've got about $95k in the 401k and about $14k in home equity.  By the end of this year the goal is to be over $150k in net worth - I think we can do better, but I'll be happy with that.  I'd like to hit FI within the next 5-7 years and drop out of the race entirely by age 50.  We also plan to use rental properties as part of our investment mix.

I do have one question for everyone - is there a link anywhere explaining what all of the acronyms mean?  I thought we had a lot of acronyms at work, this place might have it beat!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nicknageli on March 04, 2014, 01:27:29 PM
I've seen this link posted on the MMM forum before.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/acronyms-and-slang-frequently-used-on-the-forum-34884.html
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pmk on March 04, 2014, 01:43:14 PM
Hi everyone! New to the MMM site, but have been absolutely devouring it the last couple days. I'm a 28 homemaker home with my daughter, DH is 30 and an Engineer in nanoscience. We live in upstate NY. We never considered ERE, but have always been very frugal (at least compared to our peers) and do love the idea of being FI sooner rather than later. I consider myself a minimalist, but always have some work to do simplifying. Reading this blog there are definitely some things in the past that I want to punch myself in the face for, but I'm excited to start this journey. Cant wait to get some advice. Thanks all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ticopowell on March 04, 2014, 02:37:52 PM
Hey all,
I'm new to this whole FIRE thing, only started reading MMM a few weeks ago, and I have caught up to today's post a few days ago. I have already asked a few questions and received a few punches, and I expect to get more.
I am in the military, went to an academy, graduated 3 years ago, went to pilot training, and I have been flying my plane for almost a year now.
I am currently married with no kids, and I am trying to teach my wife the MMM ways.
Great talking to all of you and thanks for all the help!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Boganvillia on March 05, 2014, 12:44:27 AM
Hi, I'm Boganvillia.

I have 3 kids and am 41. My partner and I have about $560k mortgage (including maxed out $60K LOC) on a $1M house, and full time jobs at $75k and $95k. On the plus side though, no c/c debt, and we own one mid-2000s hatchback outright for which we paid cash at the time of purchase.

I was a single parent a while back and acquired some good financial skills during that time, but have had some lifestyle inflation since. Partly as a result of that experience, I am all on board with the moral and social rectitude of Mustachianism.

Looking forward to being part of this online community :)

*********************
So, an update: 2 months in, here is my progress:

1) Monthly phone plan: switched from $65 down to $16
2) Superannuation: contacted the minor one of my two providers and changed investment strategy, and also corrected the rate it was wrongly being taxed (the default rate they apply is too high for my income, and there's a 'snooze, you lose' policy about advising the provider of correct tax rates). I pay reasonably close attention to my main super fund already, so that one's all fine.
3) Have advertised for a boarder. When we have someone in, that will bring in $250/wk tax free: $13K p.a. We could actually free up a second bedroom - which would mean $26,000 a year gross! And say, $20,000 net. BUT means putting the toddlers in the same room and one is a poor sleeper and I don't know if we are badass enough to disrupt our sleep. Are we?
4) Plan to contact the kids' superannuation fund and switch their strategies to aggressive, seeing as the kids won't be allowed to touch it for 50-60 years anyway.
5) I wrote to my brother letting him know that we owe so much on the mortgage, and we have such an ambitious early retirement target (within 9 years), that there'll be no bought presents from us for this decade. But also that we love them all nonetheless :) Will widen this message across the rest of our family over through the course of this year as birthdays etc com up.
6) We are both taking our lunches to work and have stopped buying takeaway coffees: $2k annually saved.
7) Are looking at ways to reduce our child care bill.
8) Have switched power companies. Unfortunately at the mention of power companies I fall asleep so my partner has handled this one, but I am given to believe that yes, we are saving.
9) Have halved our water bill through handwatering (or not watering!) the garden and taking navy showers.
10) Our weekly grocery bill is currently $280 for a family five plus hangers on (nanny, guests, etc). This is the next main opportunity. I have contacted a business-to-business supermarket - a wholesaler, essentially - who've said they'll let me shop there without being a cardholder, such as businesses are entitled to be. They've got a whole bunch of bulk products. That should help. I've also tried to buy on ebay some second hand cloth nappies but wasn't successful last time - will give it another go.
11) Siphoning off $50/week into a savings a/c - by May we will have set up an account on an online trading platform and I'll have researched the companies in which we will at that time initially invest our first little lump sum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ducky19 on March 05, 2014, 06:44:07 AM
Hello ducky (!) Great handle by the way, welcome. This thread includes a link to general personal finance TLAs: FAQ (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/forum-information-faqs/frequently-asked-questions/), although they are not specific to this site. Lots of other good stuff in there too.
I've seen this link posted on the MMM forum before.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/acronyms-and-slang-frequently-used-on-the-forum-34884.html

Great, thanks for the welcome and the info!  I've had the nickname Ducky since I was a kid and gave my sister a kiss with duck lips - just sort of stuck!  =)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrCash on March 06, 2014, 05:20:14 PM
Hello!

I am a new grad beginning my journey toward Financial Independence.  I am a huge fan of Mr. Money Mustache and the rest of the FI community.  I am almost done reading through the entire collection of MMM posts.

Mr. MM has also inspired me to start my own blog in which I will be documenting my FI adventures.  I look forward to getting to know you all!

Mr. Cash
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SweetLife on March 07, 2014, 06:51:24 AM
Hi All,

I'm Joelle. I'm 46 (I will turn 47 next week!). I'm French, and I live in the Paris suburbs, which is an incredibly expensive place to live in.
I have been married for 2 years.
I discovered MMM 3 months ago, just after discovering YNAB (I was looking for a tool to manage my Personal Finance).
I had never thought of retiring earlier than the legal age here in France (62)!!
I am quite far from FI...
For now, my objective is to at least spend less than I make (while continuing to pay for the mortgage, saving a bit for retirement... and paying all the taxes we have here...).
I am glad to be here.

Cheers.

Welcome to MMM !!! I have been on here for only 4 months now and with the help/encouragement and face punches I have already paid off one high interest rate credit card ... so enjoy!!! There are wonderful people from all over the world on here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vorpal on March 07, 2014, 07:09:15 AM
Hi!

I'm 36, married with one child, and have been seriously travelling the FI road for about a year. I started off reading Financial Samurai's articles (some of which are great, while others...), and user comments on that site pointed me toward MMM. MMM really resonates with me on several levels, and so my personal approach is more MMM than FS.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ratrationale on March 07, 2014, 05:14:04 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm 30, living in Ontario Canada, aiming for financial independence and just love climbing (bouldering). 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LisaCO on March 07, 2014, 06:09:23 PM
hi -
I'm Lisa and live down the Diagonal Highway from MMM.  I found this blog about a month ago and finally decided to join the forum.  I love the blog.  It's helped to to evaluate the value received for my spending.  In place of the typical battling devil and angel on my shoulders, I have a battling mini-MMM and a complainypants.  My goal has always been to retire at 55 which is now (gulp) 7 years away.  My husband is already retired and I'd love to spend more time with him.  I'm looking forward to receiving guidance (and face punches) from the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bourbon Belle on March 08, 2014, 02:42:04 PM
Hi all! I've been reading the blog for a while and finally made it over to forums. I'm looking forward to learning what the larger MMM community is up to.

As for me... I'm 33, single (divorced), no kids. Moved from DC metro to Raleigh, NC last year and the lower cost of living has helped tremendously. I've recently paid off my debts and now looking forward to working toward FI. Also, I like bourbon. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sunshine23 on March 10, 2014, 12:07:45 PM
Hi everyone - I've been reading the blog for a couple weeks, and I love it! I thought I'd add to the forum because I want to start feeling a bit more "a part" of the community.
My name is Shyanne, I'm 22 years old and live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I am not married, I do have a boyfriend but since he's only contributing to the debt part of finances, I don't think that'll be lasting much longer. I have always been a spender and not a saver. Still trying to get that mind-set OUT of my head. I have made over $100,000 in my life and have spent it all. So I suck. Not to mention the CC Debt/Car loan/student loan. So I REALLY suck. It's not going to be easy to change, but I think reading MMM will help a lot! Being so young, I feel that I am ahead of most of my peers. I didn't finish college but I have a career that pays $40,000+ without a degree. I honestly never considered retiring early (I just started working!) but now, it definitely would be a possibility for me. Especially once I find a guy that has a good job/priorities as well. My goal is to get out of all my debt and then start saving. Hopefully you guys can help inspire me, and I can inspire you as well!

Good Luck to my fellow "Stubble" MMs. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thefrugalweds on March 10, 2014, 04:22:09 PM
Hi everyone, :-)
It's great to meet everyone here.  My husband and I are new PF bloggers and have had a great welcome from the PF community since we started in January (including by Mrs.MM)!! 
We're a newlywed couple in our early 30's - living a frugal lifestyle, saving & investing our money well, just erased my husband's student loans, no CC debt, with every intention to retire in the next several years to travel the world full time.

We're very excited to get to know everyone here :-)

Love,
Anneli & Carlos of thefrugalweds.com
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: katie on March 10, 2014, 09:43:03 PM
Hi All!  Long time reader of the blog and lurker of the forum and decided I should finally join in the discussion. :)  We live in SW Idaho, I am 33 with an almost 2 year old and a 3 week old.  We are not FI, but should be in the next couple of years.  My husband "retired" from his engineering day job when our oldest was born to run his hobby-turned-business full time and stay home with our daughter.  I am hoping to make a career change myself and get out of engineering.  We are both pretty frugal and I love hearing the ideas of others.  Plus, it is nice to talk to others that are excited about saving money and being frugal - seems to be hard to find people like that these days!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: schneiguy on March 11, 2014, 12:48:18 AM
Hi everyone!  I'm a single/unattached 32-year-old guy living in the suburbs of Chicago, and I work as a casino manager... outrageously un-mustachian, I know, but it keeps the fire hose of income flowing steadily, and all I do is play games for a living.  I've been a reader for a year or two.  After I polished off the archives, I found myself craving more content, which led me to lurk here, realize you guys have a terrific forum, and now finally join up.  Sadly (but predictably) there aren't many folks sharing my frugal views at my workplace, so I'm glad to have found this oasis in the desert!  At my current pace I should be comfortably FI at around age 50, but I'm looking forward to sharpening my skills, building the 'stache, and knocking a few years off that estimate.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gobius on March 11, 2014, 07:45:17 AM
Lurker for about 4-5 months on the blog posts, lurker on the forum for about a month or two.  29/M living in the Midwest, engaged to be married later this year.  Can't remember how I found this blog; probably from reading MSN Money or the moneylifeandmore blog.  This blog and ERE are almost all I read on the Internet now.  JLCollins is another.

Graduated college 6 years ago with an engineering degree and paid off student loan debt ($45K) after about 2 years.  Currently looking to downsize my house (and mortgage payment).  My fiance is now reading this blog after I kept telling her about it.  I/we have used quite a bit of advice from here already (such as MMM's salad dressing, picking a house that is conducive to biking, and me finally realizing I should be maxing my 401(k) since I'm in the 25% tax bracket).

Have about $90K debt on a $120K house but no other debt.  Savings rate has always been about 40-60% post-tax w/o including mortgage or 401(k); hoping to increase even more with a new house (although this will be countered by an increased 401(k) contribution).  Fiance is relatively frugal but has always found finances boring so she doesn't try tracking it; that is slowly changing thanks to this blog. 

Family and coworkers know me as the cheap one, although it is more of a term of endearment than anything else (at least to my face).  Many of my coworkers have mustachian tendencies (fix their own cars, cut their own hair), but still like their nice vehicles, expensive toys and big houses.  Most save in our 401(k) (which is ran by Vanguard).  My family is much less mustachian, particularly my sisters and dad (my parents have a Harley, a boat, and an RV; they probably use these a combined 10 days per year).  A few years ago I told my dad I was going to retire before he does (he's 52).  Sadly enough for him, I'm on track to actually do that.  He's part of the inspiration for me being frugal: he hates his job but has had such bad spending habits over the years, plus he doesn't have a lot of transferable skills to make really good money in other  industries, so he's stuck.  I do NOT want to be like that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nicknageli on March 11, 2014, 09:13:45 AM
A few years ago I told my dad I was going to retire before he does (he's 52).  Sadly enough for him, I'm on track to actually do that.  He's part of the inspiration for me being frugal: he hates his job but has had such bad spending habits over the years, plus he doesn't have a lot of transferable skills to make really good money in other  industries, so he's stuck.  I do NOT want to be like that.

I hear you.  That's the main reason I'm as frugal as I am now.  I've watched my parents fritter money away for years when they could have been long retired and living much less stressful lives.  Even when they would get a stock windfall or inheritance it just gets blown.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gobius on March 11, 2014, 10:52:53 AM
A few years ago I told my dad I was going to retire before he does (he's 52).  Sadly enough for him, I'm on track to actually do that.  He's part of the inspiration for me being frugal: he hates his job but has had such bad spending habits over the years, plus he doesn't have a lot of transferable skills to make really good money in other  industries, so he's stuck.  I do NOT want to be like that.

I hear you.  That's the main reason I'm as frugal as I am now.  I've watched my parents fritter money away for years when they could have been long retired and living much less stressful lives.  Even when they would get a stock windfall or inheritance it just gets blown.

+1 on that, although I haven't seen my parents get a big stock windfall or inheritance (yet), but they currently make about $130K together.  What's also sad is that my dad handles the finances because my mom doesn't like dealing with them.  Plus, he's a stubborn type and she's pretty passive.  When I talk to her about it, she seems to agree with most of what I'm saying (she's naturally frugal but has been influenced by him for years), but she doesn't want to confront my dad about it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DanielG on March 11, 2014, 12:37:26 PM
Hi everyone here on MMM!

I am from South Africa and have decided to join the MMM community as I love the idea. I know that life here in SA is different and we can live on a lot less (because of the exchange rate, etc.) but nevertheless!

I am 25 and started my first job 3 months ago as a recently graduated mechanical engineer! I have already begun the registration process to become a professional engineer so hopefully in a few years time I will be able to put away large amounts of cash.

My dream is to live on a farm and raise meat and other vegetables for the small village that I will live in some day - be that abroad or here.

I have zero debt and a decent salary for a new graduate. I am moving out of home soon so that will be the real test - I hope to establish my Mustachian ways early on! I've grown up in a family that isn't wasteful at all so I know that I have a good background to carry me forward.

As a last idea - my brother and I are thinking of possibly moving to USA next year for a while to earn some good money while we're young. We may stay forever (I love USA and Canada) or we might come back home. Time will tell. I look forward to reading all your stories and tips. I'm glad I am part of the community now :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Briansmama on March 11, 2014, 03:49:43 PM
Hi Everyone,

I recently discovered MMM and after spending time reading through the archives and forum discussions, I'm learning a lot! My husband is naturally badass and we both value our independence and freedom (husband works for himself, we homeschool our 2 kids, we are a very active family and cook pretty much everything from scratch, etc). We are not yet FI but on the right track.

The MMM family and discussions here have really inspired me to be more frugal and spend less. One of the best ideas I've heard here is that there are so many activities/adventures/fun things to do that you may as well pick the free ones first! Since then we've been taking more hikes together and making special drinks at home instead of heading for cafés. I've been hitting the market every 2 weeks instead of every week and not only has that been a great way to spend less $$, it's freed up more time to play with my kids and exercise. Win-win!

Looking forward to learning more here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Andy84 on March 11, 2014, 08:01:34 PM
I'm 30, and live in Abilene, TX.

I'm not at all on the right track for managing my money, but I'm trying to turn that around. I've been trying to turn a lot of things around lately, including recovering from years of deep and debilitating depression. I'm hoping that with my mental health improving that I can do something to improve my financial health as well. Financial Independence isn't something I ever really considered before, but MMM gives me hope that maybe I too can succeed.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrCash on March 11, 2014, 10:35:12 PM
I'm 30, and live in Abilene, TX.

I'm not at all on the right track for managing my money, but I'm trying to turn that around. I've been trying to turn a lot of things around lately, including recovering from years of deep and debilitating depression. I'm hoping that with my mental health improving that I can do something to improve my financial health as well. Financial Independence isn't something I ever really considered before, but MMM gives me hope that maybe I too can succeed.

Welcome Andy!  You are already well on your way because you are trying to increase your financial knowledge.  If you really want it and are willing to make changes, then you will succeed in building financial health and in achieving financial independence.  We're all here to help you along the way!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: szmaine on March 12, 2014, 08:02:16 AM
Hello

Hi I'm new...name is Suzanne.

Live in Maine, 47yo, 1 daughter, 15yo, husband 55yo.

Looking to beef up the financial outlook and cut the fat!

Nice to have found this site and have already benefited just by reading!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chuckmke on March 12, 2014, 01:02:48 PM
Hi, I'm Chuck and I love reading MMM and many other personal finance blogs.

They have made a huge difference in my thinking and life and always look forward to getting new posts!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kwasibor on March 12, 2014, 07:55:02 PM
Hi All -

My name is Stefanie and I am just shy of my 29th birthday.  I have always been frugal and a saver but this blog has REALLY put me on the warpath to ratchet up me savings so I can FIRE as soon as possible.  I share my life with my boyfriend and 2 kitties in the city of Chicago.

We are savers, budding real estate investors, and so excited to be part of a community that lays out, in very pragmatic terms, the way to achieve FIRE!



I couldn't be more thrilled at the prospect of what today and the future holds!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fortuna on March 12, 2014, 08:16:29 PM
Hi Everyone - been a reader of the blog for probably about 6 months and have not really checked out the forums yet so thought it was about time.  I am married no kids and live in Toronto, Ontario Canada area.

Looking forward to chatting with you all and specifically the other Canadian readers so we can learn from each other what works well for the Northern Mustachians!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fonzico on March 13, 2014, 09:33:56 AM
Hello Everyone!

I'm Fonzico, a 28 yr old married Canadian. I'm pretty lucky in the fact that my parents raised me on the frugal side of things (nothing like MMM, but much better than the Standard Consumer Lifestyle) with a strong aversion to debt. My husband and I graduated from University with a mere $6,500 in student loans combined, which we are in the process of aggressively paying off, and should be done with by the end of summer 2014.

Our next goal will be saving up for a down payment on a house. Our dreams of FI involve one day owning a homestead and living a more-or-less off the grid lifestyle, so that is the ultimate motivation for us.

We're only at a 25% savings rate right now though - I just found MMM about a month ago, and am working on getting it together - the satellite TV will be cancelled as soon as the Stanley Cup is over (ahhh, compromises!), the phone bill has already been reduced a smidge, and we are looking for a second bike and have committed to using self-propulsion as much as possible this summer to get started on breaking the car addiction.

We also started our own company last fall, making vinyl signs, vehicle decals and vinyl decorated clothing, putting my husband's graphic design skills to good use. It's a good set up, in that it's a low-overhead business right now (out of the basement) and we've made back the initial investment already. It's not bringing in a ton right now, but every little bit helps, since we've kept our day-jobs so far.

I'm so grateful for everything Mr and Mrs MM have put out there for the benefit of us all, and that I was lucky enough to stumble across it when I did. Here's to FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: THATlibartsgrad on March 13, 2014, 01:02:52 PM
Hi!

I'm 23, recently got my first Actual Salaried Job (only a paycheck in!), want to hit my head slowly and repeatedly against a wall every day for choosing to pay for college by falling for the myth that private education will pay itself off monetarily, am continually an evolving minimalist, and am working on getting out of debt asap.

Consumer Debt: Juuuust (like 5$ or so...) under 6,000$ on one card. Yes I am an idiot. No it was not all shopping; in fact, a good chunk of it came from rent/utilities because emotionally living with the parents would've been damaging and I eventually felt very guilty mooching off kind friends when my pitiful temp paychecks/odd jobs didn't cut it. Believe half of my paychecks go to get rid of it ASAP because yes, my hair is on fire.

Student Loans: About 45,000$ for undergrad and a MA degree, 14,000$ or so of which is no-interest. I've only ever wanted to work in museums, so while this feels like a STUPID DEGREE TO GET right now, I'll eventually be working doing what I love. After I make money. Because anthropology does not equal money. However, I am still an idiot for having paid for it when I could've gone to the best school for the program for FREE-- How the hell can an 18 year old who grew up in suburbia be trusted to make that kind of investment with their and/or their parents money by choosing their area of interest as a know-nothing high-schooler??? I didn't know! I didn't knoooooow! *melts to floor wailing*

Pet Peeve: Those who say Millenials are lazy. There is no larger proportion of us who are lazy than any other generation. What we are is distrustful and disillusioned, no so much unlike anyone else. Stop picking on us and start pinpointing how you can put our skill sets to good-for-humanity work, world! /endrant

After lurking for months, I'm really excited to be here and actually have an income to implement all these great Mustachian philosophies on. Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: highFIguy on March 13, 2014, 01:39:03 PM
It's time to stop lurking.

I found MMM via a post on Fark.com maybe six months ago or so.  I have no idea what the topic was or who posted the reply, but I clicked on an intriguing link in a thread there and was taken to the MMM site.  I read some of the highly ranked posts and was so taken with so many of the notions that I went and read every post from start to finish.  I was hooked.

I guess the timing was right for me.  My mother and grandmother had both died in the last year, leaving some money behind which really changed my thinking about my abilities to retire.  I used to believe that I'd work 'til I was 70 because I am fortunate enough to do something I mostly enjoy.  Now, the idea that I could reduce my workload, enjoy what work I do even more, and enjoy some additional freedom has taken hold, and I now view the world through a prism where instead of 70 I might "retire" at 50 or 55 (I'll be 44 this year).

My parents were thrifty, and I guess the older I get the more natural this comes to me, too.  I wish I had sacrificed a bit more to save a bit more when I was younger but alas.  Right now, I am saving about 40% of my income.  I was doing that without knowing what that meant for my work life or for FI.  Now that I am (more) aware of how that saving can translate into freedom, I am anxious to get there, and will be looking for ways to save more.

I still have a lot to learn, and this is a great place to do that.  I look forward to more time here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: G-dog on March 13, 2014, 08:24:48 PM
Hi.  G-dog here, started reading the blog and forums a early in 2014, so still a newbie. Obviously, I don't read or follow the rules, otherwise I would have said 'hi' earlier.
Married, 2 dogs, 0 kids.  Looking forward to financial independence/ early retirement as soon as I can while maximizing the benefit options from my employer (retire officially vs. quit).
Hoping to become more savvy, more DIY, more frugal and more confident with the help of this community of 'staches.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ZeroGBuff on March 14, 2014, 06:17:33 PM
Hi all!

I'm a mid-30s single female rocket scientist who has been reading MMM for a little over a year.  I can't begin to say what a difference this site has made in my life.  While I've always been frugal by nature (telling friends I'm a "compulsive saver"), this is the first time I've seen the whole picture in one place.  About a decade ago, while bored at work, I toyed with the idea of FI, and all I saw was the "conventional wisdom" of needing millions of dollars saved up.  Some quick math told me that it would require decades of saving 100% of my income to get there, so I gave up.  At the time, I thought Wall Street was equivalent to Vegas.  Boy, was that naive!

Over the past year, I've been working through the blog, treating it like a graduate course.  Inspired by this blog, I have done the following:

- started my own independent consulting business
- turned a hobby from costing me money into making a small profit
- moved my money to Vanguard (got my mom switched over too!)
- reduced the already-low miles on my hybrid car to the point where I only gas up a few times a year (+ road trips)
- started riding my bike nearly everywhere in town (still need to upgrade the cargo capacity so I can do even more)
- attempted to subtly turn a few likely friends onto the joys of Mustachianism
- shaved a bit off of the bills by upping deductibles and downgrading to less-premium plans
- joined REI and Costco
- learned many exciting new skills

These life changes have made me happier and healthier than anything else I can point to in my post-college life.  So, yeah, now that I'm on my way, I figured it was time to come out of the shadows, stop lurking, and join in the conversation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nerdly on March 15, 2014, 08:47:36 PM
Hi All,

Long time reader, first post. I am just beginning my path to FI. It will be a long road, but the effort has already been paying off! I look forward to participating in the forums since I have already used so much information from them.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Retiree Wanna Be on March 16, 2014, 11:16:02 AM
Hello!  Been devouring the blog articles from this website for a couple days now and just registered for the forums.

Love what I've been reading so far and look forward to discussing topics and getting feedback from all here in the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cuttlefish Clive on March 17, 2014, 10:16:28 AM
Hello, all!

I found MMM via YNAB a month or so ago, & have read all the blog posts & now am getting started on the forums. I'm married, mid 30s software engineer, but currently staying home with our 2 kiddos, 6 & almost 2. I will likely start working part time in the next 6-12 months, and then up my hours when the younger kid starts preschool. I am really digging the MMM message, and feel like in a lot of ways I've always had much of the point of view, but just never thought of how it can apply specifically to money, or how far to take it. My DH is, shall we say, less inclined in that direction, but he independently found the blog a couple weeks ago & mentioned it, so there is hope! Although, I can't imagine him ever giving up his anti-Moustachian car. Or agreeing to just put on a damned sweater when it's cold out.

We do not have CC debt, but do have the aforementioned car (my car is paid off - a CRV, so I am keeping a lookout for a wagon/hatchback that has comparable mileage & has been well care for, but that gets better gas mileage - usual driving is around 25mpg. I *might* get DH to not freak out about me riding a bike to say, the grocery store, but I would never get him to agree to me taking the kids on the roads around here, so that's out for now) and two mortgages (one house is rented to people who are probably not going anywhere for a while, and have expressed interest in buying it when they can qualify), as well as DH's student loan - just under 10K at 8%. The student loan is the first thing on our list to get rid of, so extra money is going to that. Our oldest will be either moving to public school in the fall or I will be homeschooling, either way that will free up some money starting in June, so I'm looking forward to that!

In the mean time, I am working on the things I have the most control over -my own personal spending (was never much, but now it's almost zero), spending on the kids (have a harder time with this, but it, too, is way down over the last couple months!). I would really like to tackle the groceries next. I saw recent posts about tracking grocery categories & figuring out price per serving of favorite meals, and I think both of those will help. I already (mostly) meal plan, make most meals from scratch, & buy extra of basics that are on sale.

Anyway, some of this stuff is probably more appropriate in other forums, so I'll leave it at that!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BlueHouse on March 17, 2014, 04:55:03 PM
Hi everyone,
I found the forums a few weeks ago and just today posted my Reader Case Study.  I’m hoping to ramp up my savings so I can stop living in fear of what will happen “if”, and instead be prepared in case the worst actually does happen.  I never thought FI was possible, and just followed the plan that we’re all programmed to follow.  Really glad I found MMM and really glad of all the advice I’ve already received on the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: B L I S S on March 17, 2014, 08:35:31 PM
I'm obsessed with money and finances.
I never used to be like this, but now that I am, I might as well learn everything I can from those who share similar interests.
I'm a young gun - 23 - and I want to see $1 million before 3,652 days pass by.
I don't believe in everything MMM promotes, but in general he, and everyone here, has got the right idea.

Looking forward to learning from you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pards on March 19, 2014, 04:21:41 PM
Hi everyone,

    I've been reading this blog (as well as other FI blogs) the past year or so. I'm 40 yrs old, married with a child - currently living in Sydney, Australia with my family but have worked in a couple of other countries.
   
   My wife and I are currently working our way towards financial independence, target is by the time I become 50 but hoping to do it earlier. We've recently paid off our house and are now mortgage free - but we've used up all our money in the process of paying off our house. The main purpose for me in reading this and other blogs is to gain inspiration as I really want my wife and I to both reach FI in 5 years time. This financial independence should be something my wife and I will be "mentally" comfortable with.
   
   We currently save around 65% of our combined net income but hoping to make it around 70%. We're currently saving for a deposit on a rental house - the idea being we buy a cheaper house/apartment - rent it out for now and later on retire in it while renting out the house we now own. On top of this, we plan on putting some cash in the bank and some in other investments - most likely Index funds or dividend stocks but I'll do some more research on it.

   I just want to say that it's nice to see a site of like-minded people. This is quite a change from people who say things like "C'mon, you won't be able to take your money with you when you die." (got a couple of college friends who use to say this).
   
   That's all for now. Good luck to everyone going for FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: daschtick on March 19, 2014, 06:41:33 PM
I have been on this site quite a bit since stumbling upon it while researching Traditional versus Roth IRAs.  Sites like this and jhcollins are extremely refreshing to visit when compared to the established stuffy financial blogs.  I wholeheartedly agree with the general premise of this site, as I have longed believed in the "It's not getting what you want, but wanting what you've got" mantra.

Although my wife and I have paid off our home, and have always been diligent savers through our work 401k plans, we have typically adjusted our lifestyle upward to dispose of excess cash(!)  We figured that since we were both in excellent financial shape for (traditional) retirement, we might as well enjoy the rest.  The idea of FIRE never really occurred to either of us until reading deep into this site.  The funny thing is that we determined that we could actually retire today, as we already have a reasonable stash, however, we are not quite ready for the financial diet that we would need to make to live at this reduced level.  BUT, we have begun to make changes, and the idea of FIRE has really begun to set in with my wife.  We are generally much happier knowing that we could leave our jobs at any moment to take up more satisfying, but probably lower paying careers.  The idea of complete freedom is absolutely intoxicating, and like many others have said, is strongly addicting!

To start, my wife traded her $40 YMCA membership for a $10 Planet Fitness membership.  As a bonus, if she checks in at Planet Fitness so many times a month, her work picks up the $10 fee, for a total monthly fee of $0!  Next, I ditched our stupid expensive US Cellular Plan for 3 smartphones.  The base rate was $155/month, but the bill came to $180 after taxes!  This one always pissed me off, but I never felt like there was a suitable alternative.  Enter Republic Wireless with the Moto X.  Yes, I spent $900 to get 3 new phones, but I also sold my old Samsung Galaxy's on CL for $650, so I actually only spent $250 for 3 new Moto Xs.  Next, I decided that we would each get the $25 plan, but upon arrival, my awesome wife told me that since she had Wifi at home, work, and Planet Fitness :-), that she would be fine with the $10 plan!  My base rate went from $155 down to $60 for 3 smartphones!  But that is not all, as cellular taxes are just plain nasty - I went from paying $25/mo to $8/mo in taxes.  (I can't believe that I was paying $300/yr in cell phone taxes - WTF!)   So, in the end, my bill went from $180 down to $68, for a $112/mo savings - $1344/yr!  So within the period of a  month, we are now saving $152/mo, or $1824 year, and we aren't missing anything.  In fact, with Republic Wireless, we have experienced a few improvements, such as a strong cell phone signal in our house due to availability of Wifi calling, and free unlimited text, in which my $180 plan would charge a quarter for each message (we used heywire for free).

And now for some BIG changes....

I have been an avid boater most of my life.  I grew up around boats, and I owned an 18' Bayliner outboard for 14 years, and as part of the my ritual of disposing of a cash surplus, two years ago I decided that I was going to sell that boat, and move into a high end 20' boat.  The good news is that I did well with the sale, having only 'lost ' $2800 in depreciation for 14 years of boating.  In the world of boats, that is next to nothing.   On a similar note, I picked up a great deal on my dream boat - a 20' Cobalt, in which I paid cash for.  It was February, the boat was seven years old, and needed some TLC to bring it back to glory.  That said, since I enjoy working on cars and boats, I spent that spring disassembling and thoroughly cleaning and polishing away the neglect, and ended up with an absolute beauty.  But after less than ideal summer weather  last year, I began to think that maybe I was just done.  I still enjoy boating, but Wisconsin is not a good state for the hobby.  Also, I began to realize that I really wasn't enjoying boating anymore than previously, but my expenses had increased dramatically (storage, gas, insurance, maintenance), along with the worry factor.  That said, even before I found this site, I created a CL ad during the winter boat show season to see what sort of interest I could gather.  I had many hits, and several very interested parties.  Being that the boat is stored offsite,and I cannot get it back until the snow is gone, I explained the circumstances with each of the highly interested parties, and all have requested that I contact them once I have the boat back home.

If I do sell it, I will no doubt miss it, but I figured that I could rent a brand new version of my boat at a local lake several times a season, and still be significantly ahead, but with none of the hassle or worries.  In addition, I could also sell my tow vehicle (Nissan Titan), as I currently daily drive a Ford Focus.  This would save me registration, insurance, maintenance, and a huge amount of gas on 2 vehicles - seems worth it in exchange for 6 to 10 boat rides a year!

This is a huge change for us, but it would be great to cash out of these assets, and significantly reduce our monthly spending.  Heck, even if we only saved half of our new monthly savings, and blew the rest on vacations and such, it would be so worth it!

In closing, I probably won't be a large contributor to this forum, as I am much more of a lurker, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their great advice and positive attitudes, as this has made a significant impact on my outlook for the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jubilantjill on March 19, 2014, 08:30:29 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm 30, living in Ontario Canada, aiming for financial independence and just love climbing (bouldering).
Me too! Well, aiming for FI and love bouldering! I live in Bishop, CA so let me know if you're ever down this way!
Cheers,
Jill
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirrel away on March 20, 2014, 09:12:05 AM
Hi, I am a 38 year old living in London (UK) with my 43 year old hubbie and we are hoping he can retire at 55. I know this isn't that early but we only found the MMM site last year!

He is going to increase his pension contributions as he is a higher rate taxpayer and we have cut down our normal budget by negotiating a better rate on mobile phone, broadband etc... We were overpaying our mortgage but after some research decided that wasn't the best strategy for us.

It's nice to be here, I have lurked for a while but actually decided to join up. There are definite differences between US and UK though, house prices here are ridiculously high but at least we have the NHS and don't have to worry about health insurance.

Looking to get some advice and be with like-minded people. My in-laws think we are weird as we are saving instead of spending. I hope to have the last laugh when we reach FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JustDave on March 20, 2014, 07:03:59 PM
Hi - I've been lurking for a while but I figured I'd make my first post .  36, married, 2 kids and 2 dogs. 

We've always lived below our means, and I've always considered myself a "frugal" person .... but it wasn't until recently that I discovered MMM and realized just how much better we could be doing.  It's kind of sad to realize just how much money you just toss away in a given month if you aren't keeping a watchful eye on it - $5 here, $10 there.  I've come to realize that frugality without purpose doesn't accomplish as much as you'd like if you have nothing to show for it.   Now I'm focusing on the larger goal ....  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fixer-upper on March 21, 2014, 02:12:36 AM
Hi everyone!

I'm 44, but my inner child is 14 (he gets me in trouble sometimes).  I retired in 2008 just as the markets were falling apart, and have been enjoying life ever since.  It's really nice to see people with similar interests, since talking about money with most of my neighbors is out of the question.  When they're struggling to pay the rent, it's just easier to let them think I'm poor too.

My overall philosophy is to put my 'stache in things I can see and touch, then find a way to make them earn their keep.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jill on March 21, 2014, 05:54:23 AM
Hey all!

It's been really interesting reading all the intro posts, and seeing all the different places people are starting from.

I just opened my first ever Stocks and Shares ISA (hello UK dwellers). It's very exciting.

You guys are probably among the few who understand my excitement.

I think I'm going to like it here. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: effed on March 22, 2014, 08:54:42 AM
Although I joined this forum with the name Effed I am not totally effed. I was raised by financially responsible family in a rural setting. My father was a farmer, my mother a SAHM. The perfect upbringing, really. At any point during the day you could look out a window and see where my dad was and what he was doing. In the winter my dad didn't have to farm. Pretty nice lifestyle. My father also came from a wealthy family and had investments, but these didn't really turn into real money until after I had grown and left home.
 
I have been making a living as a sculptor since the late 90's. I work at home as does my husband. I never commuted more than 10 miles to work. Funny, but I have two brothers and a sister and none of them have ever commuted much more than that. My commute is from one side of the house to the other :) I think it's pretty awesome.

I did marry someone who had made some not so great financial decisions in his past. I have posted about this in the Ask a Mustaschian section. I myself have no debt other than a $61k mortgage. All vehicles/toys purchased with cash. No credit cards. I love this part of myself. No cable TV for over two years now and LOVE it! Streaming Netflix only.

We have four horses, and we have them the cheapest way possible. First, when we met we lived in an area too expensive for us to have horses. When my husband left his job to work for me we drove around the state for two weeks picking our new spot. We were able to afford a place on the other side of the state for far less, with a few acres and a seasonal stream. After a few years of having a farrier come out to trim and shoe four horses we realized that costed as much as feeding them! My husband, with the help of a friend who was a farrier, learned how to do all the farrier work himself, and now is a quite confident hoof trimmer and shoe applier :) Saves a TON of money! My husband also built a barn and re-fenced the property. His father helped build the barn. The thing that has hurt us the most in recent years is the almost doubling of hay prices locally. this was in part due to the drought in Texas and Oklahoma and all our hay was being sold and trucked out there, leaving little hay for local people. Our hay cost went from $200 a month to $400 a month! Fortunately I saw a posting from another local horse person who was sick of the hay prices here and went through a hay broker to haul a semi truck load of hay here from Montana for almost half the price and he wanted to split it with other people. So, we just got a winter's worth of hay for way less! I like to support local business, but it was so much less doing it this way. Maybe other horse people out there could benefit from contacting a hay broker as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GrooveStomp on March 22, 2014, 09:52:40 PM
Hi Everyone!

I've been reading for a couple of months now.  I decided to hop onto the forums here to seek help with regards to investments from Canada.
My wife is on board as we try to simplify our lives and reach financial independence.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sly on March 23, 2014, 07:13:32 AM
Hi new guy here. I am 32 and live in NYC. I have had Mustachian thoughts for years but failed to implement. Now is the time to get serious, I am about to start a new job and I will follow strict Mustachian principles to try to be FI in 10 years or less. If all goes well over the next few years I will save enough to buy (or build) a small house in upstate NY. I will use the house to transition to low cost small town living for early retirement. I am still considering other locations: cheaper, sunnier places out west or down south seem attractive, but I am worried it will become a logistical nightmare. The ease and convinience of planning locally makes the project less daunting. But I welcome input from forum members, where would you escape to if you lived/worked in NYC???
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jazzpolice on March 23, 2014, 01:46:19 PM
Hey everyone!
I'm so excited to have found this online community full of awesomeness!  I'm 41, married, no kids (by choice & will not have any) and haven't had any debt for many years (other than a mortgage) but even though I've thought of myself as "frugal" through the years, I've realized I had still been spending way too much and not saving nearly enough.  But that was the past so onward we go…I do value simplicity and have kicked it up a notch for 2014 (partly thanks for MMM inspiration).  Wish I had gone to college straight out of H.S & picked a marketable major back then but again…this is counterproductive thinking so I must remind myself there will always be others doing better than us and others doing worse than us.  My goal is to reach FI by the time I'm 50.

So far this year we have finally gotten rid of cable and only doing streaming (Hulu+/netflix), got rid of full coverage on our (fuel efficient) cars, cell service with Sprint is finally over in 2 weeks and I'm counting the days to get rid of that most despised bill of all and switch to Ting, cut back on eating out & buying groceries more mindfully.  Most exciting part is we'll be mortgage free this year.  So I guess that's still not too bad even though I feel behind the curve…
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. FI on March 23, 2014, 04:48:49 PM
Hello,

I'm Mr. FI (or, going to be someday!) and I've been reading this blog like crazy. What a neat way to approach life. Deep down I've always wanted to simplify my life but have gotten caught up in going out all the time, buying the newest electronics, etc. nothing insane, but definitely not Mustachian!

My wife and I are now endeavoring on this journey to become FI by 2025 (catchy, right?) We're both 25 and don't make nearly what the Mustache clan did (even with the wages averaged out) but we feel we have only to go up career wise and investment wise. It's all very new to us but we're excited for what the future holds! Excited to get involved with this community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: keby724 on March 24, 2014, 06:22:26 AM
I'm Kate - longtime lurker, first time poster. I have a well-paying job that I love - but looking to be a still-working SWAMI. No debt, working on building up our savings. I have a husband who stays @ home with our 3 y/o daughter right now.

We'd like to live in Europe for a few years at least, and with vet's preference for both of us, we're hoping to look for jobs overseas sometime next year. Hoping to sell our (too big, too much work, too expensive) house this summer and rent for a year while I finish my doctorate in nursing. Then, we will have the flexibility to up and go when we find the right opportunity.

~Kate
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hank.Scorpio on March 24, 2014, 07:40:59 PM
Hi All,

I'm Steve.  Happily married to the best life/financial parter I could hope for. We just had a beautiful baby girl 3 weeks ago and I got the urge to get serious about investing as soon as we brought her home.  Discovered MMM about 3 days ago and I'm now hooked.  I feel good about where we are financially and appreciate everyone's perspective as I begin the journey toward serious, adult budgeting and investing. 

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RNwastash on March 24, 2014, 08:00:27 PM
Hi Everyone!!I'm Cecilia  I am 45 and I don't know if I ever want to retire  or just be a SWAMI because I love my job as a  pediatric registered nurse.  When I was young, we were not well off.  My dad was an enlisted Navy and mom stayed at home.  They were  very frugal.  I however fell into the materialistic wheel in my younger days.  I even had a Mercedes emblem necklace when I was a teenager.  I was lucky enough  to meet a very frugal guy who was patient and put up with my ways.

I turned the corner in my 30's when I had kids and wanted to stay home with them.  We made financial mistakes along the road, but we were lucky the market was in our favor.  (We over-bought a house and then hubby lost his job.)  The saving grace was that I had my education and got a job right away.  Hubby works as a computer programmer so he also got a job right away.  We ended up selling the house for a profit and putting the money down on a more reasonable home.  Now hubby and I max out out 403b's and are saving extra in our Roths and taxable accounts.  I guess you can say my "Stash" has gotten bigger since we downsized and moved to a less expensive area, Fresno, CA.  I love this blog and forum..  I have saved even more since becoming a frequent reader. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Paulie on March 25, 2014, 01:31:30 AM
Hi Everyone!!I'm Cecilia  I am 45 and I don't know if I ever want to retire  or just be a SWAMI because I love my job as a  pediatric registered nurse. 

The second time I see it; what does SWAMI stand for?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on March 25, 2014, 06:25:27 AM
Satisfied working advanced mustachian individual
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scooterdog on March 25, 2014, 07:29:00 AM
Hi, was aware of MMM for about a year now, but decided to join the forums now.

Years ago used to frequent the LBYM board at Motley Fool, and in the interim worked hard on increasing the income side of the ledger.

Now that I've slowed down (perhaps a function of age or thinking that chasing more brass rings is 'just not worth it'), wanted to get back into discussing / thinking about below-your-means lifestyle again.

Demographic: family man (3 offspring), telecommuter, transplanted Southern Californian to the DC area, one paid-off rental property, plan to retire in ~15y but will likely hit critical mass a bit sooner.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Daisy on March 25, 2014, 08:17:26 PM
Daisy here…I have been pretty frugal my entire life and learned some of these concepts from my family, reading, etc. I’ve been reading this blog recently and it has triggered several life-changing attitudes.

I am first generation American. My parents came here in their 30s. My father came here with basically no money but a good education and a persistence to succeed that rivals almost anyone. I always figured if they could do it after a late start like that, that it should be easy for anyone.

So we grew up in a stable middle class home with a stay at home mom. My mom is just an optimizing fanatic. She hated driving through traffic so would always devise shorter commute times by avoiding traffic congestion by learning the backroads…and would brag about it. She cooked everything from scratch and taught us how to cook. She had an envelope system for each budget category and would have us write down every expense on each envelope after buying gas, groceries, etc. All of my siblings inherited this skill as we always try to find the most efficient way to get things done (e.g. my brother takes his family to Disney World and they have figured out the best way to use the fast-pass privileges).

I’m a mid-40s engineer with a good salary. Once I reached a certain level of promotion, I knew I didn’t want to go much higher because it would intrude on my quality of life. I also read the books Your Money or Your Life, The Millionaire Next Door, and the 4-Hour Workweek and it just blew my mind. You’ll be happy to hear that I borrowed these books from my big-corporation’s own library – no less! I couldn’t believe they stocked these books that encouraged early retirement and minimal work! I had an ex-boyfriend that would complain about his long hours at work and gave the advice that he could work hard now to then take it easy later. So see…I was on to something already.

Well, at one point I was working at another company and really did not like my job. So I started to actually write down my expenses and see how much I needed to live on and kept track of my investments in order to see when I could self-fund my expenses. I am not as foul-mouthed as some around here, but I did coin the term “screw you” money on my own. Eventually, I was laid off from that job and was pretty happy about it because I had money saved up. I took the summer off and had a great time walking, bicycling, taking care of elderly parents, and taking art classes.

Eventually my old employer (the one I had before the one that laid me off) called me to return and I accepted. All in all I took about 5 months off. It was a taste of early retirement and I want to get there again. I am in a pretty good position at my company right now, so I am just SWAMI-ing my way through it until it feels right to pull the plug…hopefully with some kind of severance.

So this blog came at just the right time as I have figured out even better ways to optimize and reduce my expenses. As soon as MMM posted about buying the new house, it triggered me to look around and find a place about a mile away where I could buy a place for cash and be mortgage-free by downsizing just a little bit.

I am looking forward to ER at some point in the next 5 years in order to focus on more meaningful pursuits - more athletic pursuits, volunteering, reading, and continuing with my occasional travel.

BTW, this was an awesome story which is how I visualize ER:

On another forum I frequent, I related in great detail an encounter I had with a pod of orcas while I was sea kayaking - let me just say that the impact that this moment had upon me was profound in that it made me question how many other moments we are all missing out on while we are slumped in our cubicles, or (in my case) slogging in the mud at the bottom of a hole trying to repair a damaged sanitary pipe. I may never experience as breathtaking an event as when I felt my kayak rise up a few feet because a 10000 pound bull orca had swum beneath my fragile boat - yes, the mass of the animal displaced enough water to lift my boat - but I want more TIME and FREEDOM to seek out similar wonders. The world is full of them.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: betterlifepillars on March 26, 2014, 08:52:25 AM
Hi everyone - I started reading MMM about 6 months ago and have become sold on being frugal and eventually earning FI.  Love my job though and would still do it even if I didn't have to - I teach in Japan (crappy salary though - I can scrape together $40,000 yearly IF I put in a lot of overtime and a couple Sunday mornings sacrificed to teach more). 

Wife stays at home with 3 kids, two of whom are in Japanese kindergarten (about $450 each per month).  Biggest expenses is Kindergarten ($900) and Rent ($900), but my wife is good at spending the rest well.  I wasn't until reading MMM, and now we can put away significantly more towards savings/investing.  Secretly.  My wife isn't really sold yet and would kill me if she knew I was saving extra money on my own.

As a hobby I started 2 blogs under pseudonyms and haven't really monetized them.
A self improvement blog - http://www.betterlifepillars.com/
An ESL blog - http://eslinvestment.blogspot.jp/ 

I made 1 yen (about 0.98 cents) from adsense today!!!  I feel a huge sense of accomplishment, and that's what pushed me to introduce myself. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MidWestLove on March 26, 2014, 07:11:47 PM
Simon, from Chicago, IL. Engineer (actually IT manager now but still engineer at heart), bumped into MMM by accident and found it matching my philosophy. Russian decent , first generation immigrant with memories of transition from one economic system to another (really helps with perspective and encourages self sufficiency mindset). Married to DW for coming up 12 years, 2 year old we love. both of us work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Derick on March 27, 2014, 10:27:26 AM
Hi, I'm Derick. I enjoy playing the drums, hiking with my dog, kayaking, biking, and my nonmustachian vice - craft beer. I'm 28, am married, college grad, and am working as a Social Worker at a job I plan on leaving very soon. Despite what many think about Social Work, it is not particularly rewarding, and of course the pay is extremely low. My wife is a Finance grad, and is a teacher. She plans to move into finance eventually, but for the time being we have taken what we can get. We are debt-free, have an easily affordable mortgage, and own our cars outright (Her 2008 Honda CR-V, my 1996 Honda Accord sedan and the work/weekend truck, a 1999 Tacoma with 303k miles - both 4 cylinders w/ 5 spd manuals) She bought the Accord while we were dating in 2008 for $2,000, I got the truck from my uncle a couple years ago for $750, and we recently upgraded her into the CR-V for $10,500 cash. We have around $35,000 in savings, both have maxed our ROTH IRA's for the last 2 years. We're good at being frugal, but I believe we need to begin taking the "next steps" toward FI - and that's why I'm here.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: candiceena on March 27, 2014, 06:06:53 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm new to the MMM community - stumbled upon the blog via the YNAB forums.

Read a couple posts and thought "yeah right, dude. NOT for me, thanks but no thanks."

In fact, I actually posted something on the YNAB forums about how I'm doing things XYZ way because "it's not like I'm trying to retire early, or anything."

And then the STRANGEST thing happened. I couldn't stop thinking about the principles of MMM/FIRE.  So I slowly started reading more of the posts and started questioning things I had taken at face value. I was like "why do I need XYZ? because someone told me I deserved it? Because thats what other people are doing?"

So here I am. :) Full believer now. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on March 27, 2014, 10:45:40 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm new to the MMM community - stumbled upon the blog via the YNAB forums.

Read a couple posts and thought "yeah right, dude. NOT for me, thanks but no thanks."

In fact, I actually posted something on the YNAB forums about how I'm doing things XYZ way because "it's not like I'm trying to retire early, or anything."

And then the STRANGEST thing happened. I couldn't stop thinking about the principles of MMM/FIRE.  So I slowly started reading more of the posts and started questioning things I had taken at face value. I was like "why do I need XYZ? because someone told me I deserved it? Because thats what other people are doing?"

So here I am. :) Full believer now. :)

Wow--that's a very cool mustachian 180 you just did.  Hope you enjoy the MMM/FIRE lifestyle.  There's no turning back now...  ;-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: candiceena on March 28, 2014, 01:15:43 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm new to the MMM community - stumbled upon the blog via the YNAB forums.

Read a couple posts and thought "yeah right, dude. NOT for me, thanks but no thanks."

In fact, I actually posted something on the YNAB forums about how I'm doing things XYZ way because "it's not like I'm trying to retire early, or anything."

And then the STRANGEST thing happened. I couldn't stop thinking about the principles of MMM/FIRE.  So I slowly started reading more of the posts and started questioning things I had taken at face value. I was like "why do I need XYZ? because someone told me I deserved it? Because thats what other people are doing?"

So here I am. :) Full believer now. :)

Wow--that's a very cool mustachian 180 you just did.  Hope you enjoy the MMM/FIRE lifestyle.  There's no turning back now...  ;-)

Why, thank you! :) I'm pretty stoked!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: viper155 on March 28, 2014, 06:48:02 PM
Hey All! I'm Tony - Retired FDNY, part time Stagehand in NYC and surrounding area. Love the site. Peace!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: boogiewoogie on March 29, 2014, 03:27:48 PM
Hi all,

I'm from London, in my early 30s. I've led a fairly disastrous live thus far not saving a single penny despite working for over 10 years, but during the last two years have been slowly cutting back on the spending whilst getting sizeable pay rises. For the last two months I have fully committed to "Financial Freedom Through Badassity" and have been able to achieve a ~50% saving rate.

London is a bit pricey, but I'm always up for a challenge. Thanks for having me

BW
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sbeamer on March 30, 2014, 09:51:50 AM
Hi All!

I'm Sean, from Rhode Island and can't wait to gain financial freedom :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zurich78 on March 30, 2014, 09:58:16 AM
Hey everyone! 

Just joined today.  I'm 35 and an online marketing manager living in sunny Southern California (Orange County).  For most of my adult life, I did not think about the future and had always thought about how to spend money I acquired rather than save it. 

That all changed this year when I made a New Year's resolution to myself to take better control of my finances, set some financial goals, and really work at building more wealth.

I don't have any personal financial advisors in my family, and I don't always feel comfortable discussing the details of my finances with my friends, and so I thought this would be a great way to talk to others about my financial situation, goals and whether I'm heading in the right direction.

Looking forward to learning and discussing with you all!
Title: Mississippi Mustache Newbie
Post by: pthomasson88 on March 30, 2014, 04:49:27 PM
Recently found MMM through a Google+ Community of Mustachians. Check it out. I have been contributing to my 401K for a long time and was just figuring I would work until 65 or 67 and retire. But, in recent years I have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of control over how I spend my time. I commute 50 mintues one way to work and have to travel about one week out of every month. The Mustachian explanation makes complete sense to me. I am wasting so much time and money and have locked myself in to a lifestyle I can't afford and in many ways do not like. Time for change!!!

I am 7 years and 3 months away from being eligible for a pension with my company at age 55, but I think my wife and I could put a plan together that could get us to financial independence in 5 years. She is still warming up to the idea. As part of the planning I will run the numbers and see if the pension ends up being worth another two years of work or not.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ista on March 30, 2014, 06:20:14 PM
hi all--
I've been lurking around MMM for over a year now, finally registering as I was offered a layoff towards the end of the year with a nice severance this last week and I've got lots of questions and thoughts as to how to best take advantage of this. I'm not quite able to retire at this point, but my spending has always been substantially below my income despite living in NYC, so I'm not too anxious that I'll have to dig into my savings before figuring out my next steps.

Glad to have finally joined the official ranks of the MMM forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LakewoodStache on March 31, 2014, 06:41:37 PM
Hi Mustachian Warriors,
Where to start?  36 year old male.  Single.  Software developer.  Lived at or above my means until the age of 33.  At that time I was making about 85k a year but was mired down in 25k of credit card debt and zero savings.  Luckily I started contributing to my 401k in my late 20s so at that time I did have some retirement funding.

I suppose I woke up one day and realized that if I didn't change my ways I was going to be penniless when I got old. 

I moved in with my girlfriend.  Yes, I paid half her mortgage ($600/month) but even with splitting utilities and other house hold expenses it was much cheaper than living by myself in a nearly $900/month apartment plus a full load of utility expenses.

Slowly but surely I paid off the credit card debt.  Every penny.  That last credit card debt was retire around September of last year.  During that time I learned how to pay cash for car repairs, vacations and all the stuff that normally would be charged to a credit card. 

Over those three years I've raised my salary from 85k a year to 115k+.  Also during that time I was slowly ramping up my 401k contributions from 7% to 11%. 

Today, I the only debt I've got left is some student loan debt (13k).  I've got 8k in cash savings and 55k in investment accounts.  My car is worth about 6500 dollars. 

My girl and I split.  I managed to find a little place (no room to accumulate useless stuff) at 300 sqft for $500 dollars a month in a fabulous neighborhood.  I love this little place.  With utilities it comes to about $550 a month.  My neighbors pay more in property taxes than I pay in rent.  It's completely detached and has a porch.  Like I said, I love the economy and privacy this little place provides. 

I've got my 401k on max contribution 17.5k for this year.  On top of that, every month I am socking away another $4,200 dollars away in savings.

My goal is to build up my nest egg to $12,000 dollars in savings then knock out the student loan debt this summer.  By Fall I'll be completely debt free.  Once the $500 a month student loan payments (the minimum) are gone in a few months, I'll have $4,700 dollars a month for saving and investing. 

My savings goal for this year is to ring in 2015 with about 30k in savings. 

Believe it or not, before I started this journey, I sometimes thought maybe it was too late to turn the bus around.  I was scared of getting old without any real savings. 

I'm proud to be frugal.  I don't feel deprived.  The best part is being able to go to sleep at night knowing I'm on the right path. 

On the flip side I'm continuing to hammer away at work increasing my value, teaching myself new skills and generally making myself indispensable. 

Yep, throwing away $6000 dollars a year on rent sucks but I have a plan for that too.  I'm planning to save enough money so that during the next housing downturn (yes, there will be another, just a matter of time) I can scoop up something basic in the 75k range and pay cash.  It'll be ugly and needed a lot of work but I am very handy. 

I haven't really calculated the date of my FI independence because I am really at the start of the journey.  I just plan to keep on keepin' on with you good folks to inspire me.

Thats my story :)

I'm reading about investing and making plans.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on March 31, 2014, 06:52:36 PM
Wow--I enjoyed reading your story.  Seems like you have indeed turned that bus around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LakewoodStache on March 31, 2014, 07:04:21 PM
I lived like a complete idiot for over 10 years. 

Part of the realization that turned the bus around was some travel outside of the US to 2nd (or less) world countries.  I realized two important things:  1) Money and material possessions do not make happiness.  2)  I make a ton of money compared to most people in this world.

I just read that the median global salary is estimated to be something like $1,255 a year.  One would only need an income of about $34,000 a year to be in the global top 1% world wide. 

That blows my mind.

I had to "grow up".  Smarten up.  Buckle down.

How could I make so much money but have so little to show for it? 

I didn't even own a lot of the stuff I was in possession of.  A lot of it was owned by the credit card companies, technically.

I am so glad to be here :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alphalemming on March 31, 2014, 09:38:18 PM
Hello everyone,

Recently found this community, but have always been (more or less) a mustachian at heart.  Wife and I both work, 2 twin boys getting ready for middle school.  Carrying the mortgages but other than that, no debt.  Car is 14 years old and still running well.  We've been tracking our progress towards early retirement since we got married.  Anyone else up in the Marin County area?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirrel away on April 01, 2014, 04:14:17 AM
Hi all,

I'm from London, in my early 30s. I've led a fairly disastrous live thus far not saving a single penny despite working for over 10 years, but during the last two years have been slowly cutting back on the spending whilst getting sizeable pay rises. For the last two months I have fully committed to "Financial Freedom Through Badassity" and have been able to achieve a ~50% saving rate.

London is a bit pricey, but I'm always up for a challenge. Thanks for having me

BW

Hi, I'm a Londoner too.:)



I just read that the median global salary is estimated to be something like $1,255 a year.  One would only need an income of about $34,000 a year to be in the global top 1% world wide. 

That blows my mind.

I had to "grow up".  Smarten up.  Buckle down.

How could I make so much money but have so little to show for it? 


So true!:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RelaxationSpecialist on April 01, 2014, 10:05:09 AM
Hi!! I'm Tracey. I'm a one year + follower of Dave Ramsey and a user of YNAB... My friends Nurse Frugal and her husband turned me on to MMM about a month ago and it was EXACTLY the face punch I needed to kick it into high gear. Our goal as a family (husband, The Chad and 14 yr old son, Blue) is to be debt free in three years... but, now, I'm thinking we may be able to do it even faster!!

In November of 2013 I got the huge wake up call when I checked in with one year of spending on clothing using YNAB, needless to say I was wearing an economically priced used car. It made me physically ill. I had entered all my categories correctly into YNAB. Did a zero based budget every month for a year, **graciously allotting myself a nice personal sum of $$ to spend as I wanted.... followed all the rules... um.... except the one that said YOU DO NOT NEED TO WEAR THE EQUIVALENT OF AN ECONOMICALLY PRICED USED CAR EVERY YEAR!! Some people eat their budgets away, I was wearing mine! Awkward, to say the least!

Now, we are thrift focused. Learning how to cook great meals at home. We cut out the last of anything that wasn't a basic need (of course, now on MMM we will be rethinking what 'need' is). My clothing budget has been slashed to 10% of last years bloat. And, my stress over never being able to retire is floating away with every dollar put towards becoming FREE!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aetherie on April 01, 2014, 10:36:27 AM
Hi all,

I'm Rebecca. I'm about to graduate from college and start my career. I have a software engineering job lined up that pays way more than I need, and I had been wondering how to use the extra in the smartest way possible - enter MMM. My general approach to life is already pretty frugal, thanks to my parents, and I'm excited to find ways to do even better. The idea of gaining financial independence before I have kids is amazing.

My boyfriend and I are both amateur competitive ballroom dancers, so that will be a money-related challenge moving forward - can we cut back in other areas in order to keep paying for lessons and competitions once we're no longer eligible for student discounts? Luckily, he's just as intrigued by the idea of mustachianism as I am, so I'm sure we'll be able to make it work.

I can't wait to learn from all of you!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crc on April 01, 2014, 04:30:04 PM
Hi All,

I'm a 29 year old newly converted Mustachian living in Yellowknife, NWT Canada. I had some friends from Victoria who pointed me in this direction and I'm super stoked on the community!

Woot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sulurith on April 01, 2014, 06:40:28 PM
I'm Casey, just found the blog like a week ago.

Recent college graduate, just starting in the corporate world and already looking to get out ASAP.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LakewoodStache on April 01, 2014, 08:23:45 PM
I really admire the recent college graduates that have committed to grabbing the bull by the horns.

The cars, vacations and stuff isn't worth it.  Get in, get out.  Like an assassin.

Your FI is way more important that shiny things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aetherie on April 01, 2014, 08:32:56 PM
Get in, get out.  Like an assassin.

I'm making this my motto from now on.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Eurotexan on April 01, 2014, 09:16:15 PM
So happy to be here too! I have been lurking for a few months and have been reading all the posts, already I have seen a huge change in my savings rate and my general outlook on life. Thanks to MMM and you guys on the forum!

I am a 38 year old living in Dallas and I have a daughter entering middle school. I have always had a good job but did the typical "put 10% towards my 401k" and spend the rest.. duh! I have a decent retirement account but boy, it could have been so much more if I had started living like this 10+ years ago. But, it's never too late, that's definitely something I have learnt here. My goal is FIRE by the age of 50.

In response to the Tracey about all the clothes she bought last year.. me too... I spent nearly $10K in clothes, purses etc.. absolutely ridiculous. I am proud to say so far this year I haven't spend a single penny on clothes or anything that I can wear! It feels so liberating... we can do it!

So happy to be here, y'all :) (to be spoken with a British accent!!)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on April 02, 2014, 04:54:49 AM
Welcome, TexasBrit!  Sounds like you have really woken up!  In case you are not aware of it yet, there is a No Clothes Shopping in 2014 challenge here.  Hope you join it!

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/no-clothes-shopping-in-2014/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: joe travers on April 02, 2014, 09:01:50 PM
Hey fellow Mustachians,

I stumbled upon the article in the Washington Post about MMM almost one year ago. My fiancee (at the time) were a couple months away from our wedding. I remember reading the WashPost article and thinking, "This must be some kind of sign for our totally awesome future!" I was amazed that MMM became financially independent at 30. I was 29! Let's just say it was my first "face punch." Then I found the MMM website and immediately became hooked. Over the next few months I went back through the archives and studied up on "mustachianism." I've since been a regular and enthusiastic MMM reader and long-time forum reader. This is my first post here!

My wife and I had occasional frugal tendencies and we invested (maxing 401k, Vanguard index funds, TSP, etc.) but we weren't exactly tracking our spending/saving -- even though we both had our own Mint accounts. We had a large chunk of cash in a combo of savings and checking accounts (so you could say we had an emergency fund) but it wasn't doing anything. Additionally, I was paying a loan a new-ish Jeep Wrangler -- because I wanted to look cool (FACE PUNCH)! My wife was paying off her law school loans but fortunately owned a quality hand-me-down Honda Civic for her commute. We did though have a great (but pricey) wedding. 

But by regular standards, you could say, for a newly married couple, we were doing pretty good. As we learned though, we weren't doing very good by MMM standards. So here's what we did:

1. Actually tracked our spending for July and August 2013
2. Sold my Jeep and bought a used Prius (thx to MMM car recommendations)
3. Set initial goal of saving 30-40% of our monthly pay
4. Started doing weekly grocery shopping (previously it was very ad hoc) and made our own meals (no more Whole Food hot bar lunches!)
5. I started biking to work!
6. Reduced our weekly dinner/movie dates from once a week to once a month
7. Combined our bank accounts so our respective incomes became "ours" and combined insurance
8. Eventually upped our savings rate to at least 50% of our take home pay with most of that going toward our "home down payment fund" and the rest to my Vanguard taxable account
9. Lastly, I got a new job recently so we'll be moving to a new city shortly. I'll get a company car, cell phone, etc. and my wife will take public transportation for her job so we'll be able to cut some additional costs there as well.

Here's one quick measure: we calculated our net worth back in October as we were getting our acts together. It was approximately $126K. It's increased 47% since. Sure, the markets have helped but we are proud to be stashing our cash even more so!

Bottom line: the MMM way has my wife and me starting off on the right financial foot as we begin our lives together! Great to be a part of this community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on April 02, 2014, 09:09:19 PM
Hey fellow Mustachians,

I stumbled upon the article in the Washington Post about MMM almost one year ago. My fiancee (at the time) were a couple months away from our wedding. I remember reading the WashPost article and thinking, "This must be some kind of sign for our totally awesome future!" I was amazed that MMM became financially independent at 30. I was 29! Let's just say it was my first "face punch." Then I found the MMM website and immediately became hooked. Over the next few months I went back through the archives and studied up on "mustachianism." I've since been a regular and enthusiastic MMM reader and long-time forum reader. This is my first post here!

My wife and I had occasional frugal tendencies and we invested (maxing 401k, Vanguard index funds, TSP, etc.) but we weren't exactly tracking our spending/saving -- even though we both had our own Mint accounts. We had a large chunk of cash in a combo of savings and checking accounts (so you could say we had an emergency fund) but it wasn't doing anything. Additionally, I was paying a loan a new-ish Jeep Wrangler -- because I wanted to look cool (FACE PUNCH)! My wife was paying off her law school loans but fortunately owned a quality hand-me-down Honda Civic for her commute. We did though have a great (but pricey) wedding. 

But by regular standards, you could say, for a newly married couple, we were doing pretty good. As we learned though, we weren't doing very good by MMM standards. So here's what we did:

1. Actually tracked our spending for July and August 2013
2. Sold my Jeep and bought a used Prius (thx to MMM car recommendations)
3. Set initial goal of saving 30-40% of our monthly pay
4. Started doing weekly grocery shopping (previously it was very ad hoc) and made our own meals (no more Whole Food hot bar lunches!)
5. I started biking to work!
6. Reduced our weekly dinner/movie dates from once a week to once a month
7. Combined our bank accounts so our respective incomes became "ours" and combined insurance
8. Eventually upped our savings rate to at least 50% of our take home pay with most of that going toward our "home down payment fund" and the rest to my Vanguard taxable account
9. Lastly, I got a new job recently so we'll be moving to a new city shortly. I'll get a company car, cell phone, etc. and my wife will take public transportation for her job so we'll be able to cut some additional costs there as well.

Here's one quick measure: we calculated our net worth back in October as we were getting our acts together. It was approximately $126K. It's increased 47% since. Sure, the markets have helped but we are proud to be stashing our cash even more so!

Bottom line: the MMM way has my wife and me starting off on the right financial foot as we begin our lives together! Great to be a part of this community!

YES!!! You have no idea how happy I am to see a story like this. Keep up the great work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: joe travers on April 03, 2014, 10:42:54 AM
@jordanread. Thx man!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrMathMustache on April 05, 2014, 02:45:51 AM
I'm a 36 y.o. teacher in Florida and came across this site several months ago, but finally check out the forums and registered just now.  I was never an extravagant spender, but I didn't become a mustachian of sorts until 2008 when the real estate market here imploded and my net worth turned negative due to my mortgage going nearly $125,000 underwater.  Unfortunately, I purchased my condo in 2006 at the height of the property bubble. 

Thanks to an average 55% after-tax savings rate for 5+ years, I've managed to:
- pay off a huge chunk of my mortgage and refinance to a 3.5%, 15-year note (no longer underwater either!)
- continue fully contributing to my roth IRA, which now has a balance of 93k
- build up a taxable investment account, which now has a balance of 98k

Despite the hole the real estate market punched in my net worth, it did have a couple of side benefits: it kicked my savings habits into overdrive plus my property taxes plummeted to almost nothing and by law they can't rise more than 3% per year even though values have climbed back 40% from the nadir! 

I think I've managed my expenses down about as far as they can go, but I plan on frequenting the forums to get more ideas.  The idea of financial independence is really attractive to me, even though I absolutely love my job and couldn't imagine ever leaving it, except on a stretcher.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ChrisLansing on April 06, 2014, 08:26:14 AM
Hi,

Just discovered both ERE and MMM a few days ago and can't stop reading.     It's too late for us to retire early (I'm 57 my wife is 67 and forced to retire) and I don't see myself being able to retire until I'm 66.   Still, there is a lot of good info and ideas here that can make our late retirement better.   We can use MMM ideas to maintain and even improve our health.   There are lots of ideas that can reduce costs.   We continue to save and are looking for ways to increase our savings.   

We did everything wrong when we were young - financed cars, maxed the CCs, bought stuff we didn't need.   Then we did everything "right" in a conventional sense.   We saved 15 percent of our income, we paid off the house, the cards, the cars.    It's too bad our savings rate wasn't higher.     

Even with my wife retired we are able to save about 20%  or our income.    Sadly I must continue to work.   It's not really that sad as I love my job, but still, it would be nice to be home with my wife instead of at work.   My wife found PT work, which keeps her active and involved outside the home, something she values.       For us, SS and my pension will pretty much replace my current income (if I retire at 66) so while we missed out on early retirement we won't suffer any great financial shock when I stop working.    We can continue to optimize our situation and make life as good as possible.   

We are especially interested in getting this info to our son (he's 31).   He may not be able to retire "early" but should be able to beat us by a couple decades.     
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: begood on April 06, 2014, 11:38:35 AM
Hi! I am quite new to MMM, and just joined the forums today. Everything I've read so far on MMM's blog resonates with me in unexpected, powerful ways. I'm not a numbers person at all; the word "algebra" makes me itch. So people start talking money and my eyes glaze over. But this essential idea -- spend less, save more -- that struck a chord.

The family is me (49), my husband (48), and our 12-year-old daughter.

We've been married 25 years and have always been good about saving. We never carried credit card debt and we were blessed not to have student loans to repay. But we also bought increasingly larger houses over the years. My husband worked with a MNC (multinational corporation) that moved us four times, and we moved from 1500 sf to 2500 to 3500 and finally to 4200 sf.

Just about five years ago, after 20 years with the MNC, my husband took a dream job at half the pay and we moved across the country. We sold our house in the summer of 2009, losing pretty much 20 years of accumulated equity, but at least we didn't have to come to the table with money (or lose the house to foreclosure). We now live in provided housing at my husband's new job.

On the surface, I'm sure it looks like that was a crazy move to make, but now I see that it was, in some key ways, a MMM moment for us. We moved into a space 1/3 the size of our previous house, sold 2/3 of our stuff, pay no rent or mortgage now, and live less than a mile from work. At the time, we felt we had "front-loaded" our retirement/education funds for the kid and could manage if we never saved another dollar. But he is still able to save 16% of his pay in a work-related retirement account, and I got a part-time job I can do from home that's helping to pay for some luxuries, like summer camp for our kid.

If Mr. begood weren't working so dang hard at his new job, I'd definitely think of this as a semi-ER. As it is, it's really a second career where we're given the opportunity to live a lot more simply.

We're still doing fine in terms of retirement income and education funds, so for me the "spend less" is more about reducing our eventual annual expenses than anything else, thus freeing up even more moolah to save, save, save. *rubs hands together in glee*

My approach to "spend less" has been to start small: I cancelled Netflix (we weren't watching the DVDs in any kind of timely manner and we can't use streaming video, but that's another post!), reverted my Pandora One subscription to the free version, cancelled a magazine we decided we don't enjoy enough to justify the expense, and on Monday, I plan to cancel the XM subscription in my car. Total annual savings: $250

Baby steps, but better than none, right?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aetherie on April 06, 2014, 12:13:54 PM
Those are great baby steps!
Installing AdBlock Plus for your internet browser (I've tried both Firefox and Chrome) is a way to take the ads off Pandora for free. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on April 06, 2014, 12:29:56 PM


My approach to "spend less" has been to start small: I cancelled Netflix (we weren't watching the DVDs in any kind of timely manner and we can't use streaming video, but that's another post!), reverted my Pandora One subscription to the free version, cancelled a magazine we decided we don't enjoy enough to justify the expense, and on Monday, I plan to cancel the XM subscription in my car. Total annual savings: $250

Baby steps, but better than none, right?


I'd say those are at least toddler steps!!

Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: begood on April 06, 2014, 01:02:55 PM
Those are great baby steps!
Installing AdBlock Plus for your internet browser (I've tried both Firefox and Chrome) is a way to take the ads off Pandora for free. :)

That's a good tip, aetherie! One of our continuing big expenses (and sources of frustration) is mobile broadband as our sole internet source aside from my iPhone, which was grandfathered in on an unlimited data plan, and that is how I listen to Pandora! We live so far off the beaten path that we can't even get DSL, let alone cable or FIOS. *smh* So I don't listen to Pandora through my internet browser. But I am sure that tip will be helpful to someone! I *liked* the ad-free version, but I don't *need* the ad-free version. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Iconoclast on April 06, 2014, 01:57:29 PM
Iconoclast here. I've been a longtime lurker on these forums, and maybe it's time I get a bit more active. 39, married, two wonderful sons. My wife and I are civil servants and make decent money, of which we save and invest most. Crazy about bikes and biking in general - easy here, with the great bike paths and a tax system that promotes biking. Spent some time in more remote parts of the world for work and study.

Recently I did the FI math and concluded that it is possible to quit working in about 10 years if we keep socking away enough money. For the moment I have no desire to stop working, but that could easily change and it's very reassuring to have a backup plan.

Love some of the views of MMM on certain points. Sometimes I can also be quite a contrary thinker at work and at home, hence the username.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ms on April 07, 2014, 11:18:41 AM
Hi all, I discovered MMM about two months ago and it's been a great inspiration to get my house in order.  Previously I've been spending everything that's coming in every month and then some and now I've turned it around, I'm tracking everything that's going out and I should be able to pay off my line of credit by end of May. 

A little info on me: living in the Toronto area, in IT, single mom to a 17 year old that's about to start university in the fall.  I live in the suburbs and I commute via train downtown and I can't believe I've been doing it (on/off) for nearly 7 years.  But with the young one moving out to university, now seems to be the time to make changes in location.

I own a condo but it's much cheaper to rent.  I have been very hesitant to get out of the market as I've been warned that you won't get back in. 

I am getting lots of great ideas/advice reading others' situations here in the forums.  The best part is that I'm really thinking about the decisions I'm making whereas before the choices were on autopilot - no matter if they were frugal or not.  I can say my eyes have opened.  It's not the same as saying I'll get it right all the time..
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: norabird on April 07, 2014, 01:04:16 PM
Hello! I am very new to this whole spending-less thing...just taking baby steps, trying to cook more/be more thoughtful about expenses, switching my Verizon plan to prepaid with Kitty Wireless, scaling back the cable at my next apartment. I have 10% of my not very high salary going into a 401k and about $7,500 in not too high interest credit card debt that I am getting serious about paying off. My parents are in the process of buying an apartment that I'll be living in and paying my same rent as before (despite being 30! I live in NYC and my parents were just retiring when I went through a bad breakup, with the condo purchase resulting from that combo of circumstances).

Basically I have been pretty thoughtless up to now, and I want to at last get rid of the credit card debt, start a Roth IRA account and rainy day savings fund, and be more mindful in my money use. I am not mustachian by nature (I love traveling, eat out/go to bars often, spend a lot on tickets to theater etc.), so I feel rather out of place here sometimes but think it's good for me to be outside my comfort zone! And I am learning to pause more when I think I need to do something that involves an outlay of cash.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Eurotexan on April 08, 2014, 10:28:21 AM
Welcome, TexasBrit!  Sounds like you have really woken up!  In case you are not aware of it yet, there is a No Clothes Shopping in 2014 challenge here.  Hope you join it!

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/no-clothes-shopping-in-2014/

I will absolutely check it out, thank you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: besimplyfree on April 08, 2014, 07:50:23 PM
Hi!
I'm Bee from Northern Ontario! My boyfriend and I are 23 and 24 respectively, and fully committed to the mustachian way! We love the outdoors, cooking, travelling and saving money!

Super excited to join the forum and talk to other like minded people out there, learn some new tips and grow our 'staches!

I'm also super pumped that as of today I am debt-free!

I've recently restarted blogging over at besimplyfree.wordpress.com to chronicle our quest for simple living and financial independence !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on April 08, 2014, 08:05:04 PM
Hi!
I'm Bee from Northern Ontario! My boyfriend and I are 23 and 24 respectively, and fully committed to the mustachian way! We love the outdoors, cooking, travelling and saving money!

Super excited to join the forum and talk to other like minded people out there, learn some new tips and grow our 'staches!

Welcome, and congrats on getting started so early.

I'm also super pumped that as of today I am debt-free!

Hell Yeah. That belongs in the Celebrations Thread (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/celebrations-thread/)

I've recently restarted blogging over at besimplyfree.wordpress.com to chronicle our quest for simple living and financial independence !

And you should head over to the MMM reader's blogroll (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachianism-around-the-web/the-mmm-readers'-blogroll/) and get added.

Welcome!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crypie on April 09, 2014, 11:54:11 AM
Hi everyone,

Just joined up and am furiously reading the forums for good insight.

I am very fortunate in that my wife and I have been able to save for retirement (401-K, Roth, etc) and my 2 kid's education (429's) but I've been feeling that I need to do more. I think a lot of the panic news that you read about people's lack of savings can lull you into the false sense that just because you're saving 10% of your income you are so far ahead of the average Joe, there's no need to do anything differently. This site has been really useful to give me the punch in the face to realize that while I've done ok - I haven't done as well as I could have. Just because I don't have a mountain of debt does not mean I'm doing all I can.

Thanks in advance to everyone for the useful insight and I look forward to learning more.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Digital Watches on April 09, 2014, 12:15:40 PM
Hi, I'm Alex

I'm a softwaresmith from Portland, and I'm working on getting my student loans gone by the end of the year, and then plan to continue on the mustachian path to financial independence.

I'm also an amateur electrician, competitive fighting game player, intermediate climber of things, aspiring friendly supervillain, novice gourmet cook, and I like to think a nice person. I'm looking forward to talking interesting people on this forum and hopefully learning a ton.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RunningWithScissors on April 09, 2014, 12:49:47 PM
Hello  -

Long time lurker (2+ years) but this is my first post.  I live in in Edmonton, Canada, 46 years old, married, and am working as an architect (sustainable design). 

I've had a pretty good track record with finances, having been raised by frugal parents - didn't pick up many bad habits.  My husband, on the other hand, is new to the Moustachian lifestyle as he came out of his divorce four years ago completely broke.    We make a decent wage at $150K/yr combined so we're packing away as much as we can to meet our ER goals in 6 years.  What worked for us:

- meal planning and lots of home cooking
- gardening to supply summer veggies and winter canning (jams, salsa, fruit)
- automatic monthly savings/investment payments (65% of net salary!)
- drive older but efficient and low maintenance cars which were paid for by cash
- use public transit and bike to work
- needed items are sourced from used, secondhand stores or Kijiji

Where there's still room for improvement is our housing and related expenses.  Bought a beat-up old house with great bones two years ago and spend a year renovating it ourselves.  We now have about $500,000 equity in that.  Plus, we're now maxing out our TFSAs ($31K for each of us) and have over $600K in registered and non-registered investments.  Have $150K available in a line of credit but there's nothing charged to that as we consider it to be an emergency fund only. 

Right now, our biggest debate is figuring out what annual income or spending amount we should expect to maintain in retirement so we can crunch the numbers and see how far away ER actually is!  Exciting times...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: megalo on April 10, 2014, 08:07:45 AM
Hi. I discovered MMM a few years ago but have only recently gotten serious about developing my mustache. I'm in a pretty good spot financially - a few years away from FIRE, and until then I'm hoping to keep my sweet gig that lets me work my office job from not in the office. A few years ago my ex and I divorced, and one effect is that I no longer have constant positive reinforcement about the benefits of frugal living. So I need some community support to keep me focused, hoping to find that here on the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sonorous Epithet on April 10, 2014, 01:07:55 PM
Hiya,

I'm 31 year old accountant. After college, when I was facing down student loans, I became serious about personal finance. My financial house in is good order. I am currently on pace for a nice normal "on-time" retirement.

About 2 weeks ago I found MMM. I hadn't even thought about early retirement before, but, well, here I am. I'm not looking to get FIRE ASAP, just try to further reduce my spending, increase my savings rate, and raise my quality of life a few notches.

First order of business has been biking to work. I only live 3 miles away and have thought about it before, but always put it off because I thought I needed "a system" of lifehacks to take care of the potential tangle of logistical issues that I thought a goddamn 3 mile bike ride would impose, likely involving multiple wardrobe changes, showing strategies, cargo, etc. Then I read MMM and just went ahead rode my bike to work in my work clothes and everything was magically normal and easy.

After that quick win I am hungry for more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: janetaz on April 10, 2014, 08:34:15 PM
Hola!

I realized that it's been a year since I signed up for the forum, but had not stopped in to introduce myself and say thank you to everyone in the community!  Still learning quite a bit, trying to encourage my husband in the MM ways, my toddler luckily doesn't know the difference yet.  The biggest relief for me in the last year was finally paying off my student loan!  Thanks again for all the encouraging stories and ideas, I hope to add to them. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Clover on April 10, 2014, 09:14:54 PM
So...  I am an office manager, married with 3 kids.  I am definitely a minimalist although I like nice things.  I don't like "stuff" or clutter - unless it is in my closet.  Clothes, shores an purses are my weaknesses.  Not to excess, but I will buy high quality, new or second hand.  DH and I have always done well with long term financial goals but there's lots of room for improvement. With no change we're set for FIRE in about 15 years when I'll be 53.  We could possibly get there sooner but I need to factor in college for the kids and that's a big unknown at this point.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: greyshade66 on April 11, 2014, 04:43:41 AM
Hi my name is Rich. I'm 47, married with a 4 year old and another baby due in June. Believe it or not, my financial advisor actually turned me on to Mr. Money Moustache and Early Retirement Extreme. MMM rings a bit more with me than ERE but I read both.

I'm 90% certain that I can get to FI by 55 although if I can successfully convert my spouse to MMM, we could see FI much sooner. We're net worth positive but have a mortgage and a 2 car clown like habit.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lady brett ashley on April 11, 2014, 08:41:31 AM
Hey y'all!

I've always thought of myself as "good with money" because i'm naturally frugal and good at budgeting, so even when i was making 10k/year i was living fairly comfortable within my means.  But in the last 5 years or so, i've realized that there's a lot more to intelligently dealing with money than not spending it all and socking the remainder in a savings account.  So now i'm trying to plan ahead, which is almost impossible given that we are in a "transitional" stage while my honey is in school (2 more years!).

We've got a reasonable house (mortgage cheaper than renting, and appreciating), and the start of a 'stache thanks to an unexpected inheritance, but are fairly low earners (and about to move from 1 full-time paycheck to 2 part-time paychecks; not currently certain how that will balance out).

We're also foster parents, which is awesome, and an interesting financial consideration because there are a lot of people who have a say in how we live our lives - in order to stay licensed we have to make "enough money" and have a "big enough" house and "nice enough" things that folks aren't worried we're taking advantage of the kids' stipend and are taking good care of them.  It's really the first time in my life i've worried about impressing people with my stuff/money, which has been odd (also, it *is* worth it, for sure).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: serious_pete on April 11, 2014, 02:24:51 PM
Hey guys

My name's Pete (user name is a bit of a give away) and I live in Manchester, UK. I'm 37 and live with my lovely wife Chaz, 32, and son Oliver, who is 1. I work as a psychiatric nurse and until not so long ago the retirement age used to automatically be set at 55. It is now set at 67. Obviously I'd prefer 55 so I started looking into if this was possible for me, which after some time on Google led me to MMM. Turns out it is.

Chaz is naturally frugal but I am not. I've never been one for cars, gadgets and clothes but had expensive hobbies and ate & drank out a lot. Since cutting them out and realising how stupid it is to be in debt I've paid off my credit cards with every penny possible and am now looking to do the same to the mortgage. I'm still aiming for retirement at 55 but maybe working part time from about 45, which is when I think the mortgage will be gone.

I'm planning on keeping a journal but probably won't add much to the conversation until I know what I'm doing!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: retirein5yrs on April 12, 2014, 05:22:21 AM
Hi I'm James

I'm 25 and I'm already sick and tired of the way we have been living and consuming.

I'm trying my best to make sure I stay ahead of my finances and become financially free as soon as possible.

Reading this website and forum are great educational tools and I just want to thank Mr and Mrs Mustache, and everyone else on this forum for sharing!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SmilingBob on April 12, 2014, 10:07:27 AM
Hi all, I'm Bob.  Found this blog by googling stuff about Colorado and looking up boring subjects like state income tax, retirement info, and cool inexpensive places to live since my wife and I are planning on retiring there in about 6 years.  I was astounded to find a blog where the blogger (MMM) mirrors my own ideas about frugality, and then takes them to what most would consider "over the top" - I was just hooked.  Unfortunately, my new found wisdom about money and finances didn't occur until much later in life than MMM (as Forrest would remark, I'm not a smart man) and I played the idiot debt/consumption lifestyle game for most of my working life.  I'm 47 now and plan on being out of this shithole called Houston, TX and being a ski-bum (hopefully) by age 54 with a 7 figure retirement (if the market holds out).  We have young children and I am intent on finishing raising them in the spectacular rocky mountains, with the active lifestyle and natural splendor that brings.

I've been poring over the content for several weeks and I'm thrilled to be here, although my wife is just about done hearing about it.  Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Credaholic on April 12, 2014, 12:16:02 PM
Hello, I'm just discovering the MMM Forums, and thought I should introduce myself before picking the brains of the members here. I'm a near-thirty Seattleite with a hard-working but hard-consuming husband, a 1.5 year old son, and a daughter arriving in August. I've been reading MMM since the blog was founded, and I was featured as the first ever reader case study.

We've come a long way since then, but I'd say we're still Mustachian-lite. If I had my way we'd be far more Mustachian, but I don't have total buy in from the other half. I shouldn't criticize too much, though. He's actually made pretty huge improvements in his spending ways, and makes up for any remaining short comings by working incredibly hard to get our family ahead. We lived on a boat for a year when we first turned our cash hog McMansion into a rental, purchased a tiny bank owned house at the rock bottom of the market which my husband worked tirelessly to renovate in his spare time before the arrival of our son, and have now purchased another tiny house that my husband is building into a highly efficient and better fitting forever home for our future family of four.

Our long term goal is financial independence by 50, and in the short term to sock away more savings in our Roths and 401K, invest our Roth more wisely, finish our current remodel and addition, and then invest in more rentals.

If you're in the Seattle area and would like to connect, feel free to email me! The blogging community has been a huge reason we've gotten our lives on track, and I can only imagine what motivation it would be to have more like-minded people around my "real" life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ReverendRN on April 13, 2014, 06:07:49 AM
Hi, all!

My name's Lisa. 29yo, single, resident of Pittsburgh, PA. I've been living on $8-12,000/yr for a while now out of necessity. I'll be finishing up a nursing diploma in three months, and I'm super excited to discover that that the frugal skills I've been developing are going to help me get ahead on my soon-to-be $40,000+ income.

My first goal of Mustachian awesome will be to pay off my $18,000 in new student loans in 18 months or less. The only reason I took them out was because I was sure I'd be able to pay them back quickly on my new nursing wages -- although I have classmates who are planning on being in debt for a long time. I'm grateful that this blog has encouraged me that paying them off is, in fact, the smart thing to do. And now that I've found this blog, I'm starting to get ideas about what to do with all that extra money once I finish pay-off.

Here's to living differently and well!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Resilent Dame on April 14, 2014, 07:08:04 AM
Hi everyone. My name is Michelle. I'm 37, husband is soon to be 49, and we have a 4 year old son. I have two teenage stepdaughters.

I come to these forums from an interesting perspective. My husband and I both own businesses (three franchise territories). We have a net worth of around 2 million. HOWEVER, it's mostly tied up in real estate and our businesses, so due to some heavy risk taking over the last 10 years we are cash poor but asset rich and also highly leveraged.

We've just been through hell and back with a major national bank who decided they wanted to foreclose on one of our properties. We never, ever were late with payments. However, it was a balloon note that came due. We didn't have $200K+ to pay it off. As we know real estate values dropped. So a year and a half ago they decided to start the process of foreclosure. We were not upside-down. I'm convinced that if we WERE upside-down they would not have proceeded as they did, ESPECIALLY since they also held loans on our other properties, and because we were in "default" over one property, they declared ALL of our notes bad. Essentially, this bank just wanted all the cash. So what started as one small commercial property foreclosure turned into a foreclosure on EVERYTHING we had. This last year and a half we continued paying on everything (who keeps paying while in foreclosure? apparently we do). Long story short, we found a small local bank with a whiz of a banker (old school, he saw that we were "good" people) who refinanced the whole deal.

Needless to say, my #1 goal is to hammer down on that debt as quickly as we can. We are net worth positive, but the problem with selling parts of our property is that it is all a tangled mess--business is housed in our biggest commercial property (valued at 1.6 mil approx). We have discussed selling the two largest franchise territories, paying down the large commercial property, and take the income from that, and move to the smaller town where my franchise is located. But his business is the major cash cow, so it is pretty scary to look at axing that.

Anyway, love the ideas and the community here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: agentM on April 14, 2014, 10:55:24 AM
Long time lurker. My name is Marissa, and I'm a 33 year old accountant. I'm not really a mustachian, but I do like some of his ideas and most of all his attitude. I've definitely made some changes in the past year I've been reading MMM - I've always been a frugal person - getting married at 19 and having a baby right away didn't exactly leave me much choice, plus I grew up in a rust-belt town in the 1980's in a family where everyone was a factory employee - whether on the line or in management, so making money stretch was just part of my upbringing.

However, I've definitely always just followed certain cultural assumptions that MMM has made me start questioning, much to my benefit. Like how big a house you "need", and how many after school activities your kids should be involved in, etc. We've been able to cut back our spending almost $8,000 per year, or about 14% of our after-tax income. That's now going towards paying off our student loans, leaving us free to start making double mortgage payments in about 2 years. At this rate, we will be totally debt free by 40, leaving us free to live entirely off of less than one income.

We could probably do it faster. Alot of MMM reccomendations don't work so well for us, but I adapt them where they do and they do work. For instance, due to a disability bike riding is just not possible for me (if only....), so instead I picked up a cheap used scooter on Craigslist! I've definitely dialed down the complainy-pants and started to hit my life with an optimism gun with increasingly wonderful results.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fordtough on April 14, 2014, 12:41:04 PM
Hi,
37 Paid off mortgage. Retiring soon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RShott on April 14, 2014, 07:53:20 PM
Hi, I'm RShott. I am just starting my journey towards FI. Right now I have a ton of debt (thanks law school), but I am working to pay it off as quickly as possible so I can continue my journey down the road to early retirement.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YogiBritt on April 14, 2014, 09:10:36 PM
Hello wonderful internet mustachians!  My username pretty much sums me up... yogi, biker, and non-profit professional living in Seattle and married to a fellow mustachian for nearly 3 years now.

I'm on the cusp of completely switching careers in order to drastically increase our earnings, and hoping I'll gain some courage through being involved in the forums!  I'm currently making so little at the transitional housing program I work at that I would qualify to live there myself if I wasn't married.  I'm hoping that gaining early FI will allow me to eventually go back to doing what I love without the lack of income causing so much stress!

oh...and in spite of all of this, in less than a month we will have paid off almost 70K in debt from student loans, medical debt, and credit cards.  It took 3 years, and for the first year we were never both employed at the same time haha!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: schoopsthecat on April 14, 2014, 09:52:10 PM
I've been reading the forums for a few months now and have decided that I should start participating.  I'm a university professor and musician in Indiana, and I can't imagine actually retiring because I love my work so much.  However, I've always been a bit obsessed with being financially independent and able to walk away from anything at any time without worry.  When money isn't a concern, life is so much more enjoyable.  I was close to being able to FIRE before I started my university job, but a divorce right after the stock market crash in 2008 pretty much wiped out my savings, so I've basically started over.  I'm 39 and about 2 years away from being able to FIRE if I ever decided I wanted to.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: St4n on April 15, 2014, 11:29:21 PM
Hi!

I'm Stan, a 34 year old Pommie (Englishman) by birth.  I'm now living in Australia (Melbourne) with my wife, Kiera (27), and baby daughter, Matilda (5 months).  Like many, I've been a MMM lurker for several months now - I found the site via the Marketwatch article earlier in the year - and have been hooked ever since. 

Let me first say MMM, you're great.  I love the writing style and irreverence.  I can even handle the tree-hugging aspects, regardless of the fact that my political persuasion is somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun!  I think the thing I enjoy the most is that there is room for a whole bunch of individuals in the MMM tent - our lives are ultimately all very different, but you clearly pick up on the points that unite us.

I'll post full details of our situation in due course, but in summary we're probably middle-ranking mustachians.  We have no debt, are currently renting (our home is under construction and will be owned outright) and income is low to middling (~A$60,000 net), but we still spend too much!  I've done some calculations and we reckon FI in 12 years is realistic in our current circumstances, but looking forward to studing further and discussing helpful hints so we can bring that forward.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: snareman1 on April 16, 2014, 01:50:34 AM
Hi Everyone. I'm new. I live in Los Angeles and am an entertainer by trade. I'm 32. Male, single. Looking forward to this journey!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: annie79 on April 16, 2014, 08:36:09 AM
Hi y'all! My husband has been following MMM for a while now, and he gets me to read certain posts that are pertinent to our situation. The philosophies of this blog and way of life have resonated with us so greatly, and we have such resolve and vision for early retirement like never before.

So a big THANK YOU to the MMM family for spreading the vision. I'm truly grateful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mattchuck2 on April 16, 2014, 02:37:51 PM
Hello, my name is Matt. I'm 33, I'm a geologist, and I'm excited to try to use mustachian principles to change my life. Currently, I have credit card debt (facepunch), a mortgage, and a pitifully low (for this forum) retirement savings rate of 10%. But I have the desire! Even without altering anything, I'll have a nice pension kicking in when I'm 55 years old that leaves me some wiggle room, but I want to try to get to FI earlier. I'm inspired by the anti-materialism/anti-consumerism message of MMM and I'm excited to start figuring out places to save my hard earned $.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kman0010 on April 16, 2014, 07:28:49 PM
Hello! I'm a 26yo male and am a long time lurker of the forum. Currently I am an architectural conservator working in Charleston, SC and I am focused on retirement and financial independence. I'm single with no debt and currently renting with no plans on purchasing a home. I make approximately 40K a year and just began my retirement savings. I have about 6K in a Roth IRA and about 30k in taxable investments. I am currently at a 35% savings rate for retirement, but am looking forward to increasing that number. My main goal is to learn as much as I can so that I can make smart investment decisions in the future and grow my stache! Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: obstinate on April 16, 2014, 11:28:35 PM
I'm J. I'm somewhat of a natural saver, but I want to improve. I'd like to go from planning to be able to retire at 50 to being able to do it at 45 or 40. I'm nearly thirty, with a first baby on the way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugalgal on April 17, 2014, 12:45:10 AM
Hi, my name is Elaine. I first started reading MMM a year ago but finally got around to joining the forum. I'd like to connect to other people with similar life/money philosophies. I've always been frugal and lived below my means and have been able to save up quite a bit. I'm 37, have a husband who is also 37, and a 3 year old daughter.

I love MMM and am inspired to try to do better. I'm on track to be FI (would already be FI if I didn't live in California) but am a little unsure of the RE part. Haven't figured out what I would do if I retired aside from travel. I am so tired of how materialistic the American culture is and wish there were more mustachians out there. Good luck to everyone on achieving your goals!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kattyh on April 17, 2014, 09:30:49 AM
Hi, I'm Kat.

I'm interested in the lifestyle and finding happiness without having to make a lot of money.

Also about to go to grad school, so trying to figure out the best way to manage that financially.

Yay!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BFGirl on April 18, 2014, 07:56:00 AM
Hi.  I am new to MMM.  I have been fairly Antimustachian up to this point. I am now getting a divorce at 46 and have our 19 year-old and 16 year-old children living with me.  My husband and I have both worked full time during our marriage, but he makes 3-4 times what I make.  I have pretty much spent what I wanted when I wanted and didn't have to worry about it.  However, even with that philosophy, house was paid off, cars were paid off and driven for 8-9 years and we lived well under our means, so we had ample savings.  Investing strategy sucked because soon to be ex refused to discuss finances with me or come up with a budget with me and he maneuvered the majority of our joint assets into his name so that I couldn't touch it and kept it all in short term cash accounts.  In spite of my spending and his manipulation, I managed to squirrel away enough so that when I decided to divorce, I was able to pay cash for a townhouse 2 months ago and move out.

From a Mustachian point of view I have moved into a home that is 1000 square feet smaller than what we were in before, I no longer have maids to clean my house (soon to be ex still has them coming weekly) and I have reduced some of my pampering expenses.  I don't expect I will ever have a bushy 'stache, but I am trying to grow a little fuzz.  We have reached an agreement in the divorce and I hope to have my share of our savings soon and will be trying to figure out the best way to invest.

I hope to "retire" in 7-10 years to run a side business I have established.  My  current job takes out 7% of my salary and pays 7%
interest on my contributions, and when I retire will match at 200% and pay me a lifetime benefit, so, even though I am a little tired of "working for the man" I am going to try to make it at least 7 years when I am eligible to receive my retirement benefit.

Thanks for listening, BFG
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Setruss on April 18, 2014, 09:23:31 AM
Hi, I'm April! I'm a 21 year old Civil Engineering student and intern. I stumbled onto MMM while browsing /r/personalfinance. I'm trying to become financially independent (from my parents) and start my life out right. My parents have been pretty good role models with regards to personal finance, but I want to become even better.

Thankfully my parents saved enough money so I don't have to take loans for college yet, plus I earn enough in scholarships to help with ~1/4-1/3 of the costs. I'll be paying my parents back in the future.

Currently, thanks to internships, I am ~$500 away from a net worth (Roth IRA, 401k, savings and checking accounts) of $15k. My dad is helping me manage my Roth IRA since I'm not 100% comfortable with investing.

After looking at some of my housemates who are 24+ years old and being shocked at their finances, I am more motivated than ever to be responsible.

Wish me luck on my journey, and I'm glad to have people such as yourselves as my travel companions!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thomas54 on April 18, 2014, 09:52:13 PM
Hello All,

I'm Tom.  I'm new here also.  I've visited the site a few times in the past, but I've not been active.  I'm 59 and my wife and I are both retired and completely out of debt.  The house is paid for and our four kids are out of college and on their own.  We have 6 grand kids and we seem to be spending way too much money.  Financially, my wife and I are comfortable, but with the economy the way it is and the future not looking very bright, I'm looking for ways to make my retirement money stretch further.

Tom
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SEdude on April 19, 2014, 04:06:43 PM
Hi MMM forum,

I've recently found the MMM site and look forward to using all the great mustachian advice to improve my financial situation and retire early. I'm in my early 20's, live in the southeast, recent college grad with no debt and a modest net worth. I recently opened up a vanguard account and invested the money that was wasting away in my savings account. I've been into minimalism for the last two years which has principles that go together great with mustachian ways. Most of all I just want to find a way of life that maximizes happiness!

See you all around the forums
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: curlycue on April 19, 2014, 07:50:11 PM
I recently found this site and can't believe I didn't find it sooner. I made some bad decisions using credit cards in my 20's, then dug myself out of that revolving debt with a lot of hard work. I am now studying more about investing and financial management. I am so happy to learn from you all and be inspired and encouraged by your advice and stories.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mariebl on April 20, 2014, 03:07:48 AM
Hi, I am 55 and not financially independent yet, but at least I now know what needs to be done!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Suit on April 20, 2014, 08:32:25 PM
Hi everyone,
I'm a 28 year old single woman living in Portland, Oregon, and working as a lawyer (thus the name). I found this blog a couple months ago and the forum a few weeks later. I'm so glad that I've found both! I've always been a bit of a saver but never really had a purpose to it (other than the idea that I should buy a house, new car, etc) or knew how powerful saving large percentages could be. I'm hoping to be FI in about 10 years and hoping not to get too many face punches along the way :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jda1984 on April 21, 2014, 10:37:27 AM
Hi, I'm Jonathan and live with my family in the midwest.  We only have mortgage debt left and are saving for FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: animalbaskets on April 21, 2014, 01:50:42 PM
Greetings!
I'm almost 39 and was divorced nine months ago. With that change I decided to sell everything and move to Mexico to start a new life for myself including a new WAY of living. I have a job where I earn pesos while still trying to pay off 9k in "shared" CC debt in my name. I am always looking for tools and tips to save money as my plan is to start my own business!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shooter_D on April 21, 2014, 04:35:26 PM
Hi Everyone,

I'm a 28 year old gal from Canada! I've been reading the blog for months and just recently joined the forum and started to browse all this great information! I'm fairly frugal, though have had some lifestyle inflation since getting a full-time job and leaving studenthood. I've been making some changes recently and I'm starting to track my finances more carefully, aiming to cut down on extra expenditures and socking a lot away in my savings/investments. I hope to learn more about these pursuits and stay motivated by keeping up to date with the forums, and maybe starting a journal.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mrkwkkrn on April 22, 2014, 09:40:22 AM
Hi everyone!

My name is Mark, and I am 30.  I got married November of 2013, moved from Canada to the US, and now am looking for a job. 

I just found this forum, and we are pretty close to being out of debt, and then starting to save up for retirement!

Mark
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gwyidion on April 22, 2014, 09:57:26 AM
Hey everyone!

27 year old comp. bio graduate student here, with credit card debt, student loans, and relatives who i'd like to pay back some day.

Hopefully, I finish this year and get a job that pays real money. Especially because we're expecting (a daughter!).

Really enjoy the simple aspects of life. I'd like to make a home and not worry about money.

-h
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bornloser on April 22, 2014, 04:08:04 PM
Hello everyone, im 35, married with two kids, living in the western burbs of Chicago, whos living the dream!

came across this site from the average married dad blog. im looking to learn more on what to do for my financial future, save more, and retire one day. currently beside my house and a car payment I carry less then $500.00 of credit card debt which is paid off every month form my work expenses, and a few item we purchase online which is paid off monthly or bi-monthly. were watching our money as much as we can and I know we can do better at this. 

looking forward to building something out of nothing. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: steam on April 22, 2014, 07:37:30 PM
Hi!  I am Steam and I seem to be running out of it!  My next post is going to be a case study.  I am preparing myself  to be a bit beat up. Great site tho!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Davids on April 22, 2014, 08:46:16 PM
Hi, my name is David, I am 32 and I work for a fortune 500 company in finance/accounting. I discovered MMM months ago and have been lurking on this board, finally decided to register and post whenever I can. I feel I am frugal (except for TP and beer) but definitely could be more frugal. I have recently started to max my 401K and Roth IRA and my wife as well recently started maxing her 401K and finally started a Roth IRA beginning of this year (after long time of convincing). We will be expecting our first child later this year so frugality will be higher as she will go part time after her maternity leave. Our only debt is our mortgage. No cc, auto or student loan debt. We bought our house in 2010 and my goal is to have it paid off by 2020. I am not looking for ERE but definitely want to achieve FI so that at least I know the option is available where I do not HAVE to work. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PaulD on April 23, 2014, 12:33:20 PM
Greetings, my name is Paul and I am a retired US Navy officer currently employed as a civilian by the USCG.  I have had a decades long interest in personal finance and even have a little training - I took all of the CFP courses and the CFP exam.  (I am NOT a CFP - just wanted to knowledge.)

Stumbled across this forum doing a little internet research and decided to join. I ran my own forum (on a different subject) for several years, so I think i tend to be a good forum citizen.  :)

Looking forward to some interesting discussions and gaining some additional knowledge.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sequim on April 24, 2014, 09:54:19 AM
Hello, my name is Linda, from Issaquah, Washington.  My husband and I really want to get off the treadmill of working full time and be able to have more freedom. Not looking for traditional retirement (even though we are 51 and 61 in ages) but freedom to work when we want, where we want, how much we want and yet not have to be extremely penny-pinching (did this in my hippie/artsy days and I do prefer having money over being poor). 

Anyways, I am so happy to be living in the age of internet when one can connect with so many others and share ideas like this!  It's very exciting and motivating to read the stories and different circumstances of everybody.  I look forward to being a contributor as I've been brainstorming ideas on how to make our desire a reality.  My husband tends to not follow up on ideas of what we'd like to do so I have to show him that they are possible.  In my opinion, if you can think it, you can make it happen.  But the first step is thinking it possible and he needs a little convincing on that.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LiseE on April 24, 2014, 10:58:04 AM
Hi I'm Lisa .. been reading lots of articles and forum conversations on this site for several weeks now.  I'm married with two little boys (9 & 6).  We have been living beyond our means for many years and I've grown tired of constantly saying "where the h*ll does our money go?" I'm the money manager for the family so thanks to this site I'm fully on board to clamp down on frivolous spending, getting rid of our debt and building our wealth so we can retire and enjoy our kids and each other while we still can!

We are in our mid 40's and have been putting contributing to 401K's (17% with 100 of that matched by employers) so we have a good 401K foundation but we have lots of CC debt and a mortgage which is the current focus.  Starting May 1 we will be using an envelop system as per Dave Ramsey's book for family expenses like dining out, etc.  Hubby and I will also have monthly allowances starting in May.  I have not managed our spending at all over the years so this will be an eye opener for sure.  I'm excited to learn about all of the trimming we can do!

My hubby is slowly coming on board .. I kind of blind sided him but I keep mentioning how because of our debt we are slaves to our jobs and our goal is to be slaves no more!  If we want to continue to work then so be it .. but the freedom to do so would be unbelievably awesome!!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alphalemming on April 24, 2014, 12:02:01 PM
Welcome, your family is much like mine.  Mid 40's. 2 twin 11 year old boys.  It's amazing how much of the financial independance and planning concepts, the little guys can really understand ... when they are willing to listen.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs. Frugalwoods on April 24, 2014, 02:05:31 PM
Howdy!
My husband and I are debt-free, 30-year-old professionals working towards FI and a rural homestead–‘til then, we’re writing about our adventures in frugal urban living with our greyhound at www.frugalwoods.com (http://www.frugalwoods.com).

We save upwards of 65% annually and are getting close to FI (yay)! We plan to enter “rural retirement” within the next few years by starting a homestead and living a fulfilling life of purpose, simplicity, and peace on 60+ wooded acres. Love reading about and sharing ideas on frugality, simple living, and the absolute freedom that we enjoy by not being controlled by material goods or driven by consumerism!

Thank you all for posting and creating this community—it’s hard for us to find like-minded folks and a real comfort to know we’re not the only ones (everyone else thinks we’re crazy ;) ).

Frugally yours,
Mrs. Frugalwoods
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: snareman1 on April 24, 2014, 03:13:22 PM
Welcome Mrs. Frugalwoods!
Quote
We plan to enter “rural retirement” within the next few years by starting a homestead and living a fulfilling life of purpose, simplicity, and peace on 60+ wooded acres.
60 plus wooded acres sounds great! May I ask in what area this will be? I have a similar goal and like to know what locations people choose for these kind of things
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sunnyca on April 24, 2014, 03:55:41 PM
Hi everyone!  I just realized that I've been posting for a little while without introducing myself.  So...

I'm Sunny, an analyst for a local government in Orange County, CA.  Used to audit local governments and do taxes at a local CPA firm, then made the switch to government a little while after getting my CPA license. 

Discovered MMM late last year, and having been working hard this year to incorporate the MMM principles into daily life.  I wasn't a terrible spender before, but I wasn't a great saver, either.  I've managed to cut my spending this year to increase my savings rate from 15% to a little under 50% (yay!).

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gracie on April 24, 2014, 09:22:41 PM
Hello, I'm Gracie, 28 yo doctor. A friend from the Dave Ramsey site introduced me to MMM. Love the principles and I'm paying down debt to built the Stache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs. Frugalwoods on April 25, 2014, 08:51:08 AM
Quote
60 plus wooded acres sounds great! May I ask in what area this will be? I have a similar goal and like to know what locations people choose for these kind of things

Thanks for asking, snareman1! We're scouting out southern Vermont, primarily the rural areas outside of Brattleboro, VT. It's a beautiful, wooded environment and we have our eyes on a few properties currently for sale. We like the proximity to big cities (2hrs to Boston, 3.5hrs to NYC) and also the town of Brattleboro--full of artists, culture, and a good vibe. While we don't plan on having a daily commute (we'll be working on the land), we do want access to a nice little town. We currently live in Boston and will keep our home here as a rental property; thus, the 2hr drive will make it feasible for us to manage that property ourselves.

Where are you looking and what plans do you have for the land?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: downtownshuter on April 25, 2014, 10:00:45 AM
Just realized it's a sort of courtesy to introduce yourself here if you're going to post in the forum. I've read all the MMM posts but don't post much myself...

I work in finance in the detroit area, late 20s, married without kids. We currently have about 6 years of expenses saved, adding about 2.5 years of expenses annually. Would like to either make a career transition in 2-3 years or a full retirement in 5-6 years. Can't wait!

I might get a wrist slap around here for not being an index investor. I enjoy managing my own investments with a concentrated portfolio of value oriented stocks.

Nice to meet everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: leegun on April 25, 2014, 04:24:59 PM
Hi

I have been reading this site for awhile now

I am from Australia and have been doing this for awhile without realizing other where doing it. It has been great motivation to see that you can actually retire early from doing this.

I owe about 20k on my 4 bedroom house in Central Victoria, and deciding on whether to buy another or invest in shares next
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: takemitsu on April 26, 2014, 09:15:49 AM
Hello!

I've been reading this blog and forum for a long time now, but had never joined the forum.

I don't like my job.
I compose music / write in my spare time.
I'm quite frugal, but I love traveling.
I'm not Japanese, but I love Japan.

And yes, of course, I'm (hopefully) on my way to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rezdent on April 26, 2014, 10:18:47 AM
Hi
I've been reading the blog for a while now.  I found "YMOYL" in 2010 and eventually found MM.
I'm late 40s.  SO early 60s.  Our last kid just turned 18 and planning to move out - soon empty nesters!  That will really help us accelerate.
We're in a bit better shape than most; no credit debt but in 2010 were carrying 3 mortgages totalling over 168 K, looking at 20 years more of payments and hadn't really thought about getting off the gerbil wheel.  We felt over leveraged plus had very little for retirement.
 We've shaved 15 years off the debts and still added to our stache over the last 4 years.
I am pretty excited at the idea of not having to work full time within the next 8 years or so but I have to find more ideas that work for us to get there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Begonia on April 26, 2014, 10:54:54 PM
Greetings --

I'm Begonia from San Francisco, almost 48 years old, and elated to be here! I came across MMM via some comments on a minimalist blog, maybe Courtney Carver's or Life Edited.

I started to get serious about reining in the spending and simplifying my life when I was considering buying a condo in the Bay Area last year. The reality check was monstrous and the tiny house option seemed like the best way to go. That's on hold, and I'm still renting in this crazy expensive town, but the cool thing is that I'm just a few months away from throwing in the towel at a job I should have left years ago.

Because of some rotten financial decisions of my youth, I'm a long way from FI, but I decided I'm done with full-time work so I'm turning my side hustle into my main source of income come September. I've done the math and it's going to work. I'm debt free with the exception of a car lease that ends next year, been stashing cash for almost a year (about $15K), buying consignment clothes, making my own cosmetics, cooking and freezing up a storm, recycling, removing, reconsidering life goals and values. I still have some face-punch-worthy habits (dry cleaning, getting the Sunday NYT delivered, a sick cell phone plan) but I'm weaning myself in the next month.

I'm committed to having a lot more fun and spontaneity in my life, being connected to people and communities that enrich me, and pursuing my creative dreams. Doing what life's all about (finally)!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bpc887 on April 27, 2014, 06:28:41 AM
Hi All,

I am a 25 year old guy living in Manhattan.  I work as an investment analyst at a $2bn endowment fund. I am debt free and have about 25k invested in retirement accounts.  I plan to continue maxing out roth and 403b.

I have essentially no life beyond studying for the CFA and doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.   

Happy to help in anyway I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johnadamian on April 27, 2014, 12:22:55 PM
Hey everyone!

So i'm pretty new to the MM way of life. I discovered this blog a few months ago and, little did I know, it aligned itself with many of the ideas and values I found myself thinking about. I'd say the Blog has become to the glue, finally making me understand and believe that FI is a completely realistic goal. I'm 29, and have spent the last 10 years or so in a touring heavy metal band. I'm just really starting my path to FI, but I couldn't be happier. Upwards and onwards!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Falcon on April 27, 2014, 09:53:27 PM
Hi everyone,

Just found your site yesterday and I am stoked! Retired at Christmas (55) my wife still works and I am working on how to ensure that my current assets are used wisely in the next 7 years so that she retires we will have enough to takes us the rest of the way. I have $375k at bank just now and am investigating the best possible use for this. I have 2 investment properties and own my house. I have always been frugal and am quite fascinated by this site. How does the term mustachian relate to frugality?

I have started reading back posts and may find the answer there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sherr on April 28, 2014, 07:44:11 AM
I have always been frugal and am quite fascinated by this site. How does the term mustachian relate to frugality?

Welcome!

There's no hard definition for "mustachian" (that I'm aware of), but it includes but is not limited to frugality. "Mustacian" is more of a whole-life philosophy where "frugal" is related specifically to financial decisions, it includes principles such as self-sufficiency, healthy living, minimalism, and just general self-awareness and intentional decision making.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: game_on on April 29, 2014, 09:00:42 AM
Hello,

MJ from MN. Love the site and all of the ideas that come about. Wife and I are steadily paying off everything and working towards FI. We have 2 kids(4 and 6) in one of the most expensive childcare states around. Trying different things to get to where we want to be.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bobmarley9993 on April 29, 2014, 09:26:54 PM
First, just wanted to say that this is a great forum, it's very inspiring.

I am 35, married with 2 kids.  We are probably looking at working until the kids are grown up but with MMM principles we should only need to work part-time during the last 4 or 5 years.  It's not a very hard-core plan compared to a lot of what I read here but we should still be out of the game around 50.   

I have been frugal long before I ever heard of MMM, I think it's genetic.   Read the millionaire next door which kick-started the gene and have been actively saving ever since.   I came across MMM last year and it has further altered my financial perceptions.  Previously I was saving with a general idea that I might be able to retire at 60 or something.  I really didn't have a very firm plan but I was assuming a budget of 50-60k which makes financing a retirement very difficult.  After reading MMM and this forum I have been reviewing the budget and I am slowly warming up to the idea that retirement on a substantially lower sum is indeed possible.   It is really fascinating as we are talking about cutting my retirement age back by a decade!

See you all around.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: garuff on April 30, 2014, 05:40:50 AM
"Hi and Introduce Yourself"... haha

But really, hi! I've been reading for about a year or so now, haven't made my way into the forums much yet, but there's a lot going on this year that will hopefully be setting my (soon to be) wife and I further down the path to Badassity here in the UK.

P.S I enjoyed the little test upon signing up to the forums too - pleased that I passed first time!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: franny61390 on April 30, 2014, 07:40:21 AM
I have really enjoyed exploring this blog recently. I am 23 years old and recently married. My husband and I are debt-free and make around 90k per year before taxes (grr taxes). We are currently saving for a down-payment for a home, contributing up to the match on my 401k and trying to live simply.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: former player on April 30, 2014, 08:03:48 AM
Hi, I'm Faellie, and I found MMM through a comment when browsing on Student Doctor Network.

I was brought up frugal by parents who lived through the 1930s depression and WWII rationing, and continued many of their habits.  Happily, this meant that when I was facepunched with an irresistible voluntary retirement package aged 50, I was debt-free with no dependents and could jump out of my career and into the FIRE.  That was four years ago, and now I live by the beach in the southwest UK, I have a dog to take me on long walks, do a bit of work, a fair bit of volunteering and act as a support worker for two relatives in their nineties who live close by.  Come on in, the FIREwater's lovely!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thefrugalnudists on April 30, 2014, 10:16:02 AM
Hello there! Thank goodness we found this blog! I only wish we had found it when I was 20 instead of 42!
We hope to frequent this blog and forum and glean as much info as we can. And hopefully contribute a little bit to the discussion if possible.
Our bio:
Mr. Frugalnudist is 42 and a barber making about $75,000 a year.
Mrs Frugalnudist is 28 and a stay at home mom studying for a Computer Science degree with hopes to join the workforce next year as a programmer.
We have a 20 month old son and a daughter 3 weeks away from being born.
Our debt right now is about 13,000 on a Subaru Forester that was brought pre Moustache discovery. We had bought a used VW pPassat that we paid cash for a few years ago but it sadly died and we needed a stable car. Though we would have done things differently if we knew about this forum!
That currently is our only debt. We have always been frugal and hate the idea of living in debt.
We live in the Boston area which is very expensive. We are able to save a little but not what we would like considering what we spend to live here.
Our plan is to move to Germany in the next 3 years.
So that is our situation in a very brief nutshell. When we have time we will add some more to our story and as I said, hopefully contribute something.
Hope everybody reading this is doing well and we look forward to getting to know you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: El Inversionista on April 30, 2014, 11:23:19 PM
I just discovered MMM about a week ago and have read many of the blog entries and some of the threads here on the forum. It's great to discover that there are a bunch of other people like me out there. I have no interest in being flashy nor hyper-consumption, but I have always been interested in investing in order to guarantee my freedom. I am already pretty frugal but MMM has inspired me to tighten up the ship even more. I have a nice income and have been socking away most of it into investments for the last several years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wealthywinters on May 01, 2014, 04:14:44 AM
Hi!

I came across the idea of financial independence quite recently (the last few months) and have been devouring everything I can since then. Mr.W and I are 34 and 27 respectively this month, with a just-turned-one year old daughter called Arya (named for the GoT novels character).

Mr.W and I came from pretty crappy backgrounds (he was in a ten year marriage that he fell into by accident, and hated the woman he was married to, staying only for their daughters, and I suffered from depression for most of my life and only just started my first "adult" job), but we're both determined to make a better life for ourselves.

I've changed a lot in the last few months, and while we have no debt Mr.W had to declare bankruptcy at the start of 2013 (much thanks to his ex) for reasons I go into detail about on my blog.

I started a blog to track changes and share and collate what I was learning, and I've found forums have as much to offer as sites themselves in terms of ideas for reducing expenditure and increasing income with the view to FI.

Look forward to watching others progress, and hopefully progressing ourselves!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: babycakes on May 01, 2014, 08:52:11 PM
Hi :) I've been reading for a short while, it's nice to find a forum of like-minded people.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nuprin on May 02, 2014, 02:04:48 PM
Hello!

I've been thoroughly obsessed with the writings of the mustachian family. I'm 26, not married (yet) living in Philadelphia for now and paying down the student loans until I can save more to get my retirement fund going
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on May 02, 2014, 03:32:22 PM
Welcome everyone...

[...] with a just-turned-one year old daughter called Arya (named for the GoT novels character).

Also, yes!!! ^
Give her a Needle for her 8th b-day. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wealthywinters on May 03, 2014, 01:48:49 AM
Welcome everyone...

[...] with a just-turned-one year old daughter called Arya (named for the GoT novels character).

Also, yes!!! ^
Give her a Needle for her 8th b-day. :-)

We'll have to start the fencing lessons early, then :) The feistiness she already has!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dutch577 on May 03, 2014, 10:33:01 AM
Hi. I ran across this forum by accident. I have been going through some of the posts and it is a pretty cool site. I already prescribe to a lot of the ideas but there is always someone who is way smarter then I am and there is no shame in learning how to do things better.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheCatWhisperer on May 04, 2014, 11:34:03 PM
Hi there, I've been lurking for the past couple of months. This is such good stuff, and you guys GET IT. I'm trying to pay off my student loans this year, and this site has been an inspiration.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NCGal on May 05, 2014, 03:38:49 PM
I've been lurking around reading and quoting MMM for a while and thought I'd join. My husband and I are on the 5 year plan to freedom! We have no debt and are saving and investing. We cut the cord recently and bought a Chromecast. We can do better in many other areas and I look forward to learning from everyone's posts.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Denarius on May 06, 2014, 04:13:25 AM
Good Morning Ladies & Gentleman,

I was introduced to MMM and the Mustachian Way via getrichslowly.org

Recently married, my wife and I are in search of our first house. God willing, we are looking to grow our family as well.

I look forward to being able to contribute to this wonderful community one day. Thanks for having me.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: heng yuan on May 06, 2014, 07:40:13 AM
Hi every one, I'm from china, I like the idea of early retirment and know the news about Mr Money Mastache from internet.
     I'm 33, married, have a three year old girl, she is very cute.  And i am a chemical engineering, working at a engineering corperation in china. I am dreaming to retired early.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: apfroggy0408 on May 06, 2014, 10:44:26 AM
Hi everyone,

New here

started a journey log

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/working-on-dat-mustache/

nice to meet everyone. follow along!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dappergent on May 06, 2014, 11:09:41 AM
Hi  my name is Adam I'm 33 I live in CT with my parents.  I've gone back to school full time and work part time


I don't actually know my full debt situation.  always seem to be taking 2 steps back for every one i take forward. I found this site and have gone through a few articles I'm just nor sure how to apply a lot of  it to myself,    I want to get out from behind the 8 ball I don't want to live with my parents, I don't want to be trying to scrap money together just to survive.

I'm at my wits end and would like it to all go away. I have 25 dollars to my name. when i get my next pay check it will be gone before i can cash it. my goal is to cure myself of my financial ignorance and fight off my need to buy all the things
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yooper on May 07, 2014, 07:00:17 AM
Hello I am Yooper!

I am lucky enough to make a much higher than average income (90s).
I like my job but work is still work
I am working on FIRE by late 30s or early 40s.
I am slowly converting my DW to ways of MMM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GW on May 07, 2014, 08:02:41 AM
Hello all,

I'm 29 years old and live in CO. I've been putting out the fire that is my student loan debt.

I've been reading for awhile and finally decided to join the tribe.

Stats
Student Debt - $37K
$401K - Just started a new one with a new company
tIRA - $50K
Savings - $1K
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cmorris on May 07, 2014, 06:29:45 PM
My name is Chris.

I have a wife and 3 children. Currently I am working in a corporate environment and the only thing that I like about it is the compensation. I make an above average salary and do not manage it well. I am here to learn how to achieve financial freedom sooner rather than later.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mld on May 08, 2014, 11:01:06 AM
Hi! I am Mel, from Canada. BF and I are on a path to FIRE in between 7 to 8 years from now and we are expecting our first child this Fall.

I found MMM's blog while searching for tips on paying down our mortgage faster and I was amazed to find all this terrific info on this site. I was happy to find out that there is a full community of people already doing and thinking like BF and I are aiming for.

Our biggest debt is our mortgage, which should be paid off in less than 4 years.
Most of our FIRE plan is based on real estate investments. We also plan on having done 10 years in our jobs since we will get a nice pension (we'll only get that once we hit 60 years old but it will be a nice peace of mind to know it will indexed and waiting for us). I already have 3 years under my belt and BF has 5 years done in our jobs.

As of now we have one investment property and are in the process of purchasing another.
Looking forward to learning about FIRE with all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JD_ on May 08, 2014, 05:19:42 PM
Hi All,

Just joined MMM.  I discovered it after stumbling upon earlyretirementextreme.com, another great site. 

I'm 30, married to a wonderful girl, and we both hate the idea of slaving away at jobs we aren't crazy about until we're 60+.

I've always been frugal and trying to find ways to save a few bucks.  My friends love to give me a hard time about it, but truth is I consider myself a bit of lone ranger among my friends/co-workers in that I don't have the bank of Mommy & Daddy to fall back on. 

In my mind, I have to look for ways to get ahead to make it without any outside help or handouts. 

I'm glad I found this forum; there's lots of good discussions here and it helps to know I'm not alone in my frugal, sometimes borderline crazy ways.

-JD
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PDXgrl on May 08, 2014, 05:45:09 PM
Hello Everybody!

I've been following along on the blog for a few years now, and am working on growing a nice, robust mustache with my husband and toddler.

In the past 5 years, we've bucked down and paid off all debt except our mortgage, (and we had ALOT of debt!) and now get to have fun transferring that dough into savings and investing.

I'm looking forward to picking some brains!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: greenbanana on May 09, 2014, 01:48:40 PM
Hi! I've been reading MMM for the last couple months and just finished reading all the posts from the beginning, so I guess it's time for me to join the community! Reading MMM has gotten my husband and I all fired up about early retirement. We're in our late 20's, no kids yet, living on his computer-programmer income and whatever slim pickings I manage to get as a PhD student. We've always considered ourselves frugal, but MMM has definitely given us a punch in the face in several areas! (really embarrassed by the $250/month parking spot we finally got rid of last month....:P)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JoshRiverson on May 10, 2014, 10:22:48 AM
Hello, my name is Josh and I'm from the UK. I'm really happy to join you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fatmouse on May 10, 2014, 10:05:20 PM
Hi! I stumbled across MMM's interview on the Dough Roller podcast recently, and I have been pretty hooked on the concept for a couple of weeks now.

I've always been a big saver, and for a while I have based my budgeting on the All Your Worth formula of 50% needs, 20% wants, 30% savings.  I have never thought much about frugality as a lifestyle for the purpose of increasing happiness (as opposed to for the purpose of saving money.). I never considered Financial Independence as a goal for myself, because I assumed Financial Independence would not be worth "sacrifices."

I really appreciate MMM's blog for introducing me to these ideas.  I am optimistic that it will change my life, and in some small ways it already has.  I am almost 30 years old, and within the past year I have started earning a high income.  Without this blog, I would have continued thinking about my budget in terms of percentages, and probably would not have questioned the resulting lifestyle inflation.  I can't promise my habits and my actions will always be completely Moustachian from here on out, but I have experienced a change in perspective that I suspect will be lasting.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Runum on May 11, 2014, 11:56:07 AM
Hello all. New around here. Presently in DFW area. Interested in finances, independence, strategies. I have had a real mustache for about 30 years. Seems to be the thing to have now. LOL

Just poking around here and learning.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dani on May 11, 2014, 06:53:19 PM
Hi. I've been reading MMM for a while. We are natural Mustachians in a way as we have always believed that 1) driving is not the best form of transportation (though we prefer walking to biking) and 2) happiness does not come from buying more stuff. Still, we've made our share of bad decisions. - like accumulating some unnecessary grad school debt in exchange for expensive fun. Bizzarely/uncannily, I am a real estate developer....
MMM has helped us focus our financial planning and retirement discussions. We currently have a 10-15 yr plan for FI, though we love our jobs. FI gives more freedom and choices though....so here we are...so glad there are so many like-minded folks out there....
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: peter bedpan on May 12, 2014, 11:27:48 AM
Hi,

I'm a 45 year old guy from Germany. Recently I realized that I'm FI which gives me a new kind of first world problems.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mutton Chop on May 12, 2014, 11:33:39 AM
Hi everyone.

Keep pushing!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GordianKnot on May 12, 2014, 07:28:33 PM
Howdy! I've been reading MMM for a few months now, and have set up a budget (though I'm still trying to pare back on some of my spending to achieve a 50% saving's rate, I'm at around 35% right now). I've mostly retired from driving (my car is a $500 junker anyway), but my I still eat out too often, and I waste a lot of money on food and travel, but I'm getting there!

Thanks very much to Mr. and Mrs. MM for putting all of this together!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Hamster on May 12, 2014, 09:59:08 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm from Perth, Western Australia and found found this site via Whirlpool forums.  I was suckered into the "leverage up and live off equity" myth and recent mini-recession here in WA has opened my eyes to the fact that it may not be such a great strategy for building wealth and retiring early.  I'm looking forward to learning how to save 70% of my income and start paying off my property debts so I can get off the wheel and become financially free.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: arwenaya on May 13, 2014, 05:30:25 PM
Hi!

I've been lurking since March, happily reading massive amounts of the forum while my husband and I finished paying off our school loans. We're both teachers, although I'll be starting my own consulting business in June (once the insanity of the school year is over). MMM (and the forums) have been a great motivator to be more efficient with our money and to resist the lifestyle inflation that was starting to set in.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: senecando on May 13, 2014, 05:33:42 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm from Perth, Western Australia and found found this site via Whirlpool forums.  I was suckered into the "leverage up and live off equity" myth and recent mini-recession here in WA has opened my eyes to the fact that it may not be such a great strategy for building wealth and retiring early.  I'm looking forward to learning how to save 70% of my income and start paying off my property debts so I can get off the wheel and become financially free.

Uh oh (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/profile/?u=2297).

I guess we can have one Hamster per hemisphere.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alsoknownasDean on May 14, 2014, 08:08:39 AM
Hello all!

First, a bit about myself. I'm 29 years old, and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I work full time (have been in the same job for almost six years), making a salary that's a little below average, but having finished university in 2012, have been semi-actively looking for other jobs.

I've been working my way back financially from a couple of setbacks a year or two ago. My wake up call was realising that I had a grand total of $37 in savings...and six grand in debt. In the year and a bit since then, I've managed to get rid of that debt, and I've built up a few grand in savings (which is continuing to grow). My living costs have continued to reduce to the point where I'm saving almost half of my post-tax salary (although there's still plenty of fat to trim). Hopefully that'll increase further :)

A friend of mine pointed me towards this site, and it's been inspiring, and made me realise what money means to me. Not about buying fancy things, but about security, about having something to fall back on if it hits the fan. Maybe that does include the early-retired lifestyle, we'll see. I'm also looking at buying a place eventually, but I'm unsure given prices around here :)

Already I've noticed that when I've had the urge to buy something unnecessary, a quick browse here changes my mind.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jersey on May 14, 2014, 11:00:23 AM
Hello everyone!

My fiance, dog and I relocated to the Nashville, TN area last year. This kick started us into the mindset that our debt was an emergency and we needed to take care of it. I found MMM while browsing through reddit. MMM has been an inspiration to keep fighting hard.

To the moon!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WhyDoubt on May 15, 2014, 12:48:59 PM
I'm Jeff, a 30-something software engineer living in Oklahoma.  After being introduced to MMM by an ol' college friend in February, I've finally worked my way through all the posts since the beginning of time.

I have a wife and three kids.  We all have an eating-out addiction.

I drive nearly 30 miles each way to work and back, so I destroy cars on regular basis, and I'm underpaid to boot.

A few years back we got out of debt (except the house) working Dave Ramsey's principles, but then we got wimpy and didn't save.  So when the heating/AC unit went out, we ended up back in debt.  Then buying cars, medical expenses, and on and on.  I was in denial about the raging inferno of our hair on fire.

But in the last few weeks... Now we've been consolidating medical debts and getting a better handle on that situation.  Got rid of the ridiculous collision & comprehensive coverage on the car we own out-right.  Looking for a better-paying and much-closer-to-home job.  Probably will be changing our cell phone provider next month.  Making progress on the eating-out addiction, but still have work to do.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SparkleBee on May 15, 2014, 03:44:46 PM
Hi everyone,

I have been reading the blog on and off for a while. I live in the uk so applying some of the rules is quite ok but the uk government don't like 'early retirees' and seem to put up blocks.

I am working towards FI, I have about 2/3 of the stash I need before I can retire but need to find ways of keeping things like my pension contributions going when you have a cap on the amount you can save as it is based on you working! I am in my 40s so not that early a retiree but given that state retirement is at 67 I want to be retired well before then!

I am debt free. So only have my basic living costs to find and stashing the rest. Been saving about 40% but now trying to save 50% of salary as much as possible and make my money work harder. Difficult with a savings rate of .5% and limits on tax free investments. 45% tax off your share dividends is a blocker on your own targets when held outside tax-free products.

Any good tips for UK based MMMs please shout...

Meanwhile thanks for the articles and keeping us all on the track to FI and early retirement.

Sparkle.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: amandamechele on May 15, 2014, 03:51:38 PM
Hello,

A neighbour recommended this blog to me a few months ago, and I have been reading it ever since.
I am a stay at home mom to 4 kids living in Hamilton ON.
Like many others have said, I wish I had been smarter with my money 20 years ago. But better late than never!
We will be eliminating all consumer and HELOC debt this year and will tackle maxing out our TFSAs and RRSPs, next year and a few more after that. Then comes the mortgage...

Well, it looks like I have my work cut out for me.
Thank you for providing a forum, for inspiration and community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MBot on May 15, 2014, 07:44:53 PM
amandamechele, I used to live in Hamilton ON! Moved up to Sault Ste. Marie a couple years ago.

I'm new here too... My husband and I have big student loans and a very reasonable mortgage. We just started working after a very long journey through postsecondary (we both went back to school in different fields, working and paying off debt while doing so).

I'd been initially helped by Dave Ramsey in getting out of high-interest debt and changing our consumption habits. We've just about hit the threshold of where he's helpful though.

I'm glad that MMM is an excellent resource for the steps beyond that, and more in line with our values (walkability, sustainability, avoiding consumerism, being able to really enjoy the stuff/life you do have instead of feeling like you're in need)

My/our entire lifestyle is very different from those around us, and from our families. As such it is so helpful to have this community, and reading through posts (like all the Throw Down the Gauntlet ones!) has been encouraging.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Weyfarere on May 16, 2014, 04:22:18 PM
Hi! I'm Weyfarere. My husband and I live in the Midwest and are expecting our first child in a few weeks. For now, at least, reducing my work hours to spend more time with the baby is more important than planning for FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Alectejas on May 17, 2014, 02:22:44 PM
Hello All,
I've been reading this website for some time, I got here via the ERE website.
I wish I had found this information 10 years ago, but better late than never!
I'm male 44, married 3 kids ages 1, 4 and 10.  We live in a medium sized town in Texas. 
Average income is around 15K per month, my wife stays at home with the kids
We just bought a 1200 square foot house for cash (value 145,000)
Personal debt is none
401K is 300,000
Other investments around 100,000
Monthly savings rate is at about 65%




Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wtrfre on May 17, 2014, 06:35:27 PM
Hello,
I am excited to read all this forum has to offer.
I began life relatively frugal, but through life's journey have made some choices that led me to stray from this.  I've been trying to find my way back and stumbled across the MMM site.  I am mid 30's and have some holes to dig out of, with family obligations as well, but can't wait to work through it in the company of like-minded others.  FI is possible and I plan on getting there. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: El Limon on May 18, 2014, 06:36:15 AM
Hi. I learned about MMM through the Boglehead forum. I learned a lot about sound investing there, but I enjoy the lifestyle philosophy. So, I could say I'm BogleHead, but with a mustache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johnso_e1 on May 18, 2014, 07:52:05 AM
Hi everyone! I'm a 22-year-old graduate doing a volunteer year in Baltimore and preparing to enter law school. I'm doing as much as I can to save money on a volunteer's stipend and prevent the accumulation of too much debt in law school, so this blog was a great find.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frumare on May 18, 2014, 09:26:32 AM
Hi all,

I'm Marianne. I have been reading up and lurking here for about a month or so. I discovered MMM on the Mad Fientist podcast: http://www.madfientist.com/mr-money-mustache-interview/

V happy to find a vibrant group of like-minded folks to learn from and share with...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Raste on May 18, 2014, 01:00:51 PM
Just joined the forums but love the website. It was recommended to me by my sister after we were discussing frugal living strategies.

Currently living in Texas working hard to retire at 55 if not sooner. Debt free right now and no plant to go back.

After being unemployed from 2008-2010 I decided to cinch the belt hard and save like a squirrel who has seen many famines.

One of my biggest joys was purchasing my used car in cash and owning it on the ride home.

Thanks to MMM I'm downsizing my living space to a small apartment across the street from work. That change alone should net me an additional $6K per year.

Thanks to everyone here! I've learned a lot by lurking :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tanhanivar on May 18, 2014, 06:47:32 PM
Hi!

I'm a single professional (public service) living in Brisbane Australia, mid-30s, 5 years into a rather large mortgage.

I've been reading GRS, The Simple Dollar and a few similar blogs for several years now, to keep me on the straight-and-narrow. I only just discovered MMM a little over a week ago (through GRS) and it's had a big impact on me (and my housemate!) already. Combined with switching from a fixed to split (fixed/variable) mortgage the week before, it's been something of an attitude 180. The big thing for us both has been the realisation that we aren't depriving ourselves to scratch together some savings - rather we ALREADY HAVE the money, so WHY ARE WE SPENDING IT unnecessarily?

And I bought a bike yesterday.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ashg on May 19, 2014, 07:08:24 AM
Hi,

New joiner to MM but have been lurking for few months. Looking to retire next year at 55 and think (hope!) that we have the funds to realise our dream. Married with no kids and presently living in the Middle East - no debt and assets of $2m +.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: exceljunkie on May 19, 2014, 11:23:11 AM
Hi MMM community, I've been lurking for a bit on the blog, but just found out about the forum not long ago. I've always been pretty frugal, but now I know why I want to be frugal. My husband and I have a 1-year-old and I would love to spend less time at work and more time with him!

We are on track for early retirement, but I've just really appreciated the articles on here that make me feel welcome, as opposed to weird. I'm am tired of being the target of marketing in everything that I read. The sad part is that I can remember when I first came to the US (from China), most products I saw being advertised were so far from what I thought any normal person would spend on that I thought marketers in this country were idiots. Having lived here for almost a decade, I see that I have been conditioned to thinking that I need x or y widget.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ThatBikeGuy on May 19, 2014, 03:11:18 PM
Greetings!

     I'm also a long time lurker and found this website through reddit in January of last year. I lacked direction and I felt like my education was largely pointless if I'd be stuck working for someone else my whole life and this website got me out of a slump and introduced me to alternate possibilities. I am 21 and just graduated from college with a degree in Chemistry. Hopefully, I am going to start a job making 40-50k per year this June.

     My yearly expenses are around 10k at the moment and my total debt is just shy of 18k. I'm rather frugal due to my upbringing and I am aiming to be FI by 35. This date will likely shift closer to 30 as my salary increases but that is a good place to begin and thankfully Michigan is a pretty cheap place to live with lots of bike paths and parks in my area. Unfortunately, the roads in my area are generally horrible for biking with narrow, hilly, single lane, high speed traffic, and no shoulders.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cakie on May 19, 2014, 05:06:08 PM
Hi everyone!

I've had an excellent time reading MMM's blog over the last week :)

Although one of my sisters is very mustachian, it's great to see we are not alone!!

I'm 23, will graduate uni at the end of the year. I've been living in my home city (Melbourne), but I plan on moving when I graduate. I'm not really a city person, and Melbourne is pretty big now...

Although i've got a decent amount of university debt after studying for 6 years, it's nothing close to some of the US colleges. In the past it has been pointless paying off more than compulsory payments, because the loan interest rate was so low, linked to CPI. But they just announced changes in the federal budget, so it will be higher in the future!

I've got some savings ($2k), leftover from a scholarship, but I spent the rest last year travelling around Europe for 5 months last year ;) Living with my mum again now so I don't have to work on top of 55+ hrs study a week...

I'm trying to get a job in my industry now, since most graduates with my degree get offered a job with the same company they worked for while studying...fingers crossed it is in the region I want to live in! Alternatively, I will go intestate and work in the mines :P (have applied to some mine grad jobs as backup) Depending on where i work, should reach FI by my mid- to late-30s :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Snowwabbit on May 20, 2014, 04:22:26 AM
Hi everyone
Very excited new starter to mustachianism, yay! Pulling out all the stops to pay off consumer debt at the moment based on what I've learned here and looking forward to learning more. Should be mostly gone by the end of the year. I'm australian, partner but currently no kids, paying off house, working full time, I'm an intj (was fascinated how many are on this forum) and my 'drive' is a scooter.
Bring it on!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlexUK on May 20, 2014, 06:18:32 AM
Hi everyone,

I've been lurking for a few months and decided it was time to get involved! A little background:

24/m from London, UK. So far, although I try to save, I have not been too successful at building up anything worth talking about. Recently started a new job with a decent wage and am determined to not have to work past 50, so true badassity starts here. I'm going to start a journal too, detailing as much as I can about what I spend, how I'm trying to save and tips and tricks I pick up along the way - any input, advice or opinion would be massively appreciated as I have no idea what I'm doing!

I just finished reading Your Money or Your Life which gave me a bit of a reality check, and having done the historical analysis of what I've earned - my meagre savings are shameful. This stops now.

Besides Student Loan, I have no debt and no overdraft - this is probably the best thing I've ensured financially - but a flat move is coming up so that may require a bit of credit card support to fully sort out. Avoiding as much as possible - but I'll go into more detail in the journal!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bythesea on May 20, 2014, 05:05:11 PM
Hi, I came across MMM through the Frugal Village board.  I was reading up on Dave Ramsey and someone mentioned they liked MMM much better, and here I am.  I've been reading the MMM blog and have just finished 2012, so still more great posts to read.

I thought we had always been fairly frugal and we have lived within our means for years with no debt but our mortgage, but after reading the blog and some posts on the forum, I realize that we have a lot of financial waste in our lives.  So, today I decided to bike to my part time job.  And I liked it!  It wasn't as bad as I thought other than riding into a headwind this morning since I live right on the ocean.  I have a beach cruiser, so I'm going to search for a commuter bike for a good price.  I figured I saved $4 today, so I'm going to put that aside for investing instead of into my car.

Anyway, I look forward to sharing on here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr B on May 21, 2014, 06:47:36 AM
Hi! I am Mr B. My wife, Mrs B, was the one who found MMM and it has really changed how we think about life. We are 28 and 31 respectively with our first little one due in 7 months. We have no debt and hope to reach FI soon so I can retire from the daily grind and focus on raising a family.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jacob_W on May 21, 2014, 11:40:26 AM
Hi Everyone. My name is Jake, and I like MMM. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Maaike on May 21, 2014, 11:56:03 AM
Hi! I'm Maaike. I'm Dutch, so I'm frugal already ;-)
I love MMM and this forum, especially the journals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fpoe on May 22, 2014, 02:45:32 AM
Hi! I found this site a couple of days ago--great stuff! Looking forward to joining the conversation here.
Title: Absolute newbie
Post by: Nkenga on May 22, 2014, 08:35:57 AM
Hi, everyone, I'm Nikki, an American currently living and teaching English in China. I found MMM about 3 months ago, and finally started taking a really good look around the place. I'm still in the process of setting my long-term goals (besides the obvious, being debt-free and being financially independent) as I figure out what I need for moving back to the US for a year.

I pretty much always assumed i would have to work for the rest of my life, and as long as I had a job that I like I didn't think it would be a big deal. However, after turning 40 a couple of years ago, I realized that although i probably will work for the rest of my life, I'd rather not have to. Hence, I'm setting up some things to be able to be FI by the time I'm 55 (I'm 42 now). Luckily I don't have any children to worry about educating, and I "only" have about $25,000 in student loans (not great, but not as bad as many people I know). I've always wanted to retire to a country outside the US, so i'm going to spend the next several years working in various countries, saving money, and deciding where I want to hang my hat in 2026!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: missionpaul on May 22, 2014, 11:05:07 AM
Hi friends - I'm Paul, 34, living in Mission, KS an inner ring suburb of Kansas City.  I have been reading MMM for about a year but have always enjoyed talking about finances and working to eliminate personal debt through programs such as Dave Ramsey etc.  Had an accountant for a dad so that helps.

The Mrs. and I are both employed by a non-profit dedicated to poverty relief around the world.  We both work from home which is a significant help to finances.  We love our jobs but FI is still a goal and we always want the option and the option to stay home with our daughter if desired.

I am much less of a badass than MMM or many on this forum.  While generally frugal we have allowed ourselves luxuries especially in regards to travel - it is something we love and we are willing to do it right now.

No debt other than our home - 40K which will be paid off this year.  Around 500K in various investments, 60% or so locked into retirement plans. We are now working to build a more liquid portfolio base.

Will likely be spending a lot of time in the investment forum as well as the landlord / rental forum as this is something we are looking to do once the house is paid off and we can purchase a rental property in cash.   

We constantly live in the tension of working in jobs where we serve the poor while being wealthy ourselves.  If there is anything driving me to be wise about our spending it is the recognition that we have been given far more than 99.9% of this world's population and we feel we are called to be good stewards of what we have been entrusted with. 

Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mcrow on May 22, 2014, 05:02:19 PM
Hello,

My name is is Mike. I'm 35 and am married with one kid. We own a home that will be paid off in about 5 years and a summer cabin acres that we own free and clear. I have ~$40k in 401k accountsWhile we feel mostly good in our situation we think we can do better to save more money and that is why I'm here. I don't see our current savings being enough to support us both in old age given the direction costs are going. What we have saved now, plus our properties would server our needs if we retired today but we are a good 20-25 years from retirement at this point and I think we would be short at that point. Also, you never know with health issues that could come up that we will both be able to work that entire time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sobezen on May 23, 2014, 10:26:45 AM
Hello there!  I am a long time reader (three years) finally joining the forum.  :)  This is a awesome community!  One of my mentors taught me to make time to be a student of finance and reflecting back I couldn't agree more.  Over the years I shed hedonist habits and now focus on living a balanced, healthy, and fulfilling life.  Finding like-minded people sharing how they 'made good' is fascinating!  I love to read the stories shared by Jacob (ERE), Leo (ZenHabits), JD Roth (Get Rich Slowly), Josh/Ryan (the Minimalists) and Pete (our very own MMM).

I am healthy, single and debt free.  Saving is tons of FUN and I plan on achieving FIRE within five years or less.  Sold the home, renting, viciously slashing expenses and facepunching evil distractors (j/k).  Researching buying a home and then buying an income or commercial property.   I like discussing retirement planning, real estate, cinema, travel, running, martial arts, DIY and minimalism.  I also enjoy discovering creative alternatives to getting more out of life. 

I am lucky to play and work in our beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.  :)  Finally learning to ride a bike which is a big change for me since I love running and skipping in our cool parks (especially Golden Gate Park), beaches and kickass neighborhoods.  Happy to be part of our larger MMM community and looking forward to cultivating greater badassity with all of you.

Lastly, I would love to join any Camp 'Stach meets too!  Cheers! :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: blackomen on May 23, 2014, 11:05:36 AM
Hi, I'm JJ from Los Angeles..  look forward to having quality and practical discussions about the MMM philosophy!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ShelMarieTX on May 23, 2014, 12:40:01 PM
Hi, my name is Shelley.  I'm a single mom and an accounting manager for a radiology company.  I've been pursuing ways to become location independent. 
I've enjoyed several posts here, and look forward to intermingling with you all.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nen on May 23, 2014, 11:31:00 PM
I'm Jen.  My husband and I are DINKs from Austin.  I like to play more than I like to work. He loves his job...25 hours a week and summers off.  And I surf real estate listings for fun
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BaldingStoic on May 24, 2014, 03:59:09 PM
Hi! I'm Toby from San Diego.  I work in the biotech/pharma industry.  I'm in my early 40's and have been fortunate to have accumulated a respectable savings.  Pondering pursuing the freedom of a financial independent lifestyle, but I've got 3 young children and SoCal isn't the cheapest place to live.  Still trying to decide how much is enough, and whether my family will benefit more from having me home more or the extra financial security from me continuing to work and save.   Looking forward to discussing these topics with my fellow MMM forum members and learning and exploring together.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HankERJourney on May 26, 2014, 10:23:12 AM
Hi everyone,
I came here via ERE website, which in itself is a great blog, but reading thru MMM, I noticed a broader community and more practical ideas, so hereby decided to join. I am almost 48, married, no kids, I am more or less FI, still working another 2 years, then ER. Of the 22 years working, I have worked 15 years abroad, in almost every region, so, even though a wage slave, i enjoyed this journey, and I continue to travel once I am ER, but then more slowly, taking my time.
I hope to learn a lot here, and also contribute
cheers, Henk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SondraF on May 27, 2014, 08:49:01 AM
Hello all!

After passing through this site a number of times over the years, and reading some very interesting threads today, I thought it was time to join the crowd.

I am a 36yr old American, just moved earlier this year to London and am taking a bit of a sabbatical while planning my next moves.  Although I was raised in a frugal household and instilled with a strong work ethic and anti-consumerist viewpoint, I will fully admit that I didn't do quite as well as I could have in the previous 10 years, primarily with CC debt (yes, I know I know).  So I want to get myself back on track and with strong financial goals for myself and the Swedish partner (who is fully on board this lifestyle as well) for the next 10-15 years!

We are good with strict budgeting, known bike commuters, and are well-skilled at making the most out of lentils and reusing leftovers, but once we are both re-employed, it will be time to set investment goals and timelines so we can look forward to early retirement ourselves (no kids either). We sold everything, including the car, to make this move and it has been absolutely liberating. I am hoping this community will be helpful source of information and encouragement along the way!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MidwestGal on May 27, 2014, 01:59:29 PM
Howdy!  I'm a relatively young mustachian-in-training, who unfortunately shaved off my bits of stubble during my younger days.  I've read every single post up till now, and have been trying to get my other half to see the light.  Good luck with your 'staches, all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mikep on May 28, 2014, 10:18:54 AM
Hi!  I'm in my late 30's, living in Cincinnati, married with kids.  I found the MMM blog in Jan 2013, and have been an avid reader ever since.  Because of this blog, we now actually track our spending in detail, have cut our annual expenses by more than a third, and have ER in our sights in hopefully just a few years.  After many months of following this forum, I finally decided to sign up and post as well. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CestMoi on May 28, 2014, 12:57:20 PM
Hi,

I'm new to this site and have been enjoying reading the articles and forums, gathering more tips to becoming FI someday soon.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johnlaw on May 29, 2014, 10:56:48 AM
I am John and hoping to retire in 6 months.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JoJoP on May 30, 2014, 06:43:19 PM
Hi, I'm Jill and I live in the San Diego area.   I'm in my early 50's, my husband just hit the big 6-0, so we are among the older crowd around here.  We are financially independent at this point with 12 properties, including 8 rentals and 3 income producing farms.   Our debt was all used to buy the rentals. I haven't had personal debt since I was in my early 20's. Our net worth is more than I ever imagined!   I honestly feel that we have enough... how nice that is!  I'm very, very grateful for my wonderful life!

My goal is to redistribute some things... change the mix a bit... pay off the rental home debt by selling a farm, spend time with the family.   I'd especially like my husband to retire or at least semi-retire, so assisting  that is my main goal now.  He enjoys his work so my task isn't easy.  We are only peach fuzz mustachians.   We are frugal in some ways, extravagant in other ways,  but it's nice to to not have to worry about money or hesitate due to finances.   I work with a flexible schedule as a real estate agent,  after taking 10 years off to be a stay at home mom. 

I learned about MMM via a miles and points travel blog... that is my other hobby... going around the world for pennies!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: P1 on May 30, 2014, 06:51:50 PM
Hello all I'm Michael and live in Southern California. 31 and debt free and finally debt free as of about this time last year, but living paycheck to paycheck and starting to rebuild my credit from my younger days. Wasn't even missuse so much as I didn't have any income for along while and charged everything until they cut me off. Anyway got that all paid off last year and am trying to start a new while not young, but hopefully still early enough to retire from the rat race long before my 60s or gasp 70's.

Found this place from bodybuilding.com actually on a thread about investing and decided I'd just read all the threads starting from the beginning. Still in 2011 though so got a long way to go. Hoping to gain knowledge from the site and the forum to start myself on the track to financial independence. To the day when I go to work because I want to, not because I have to. Or just retire all together.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: m0nk3y on May 31, 2014, 11:02:05 AM
Hi, I'm Nick. Long time lurker.

I've got a family of 5 and am transitioning from 4+ years on the road as an IT contractor to a work-from-home job. We've been able to pay down all debts over the past 3 years and buy our first home (20% down, no PMI, paying the loan as if it were a 15 year) and have two paid off cars, soon to be one. Currently building up our emergency fund and some smaller investments, preparing to take advantage of the first 401k match I've ever had.

I've found some great advice here and hope to participate more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gdgyva on June 02, 2014, 09:56:56 AM
hey all

first time to site......

left another site after 4+ years due to bad moderation

anyway....glad to be here

and i'll jump in after i catch up a bit
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: deragun on June 02, 2014, 01:00:00 PM
Hello everyone!

My name is Chad.  33 years old, IT (QA manager) in NYC.  I first encountered MMM about a year or so ago from various google searches.  My wife mentioned she had seen references to it on Offbeat Bride about 2 months ago.  That was the real trigger for a major overhaul of our lives, and I thought it was time to post to say hello.

I've finally read through all of the posts (and a good portion of the comments, but certainly not all), and while going through it we have already made MANY life/FI plan changes:

1. Switched to Ting from Verizon
2. Cut food and 'other' expenses in half
3. Found a cheaper ($450 less & nicer!) apt we are moving into on the 15th
4. Going to switch to FIOS internet only in the new apt
5. Haven't even put in the AC units into the windows so far this year (big one for me...AC fiend I used to be)
6. Gone from tracking accts/expenses to actually formulating a real plan for FI (approx 6-7 years to go)
7. And I got my commuter bike yesterday, and already love it

Now that I've graduated from my research phase of Mustachianism, I hope to be an active member, and continue to add to the list of changes above!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: roselvin on June 03, 2014, 08:08:43 AM
Hi everyone. Hope I enjoy this forum. Its been long i was lurking around and i finally decided to register on this forum. So far its been amazing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lady from Joppa on June 03, 2014, 09:13:42 AM
I just joined the forums but have been reading the website for a short while. I can't remember how I found it, maybe through YNAB.

We are a family of 6. My husband is in the military but will soon be getting out due to medical reasons. Our children are 20, 6, 4, and 2.5. I stay home with our younger children and we have homeschooled since 2004. Our oldest took a 1-1/2 off after high school to work before going to college. She will start her 2nd semester at a private college this fall.

From 2002 to 2004 we paid off $26K in credit card debt and have only used a PIF credit card since. We purchased our first house in 2007 with a 30 yr mortgage and refinanced it on a 15 year term in 2012.

We have been using YNAB for taking our spending since July 2013 but last month began using it as intended for budgeting since we know our income will drop once my husband leaves the military. Our future income and his job opportunities once he gets out are uncertain at this time but we are (trying to be) optimistic about the future. At least now we are finally on the same page (sort of) about reducing our monthly expenses to allow us to live on less, save more and live our dream of having a hobby farm and doing some traveling.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Smilo2K on June 03, 2014, 04:09:49 PM
I've been lurking for about 6 months and finally decided to join.  I really enjoy MMM's enthusiasm and come here often for FI inspiration.  We're on the right track with no cc debt, no car payments, two paid off rental properties in AZ and a low morgtgage on our primary residence here in TX.  Yet there is still so much to improve upon including a 60 mile commute roundtrip to work and becoming better at doing the fixitup stuff ourselves.  Wish me luck ya'll.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on June 03, 2014, 05:31:00 PM
I've been lurking for about 6 months and finally decided to join.  I really enjoy MMM's enthusiasm and come here often for FI inspiration.  We're on the right track with no cc debt, no car payments, two paid off rental properties in AZ and a low morgtgage on our primary residence here in TX.  Yet there is still so much to improve upon including a 60 mile commute roundtrip to work and becoming better at doing the fixitup stuff ourselves.  Wish me luck ya'll.

You don't need luck, you've got this!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: drunken buddha on June 03, 2014, 06:55:55 PM
Hello!
Found this place by searching "push fit" Pex fittings, believe it or not! The internet is quite a playground. Will read a bit more before I blab any more though. Much wisdom here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: forestbound on June 04, 2014, 09:02:17 AM
Hello Mustachians, I've been lurking for a bit and just saw the "Introduction" thread. So to introduce myself, I am 48 and my SO is 58. We keep everything separate, and that keeps us sane. I run a small design business, with one employee, me. Left my advertising gig 12 years ago and love working for myself. Hope to be FI in 5-10 years, and after finding MMM, I see this as a REAL possibility. More than anything having FI will ease my mind. As for RE... well, I think my name says it all. I hope to disconnect from the electronic leash I am on and go for a hike!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: katalyn13 on June 04, 2014, 10:52:23 AM
Hi, I'm Katalyn! I have a lot of student loan debt (unfortunately) so I'm trying to get started with MMM tips as soon as I can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: San on June 04, 2014, 11:38:38 AM
I've been lurking for a bit, and thought 'well, maybe I should actually make an account.' I'll probably lurk quite a lot more, but still, it's nice to be here and I'm looking forward to meeting some like minded individuals.

Little about me- I live on Long Island, which is an extremely expensive place to live, with my husband and two kids (12 and almost 2). But we do it with room to spare on one full time and one (very) part time combined salary (around 45k a year, combined, which for this area is considered ludicrously low). While a lot of the MMM style stuff we already did, we've implemented new things (like bike riding!) in to our existing routine and it's been great! No debt to work off, but we have less in savings and investments than we'd like, and so we're working toward setting up more avenues of passive income without having both of us working full time jobs.

I work in horticulture (at a nursery, but also writing articles and teaching classes), part time, so that I can be home with our youngest. On the side I also run a small business (making jams and jellies, I mostly sell direct and at fairs). We grow a lot of our own food, build our own stuff and are in the process of renovating a house that has to basically be gutted down to the studs. It's an adventure for sure, but well worth it!
Title: Hi from Minnesota!
Post by: Peasant Foodie on June 04, 2014, 07:15:13 PM
Hi, I'm Erin...married with three kids.  We are both back in school doing a career change.  Next step is to find a place to work that is biking distance from home!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Irishtache on June 05, 2014, 04:51:14 AM
Hi all.
Like many posters, long time lurker 1st time poster. We are in our early 50s and live, as you may guess from my username, in Ireland. Over the past few years we have endured a recession, huge public sector cuts and, in our own case, large pay cuts in our public service salaries. In addition, our buy to let is not making money, but at least the rent more than covers the interest and so, it's actively contributing to the saving that is the payback of principal. Two of our three kids have finished college and we have only a student loan on one and we can clear that any time we choose. So, all is not bad. We are happy, healthy(ish) have no debt other than the mortgages which we can service and a small car loan that is optional really, just keep it for the insurance that comes with it.

We have had anti-mustachian habits in he past but it never got too far out of hand. We wasted money on caravans, motorhomes etc but we had great holidays with the kids and don't really regret that except for the depreciation! Nowadays, I have to fight my inclination to upgrade the car (we have 2 but my wife adores her 2013 car and I wouldn't begrudge her that). Mine is 4 years old and should last a while longer. [whack-1st face punch]We also love to travel and we cruise as well as land vacation in Europe. I don't believe I will change that because that is what I look forward to most![whack-2nd face punch-ow!]

Anyway, in most other ways we exercise restraint and while not exactly mustachianism, we try to come close. We now lunch mostly at home, saving a lot on eating out in town most days. I have discovered the paleo diet through MMM and am trying to adhere to that. We mostly shop in discount stores, large German grocery chains. They sell rolled oats and bourbon quite cheaply! I don't eat them together!!

Pensions - as we are government employees, we will get defined benefit pensions at 60 yrs, 6.5 years for me and 9.5 for herself. So, we don't have 401s but I calculate my own pension fund value at about €.9million based on 4% withdrawal but of course it will diminish to 50% when I die and vice versa. My wife's is about €.7m. We can't access this or make decisions on investment etc.

So, we have to work a few years more, maybe 4 in my case as there is some scope for early retirement. We will still travel but will try to minimise expenses as much as possible in other areas.

Love the MMM site and check everyday. Keep it up.

Irishtache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JoyBlogette on June 05, 2014, 09:23:44 AM
Hi!  I'm Joy.  I am a new mom trying to reach FIRE by age 40.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MikePolo4 on June 05, 2014, 09:31:49 AM
Hi I'm Michael. I am in my mid twenties and have spent my last couple years since graduating college maxing out my Roth 401k and Roth IRA. My goal is to reach FI in my mid 30's and I am currently on track, depending on the number of kids my wife and I decide to have. However, I would like to spend the next 30 years after FI running/rebuilding struggling non-profits.

This forum and blog is a great find. As friends are out squandering their wealth, it is great to have a community of examples of how there is long term benefit in being financially savvy and having self-control over your basic instinct to spend all (or more than) you have.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RunningRad on June 05, 2014, 10:12:29 AM
Hello,
I am Robert and a Rad Runner!
I am 48 and hope to retire in the next 5-7 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ketsia on June 06, 2014, 06:56:48 AM
Hi :) am Ketsia,

Recently discovered MMM - my bf has been tryina get me to read about finance and other "according-to-me-boring-stuff" that didn't particularly hold my interest a month back. I always would secretly turn the idea down and nod, until he mentioned this one. And now I have to say... MY DAY IS INCOMPLETE WITHOUT.

Have always been quite frugal when it comes to buying clothes or accessories, I do not mind wearing the same stuff or so.
On the other hand I have resorted to comfort foods and drinks when happy or sad. Half my salary would go down and I wouldn't know how! So my biggest achievement so far has been cutting down to nil expenses in that respect and I finally can breathe and not live paycheck to paycheck. Feels way better.

Next step is purchase of bikes. I don't own a car... heck don't even have my licence yet! I wouldn't mind biking my way through anyway. If long distance, public transport will do just fine!!

Happy to be here and learn and grow a mustache. ^_^
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: southernhippie on June 06, 2014, 08:48:19 AM
Hi i am Jamie

I am married with one kid on the way due next month.  I have been reading this blog for about 6 months now.  Trying to slowly adapt to the mustachian lifestyle
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugal Father on June 06, 2014, 11:24:29 AM
Hey all. My name is Jeff and my wife and I just graduated from college a year ago and are welcoming our first child towards the end of summer. Like many, we're long-time lurkers of MMM. Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Datastache on June 07, 2014, 12:41:37 PM
Hello, all! Glad I finally got around to registering here - I don't remember how I first stumbled across the MMM site, but I've been a big fan ever since. I suspect my story is quite different from many of yours, as are some of my priorities, but I do have an unabashed love of enjoying a frugal lifestyle. Currently single, in my mid-20s, subsisting on about $20k from a job that brings me deep joy. I don't know whether I'll be able to retire early...but I take pleasure in knowing that my net worth is always climbing, slowly but surely.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Conjou on June 08, 2014, 08:05:24 AM
Greetings, highly favored ones. I am Conjou, a gravel-grinding, bikepacking, simply-living nutcase from the northern plains. Thanks to everyone here for striving to live with purpose and intention!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Catomi on June 09, 2014, 07:45:04 PM
Hi. I'm Catomi. I'm married with two small children, and Other Half and I are gradually working out the logistics of our financial goals, including what we want to teach our kids. With luck and some sweat equity that will include moving somewhere we can grow much of our own food. I can't remember where I first found MMM, but I've been browsing and soaking up ideas for a couple of months now. The idea of early retirement still sounds far fetched (probably partly because I'm on the hook until the littles are independent), but I love the idea of financial independence. And I'm always in favor of badassity.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jordan on June 10, 2014, 10:56:38 AM
Jordan, just turned 27, my wife and I have a one-year old son and plan to have a few more. We live in the Salt Lake City area but are working hard to get back to Boise, ID where we both grew up. No debt, working our way to FI in 15 years or less. Taking a few small risks on real estate to try and expedite the process.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on June 10, 2014, 12:17:47 PM
Jordan, just turned 27, my wife and I have a one-year old son and plan to have a few more. We live in the Salt Lake City area but are working hard to get back to Boise, ID where we both grew up. No debt, working our way to FI in 15 years or less. Taking a few small risks on real estate to try and expedite the process.

Welcome...also, Great Name!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: teeej on June 10, 2014, 04:41:38 PM
Wow.  Many people signing up every day!

I'm Tyler and started reading this blog a couple months ago.  I'm a teacher, partners with a Neurology resident and targeting retirement in 9 years. 

Definitely the biggest challenge right now is communicating different ideas about retirement with my partner.  Her reading the blog is helping...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fastrex on June 10, 2014, 04:45:57 PM
I just came across this site from MW.  So happy to find so many great like minded folks.

I started saving and investing in 1992 at the age of 27. All of the money has been in stock and in index funds when possible. At 49 years old  i am in the home stretch. Just reached $1.1 MM in the 401k and have saved another $300k for college for the two kids (13 and 12 years old).

My dream for over twenty years was to retire early and have every day to be like the first day of summer vacation. I am very fortunate to have a wife that is frugal and does not care about "stuff" just family and friends and things that matter. I am an engineer and a gear head. All the work on my house and my cars is done by me. I bought a small 1300 square foot ranch and completely rebuilt it but kept it the same size.

I really thought i was alone. Its awesome to have found MMM!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eccdogg on June 10, 2014, 06:23:34 PM
Hi long time lurker and decided to register today.  Love the tips on this site and trying to go from Middle Class to Kick Ass.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: socalwkr on June 10, 2014, 08:42:44 PM
Hi everyone!  Been working on eliminating our debt and stumbled upon MMM via getrichslowly that I try to read when I have time.  Two young kids and husband who is a teacher.  Getting close on eliminating most debt besides mortgage and a student loan (1.3%).  Want to be able to work part-time with more flexibility.  One thing I haven't seen a lot of discussion on here is the staggering childcare costs.  We pay about $2k per month (high cola).  Guess we are just kind of screwed that we don't really have family that lives near us. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lyssa on June 11, 2014, 01:34:04 AM
Hi,

another long time lurker, first time poster here.

I'm from Germany, 32 years old, unmarried, living with my partner, no kids so far, working in Biglaw (U.S. firm, German office) and I found MMM through the bogleheads forum. We're aiming to be FI in 5-10 years (mostly depending on if we decide to have kids or not).

Mustachian aspects of our live: a 15 year old Nissan which is going to go within the next weeks and not going to be replaced, living very close to my place of work, 2,5 room apartment, moderate spending habit combined with high income (not quite mustachian yet), no expensive hobbies, no expensive club habit.

Non-mustachian aspects of our live: I'm out for lunch on almost all of my workdays, office attire for me, long commute of my partner (by train, "clown-train-commute"?), amazon (hardcover books and DVDs mostly).

Looking forward to take part in this wonderful place!

L.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ephillipsme on June 11, 2014, 07:47:29 AM
HI,

I just recently found MMM.  Name is Ernie and I'm 44,  We have 2 kids and have lived a non hyper-consumerism lifestyle.  One car payment and only 7 year left on the mortgage with a nice amount in savings and retirement.  But i am looking to up this and be FI by age 50.  Big concern is college for the kids and how to provide for my kids and not saddle them with debt. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sabar on June 11, 2014, 12:02:25 PM
Hi all,

I'm Sabar and I currently reside up here in the great-white-North..  I've browsed the forums discretely for a little while now, applying some concepts but not really being overly serious about things.  30 years old, as is my wife, with one car payment, one car owned outright, and a house that's about a 1/4 of the way paid off.  I now have a young one on the way and it's made me come to the realization that if I get things going in the right direction now, it'll (hopefully) make the dream of FI much more attainable in the future, thereby making our lives that much more comfortable as well!

Sabar
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AssetGrinder on June 11, 2014, 01:02:20 PM
Aloha! You can call me Grinder but not Ass Grinder!

 I am a late 30,s male living in Victoria BC Canada with my wife and two kids. I have been a long time entrepreneur whatever that means. As I get older and wiser I have been hunkering down on my finances and setting forth a plan to preserve  and grow my capital of 2 million. Gone are most of my material pointless possessions as they are restricting me from my own freedom. Been lurking on many forums and sites and figured I should finally sign up. Recently started my own blog at http://asset-grinder.blogspot.ca/ (http://asset-grinder.blogspot.ca/) There I blog about my portfolio investments, expenses, net worth, dividend growth stocks and a few random things. I one day want to conquer the world but I am not in a rush right now.

My unconventional life story which involves hard labor, drug dealing, tragedy, real estate , stocks and drama is too long too put here so here is a link to it http://asset-grinder.blogspot.ca/2014/06/my-investment-and-life-story-proper.html (http://asset-grinder.blogspot.ca/2014/06/my-investment-and-life-story-proper.html)

Anyways I am happy to be here on this great positive forum and I am looking to positively add to its great base of people and information.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: msangi on June 11, 2014, 02:33:19 PM
Hi, I'm Mario. I am a 27 years old Italian guy. I moved to London this January and I'd like to try to find a way to improve the way I manage my money and get inspired by your achievements
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: daveydinner on June 11, 2014, 03:29:37 PM
Hi I'm Dave,

I'm 29 and work at a goovy bicycle manufacturer, but don't get paid much. Just discovered MMM, but have been living a very low key lifestyle with my wife since college. We both bike to work (and I work in the industry so don't spend much), make our food and diligently save. There is still a lot to learn here though!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TexasAggie on June 11, 2014, 06:54:04 PM
Hey everybody,

I'm 48.  My wife is 47.  We've been married 21 years.  Three kids.  I've got a good job but too little time freedom.  A friend told me about MMM a couple of weeks ago.  Three days ago I made the mistake of listening to a podcast and reading the blog.  My life will never be the same.  Neither will my wife's.  We're already planning our 5-year plan to exit the rat race.  I only wish I had known about this years earlier.

We already had done some things right and made some good choices before we found MMM, but this is about to get really interesting.  I've already quit using the toll road on my commute to and from work, minimizing how much gas I burn on the commute, brownbagging it to work, canceling stuff like Hulu that I don't care that much about, cutting out the daily Starbucks and brewing my coffee at home, and selling our RV on ebay.  That's just after three days!

I'm looking forward to meeting you all and learning as much as I can.

TexasAggie
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Middlesbrough on June 11, 2014, 10:14:02 PM
I am a recent graduate from college as a engineer. I would say I have been a relatively frugal person trying to minimize debt. I have student loan debt, but that is all. I rent in "the bad neighborhood" so I am able to walk to work. I really was modeling my lifestyle to be more European after an internship there over the summer.

I have been following the the mustache for only a short time, but had most of the principles before finding out a name for it. I still own a clown car, buy weekly cups of coffee, and eat out way too often. I had the idea about early retirement, but didn't have a lot of support on the mechanics and math behind it (note all the horrible retirement calculators out there). I have realized I was just trying to grow my financial mustache (because I definitely can't grow a real one!) and attempt badassity.

Since finding this site, it has provided learning opportunities, liked minded folks, and motivation to save in new ways.

I get harassed by my boss who can't figure out where I spend most of my money (spoiler, I don't). I have a early 2000's car that I only put about 5k miles per year on (trips to the parents and vacation), live in "the bad neighborhood", and don't have a huge house already on the 30 year plan.

I am just happy to have found some support because I am running out of ways to explain my lifestyle. Now that I type that, I already feel better!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ethernet on June 11, 2014, 11:33:02 PM
Hey all,

17 year old, working a summer job at walmart. Currently saving 50% of my income, hoping to get out of the required working world as soon as possible.

Nice to find a group of seemingly like-minded people.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on June 12, 2014, 07:36:41 AM
I've already quit using the toll road on my commute to and from work, minimizing how much gas I burn on the commute, brownbagging it to work, canceling stuff like Hulu that I don't care that much about, cutting out the daily Starbucks and brewing my coffee at home, and selling our RV on ebay.  That's just after three days!

Wow--awesome changes in a really short time!!  You will really enjoy seeing the results in your investment accounts!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WorkingToBeFIREd on June 12, 2014, 08:30:29 AM
Greetings MMMers...after reading all the blog posts from the beginning (and self-administering a large amount of face punches), I thought it was time to register and share ideas with like-minded Mustachians.  I still have a lot of areas to improve, and looking forward to input and feedback from more senior members.  As a first start, I dragged our bicycles out of the basement, tuned them up, and have been using them for as many short in-town trips as I can get away with...forgot how much fun riding a bike can be!

I've probably got a few more years before I can pull the pin, and we've got my wife planned on a four year trajectory....being FIRE'd at the age of 45 and 43 respectively sounds good about now, and we're both of the mindset we need to play good offense and defense over the next few years to make it happen.

Anyway, hi to all, and look forward to learning more on my path to becoming a Mustachian Jedi.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on June 12, 2014, 09:19:36 AM
[...]
I rent in "the bad neighborhood" so I am able to walk to work.
[...]

Awesome perspective. I feel the same way about my neighborhood.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JodyGirl on June 12, 2014, 11:40:04 AM
Hi.  I'm Jody and I just joined today. I'm 51 and a recently divorced single mom.  As is common, our marriage ended over money troubles among other things.  I'm eager to learn about money matters and especially to learn about making up for lost time.  I have lots of questions!  We live in Minnesota for now.  I have two sons, 11 and 15.  We just purchased some high quality used bikes and we are psyched about that!  I think our bike purchase says a lot about how I view money matters.   I don't like throwing good money after bad.  I'll spend more where it counts and if can help me save elsewhere (bikes are for pleasure and practical uses) and scrimp where it matters less to me---we buy thrift store clothing and household items all the time and still manage to look like we live in this decade!  One very bad oscar habit is eating out.  Gotta work on that one! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on June 12, 2014, 11:58:32 AM
Welcome JodyGirl!

If you track your spending for a couple of months, seeing what you spend on the eating out habit might be eye-opening.  In any case, I have found tracking my spending to be fun--and quite informative!

Have fun with the bikes!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: laterbloomer on June 12, 2014, 12:42:22 PM
Hi, I live in Canada, I'm 48 and like my nic says, I'm a laterbloomer on this money management stuff. I just found this site last week and am really enjoying it. I'm single with 2 teenage foster daughters. I need to enhance my retirement plans. I'm past the RE stage but I don't mind that so much, I love my job. Anyway, that's all I can think of right now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: skellig on June 13, 2014, 10:14:52 AM
Hi there. I live in MN, USA and am a long-time lurker.

I've been a saver, but not always frugal. When I got a full time position, I wanted to pay down my college debt ASAP. My priorities have definitely changed and I am glad of it.

I might post a case study and ask for feedback from other mustachians as to how I can continuously improve.

I want to go back to school and have a large 'stach of rent money to live off of. I'm focused right now on building that up by working an additional two part-time jobs to build it much quicker.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Heta on June 13, 2014, 08:12:09 PM
Hi.  I'm Heta.  I live in Alberta, Canada.  I was a debt-free home owner with two infants by age 36.  Things went a bit sideways after that, but now that kids are adults, and we have careers we love (self-employed) we're looking at semi-retiring in 2 years.  Meaning, we'll work minimal hours to keep ourselves entertained and to fund our foolish spending.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AndThen on June 13, 2014, 09:37:08 PM
Hello all. Started off reading the ERE blog in 2011. Then MMM once Jacob stopped posting new articles. I'm 27, male, live near NYC, and will be FI to a bare bone budget by the end of this year. I plan to keep working for another year or two then figure out what's next. Still haven't settled on my "and then" yet. Full time RV, motorcycle camping, or traveling? Time will tell.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: princesabeiby on June 14, 2014, 11:33:53 AM
Hey there, I'm Denise and became frugal (cheap to my children) following a divorce and being unemployed for two years.  It's amazing what you can get by on money-wise when you have to do it.  I play games with myself pretending I don't have a good job or only have the cash in my wallet to make it through the week now.  People think I'm weird.  But, I now have two homes (one rented), 25 acres of land, an old car, and an RV that we will move into in about a year - woohoo!  Debt-free.  Can't wait to learn more from the people here - I'm scared of Wall Street and tend to see real estate as more tangible and more able to control.  Distorted thinking, I know. Have a great weekend!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tcast5000 on June 14, 2014, 11:49:16 PM
Hi Im Tcast and I just recently found out about Mr. Money Mustache a week ago and I am in love with this blog.  I am still a student at the university studying religious studies.  For a long time I didn't know what to study until I took a philosophy class and fell in love with it.  I've spent a lot of time improving my character and now being $30,000 in debt in student loans later its time to focus on money.  I am almost 30 and had a lot of setbacks along the way in my student career, including dealing with bipolar disorder.  I know I started late, really late in saving money and virtually have no savings and only a job that is on call but I am here to learn, look for more/better paying work, and looking to kill these loans that I have within 2 years.  Then afterwards to start saving like crazy.

After being out of work for 3 years due to my mental illness I found a job that I enjoy and just have been working for about 1 year.  It doesnt pay much just 12 an hour on call working with kids at various elementary schools but it is really rewarding.  I want to work with disabled kids in particular blind kids and am currently looking into different schools that teach how to work with blind people. I dont want to take out any more student loans though. I want my work to be rewarding and something I would do for free even if I got payed a lot of money for it.  I love frugality and always considered that my way in life and felt that it was the best way to live life for me.

 Im in a bind with this 30,000 in debt and I still have one more year of school to go, I dont have to start paying until one year from now. Dont have many major expenses, no kids, not married, own a used car which I dont drive much, had to move back in my parents due to my mental illness, I'm learning how to grow my own food, finding the value in hard work, I dont like to spend money, I dont get coffee at starbucks, dont drink, dont smoke, rides an exercise bike for exercise and occasionally spend money on a movie here or there, and I want freedom.   If there are any suggestions I am open to it. Please help me out.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: khatmandu on June 16, 2014, 07:07:10 AM
Hi you can call me Khat, I've been lurking around the website and forum for a few months. Really great place and some very inspirational stories, thanks for all the tips.

Few things about me.
I live in Monaco, possibly the least Mustachian place on this planet. Everything is extremely expensive especially housing.

We are living in a 300 sqft basement apartment with no natural light and it still costs 1650 USD/month... and believe me when I say that this is the cheapest apartment in the area. But one of the positive of Monaco is that there is zero income tax although we still have to pay about 14% social security contributions.

Anyway thought I'd say hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: acnwtb on June 16, 2014, 09:31:04 AM
Hi, I'm acnwtb! I need help with my money management skills, but I'm slowing figuring it out. My husband and I are making small changes that will hopefully add up. We're in our late 20's and don't want to work forever!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dmoon on June 16, 2014, 04:01:59 PM
Hello.   My name is Darren.  My wife and I are green mustachians and eager learners of 'the many ways'....
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: carrytrader on June 16, 2014, 05:53:36 PM
Hey ya'll.

27 from Boston. Looks to be a great place to hangout and learn to be frugal!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Doomspark on June 17, 2014, 08:37:04 AM
G'day!

I'm Doomspark and I'm terrible at managing money (that's why I'm here). 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Upstart_Juggler on June 17, 2014, 12:36:24 PM
Evening all.

I'm 49 and have been mortgage-free for 6 years, and free of any other debt for some time before that. I'm currently managing to save around 55% of my net salary into a company pension and my own SIPP (Self Invested Pension Plan), and I just wish that MMM had existed when I joined my firm's scheme almost 20 years ago, because I might have done things differently.

Anyway, I can't touch the pensions until I'm 55, but if I stay employed and saving at the current rate, and if this government or the next one doesn't cut the pension tax relief for 40% tax payers, then I should just about have enough to be free of work, or at least to have a lot more choice about where I work, and how much.

The reason I started looking at PF websites, and came across MMM, was the recent announcement of the rule change so that pensions will no longer have to be used to buy an annuity, which kind of focuses the mind once you realise how your options are suddenly improved by income drawdown. That may make sense to other UK readers, if not to anyone else.

I shall mostly be lurking!

Upstart Juggler
in Hampshire
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: malacca on June 17, 2014, 10:21:08 PM
Hi, I am Dan. I have been sober for 6 months..

Ooops, wrong forum for that.

I am Dan. I have been FI since I turned 40. I worked globally for 20 years. Now have young kids (late starter). Lived all over Asia. Recently returned to the US. Feel like a foreigner as I had been gone so long.

Before the financial crash several of us Expats were living in a lower cost Asian country on the ocean and living off Australian dollar interest (7 to 8% back then). One guy had 2 million in Australia - he spent a lot of time flying around in first class. COL for us was nothing - $1000 for wife and me (living very well). We went to "work" in sandals. Work consisted of going to CPA / accountant / lawyer / online investing or counting our money. Life was great.

After the crash interest rates went to near zero. I had real estate and a couple of companies so it didn't dent my income as much. Others had to readjust their lifestyles until rates came up (or spend principle - a sin in our books).

As I have young kids, I moved back to the US a few years ago. I started in the south flipping foreclosures. That ended and I headed to the midwest for the great schools (but crappy weather).

I bought a bunch of rentals with my cash - most doing 2% net. I have some income assets and companies in Asia that still turn a profit here and there. We are spending about 70% of current investment income - which is high as at one point we spent only 10% when I was still working.

We are bent on heading to SoCal. I may actually work again. I love our lifestyle but feel I should pack away another 500K or so be safer. I would have to work 2 or 3 years.

For SoCal we have 380K cash for a house. Probably have to get a mortgage for a while (I know, a basic sin). I don't want to sell any assets as the returns are so good - and taxes on selling so high.

Any advice on SoCal - San Diego in particular - would be appreciated. My kids are in language immersion so I only have two choices for schools in San Diego - Pacific Beach or Lakeside. Lakeside seems like a dump but the school is good. PB or nearby is so expensive.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheDaveLaLonde on June 18, 2014, 05:38:53 AM
Hello,

I'm Dave and I am a minimalist
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SurfTeach on June 19, 2014, 03:47:15 PM
First post after what seems like years lurking. Glad to finally be a part of the community and to start taking my frugality to the next level.

I'm an early 30's surfer living and teaching in Japan. Have about 150K stached at the moment and looking to really ramp that up over the next few years before cutting back to (very) part-time work sometime just after my 35th birthday.

Rent is cheap ($230), car gets good milage (need the car to surf and access 7+ schools each week), no cable, and I do most of my own cooking. Budget items that I plan to cut are booze (probably spend as much as my rent at the moment- not good), and some more out of the food budget. I will also try not to buy anymore surfboards (currently have over a dozen), but no promises....

Welcome to all of the other newbies- let's make this happen!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mikaelus on June 19, 2014, 07:33:03 PM
Hi,

I'm a semi-retired artist in his early thirties.

I've managed to save enough so that 4% of my saving would cover my necessities (around $6K p.a.), but I'd like to increase my saving so I could have a bit more luxury (around $8K - $10K p.a. would be perfect). I continue to work on a part time/freelance basis so I can save a bit more, and because I'm now in a position to only take work that interests me.

I live in a nice house in Footscray (a suburb of Melbourne) in Australia.

I was a long time reader of ERE, but have since been getting into MMM. I'm finding the forums very inspiring.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frugalccino on June 21, 2014, 08:24:17 AM
Hi!

Nice to meet everyone :)

My husband and I live near philly and have 3 boys ages 5, 3 and 5 months.  We really enjoy this blog and it has opened our eyes as to how seriously we've been mismanaging our money.  I feel really silly now for driving our SUV up to starbucks (which is within easy walking distance) and sitting in the drive thru line to get my daily coffee.  Now I walk up there twice a month and buy a bag of coffee to make my own lattes at home.

We've had to endure a year of self-imposed financial hardship recently.  We moved up to PA wildly optimistic that our house in TN would sell quickly, but it took 9 months.  So it was sitting empty for 9 months while we paid for both that house and our temporary apartment (plus utilities for both, OUCH!).  We pulled in about 100k last year (my husband works full-time and I work as a part-time freelance web designer) but we were barely making ends meet.  Often we had to put groceries on credit.

Now that the house has sold we are getting back on track.  We took a hard look at our debt and we've drawn up a plan to pay it all (30k in student loans, 10k in credit cards, 6k in car loans) in the next 3 years.  I really never realized before how terrible our debt it.  We were making the minimum monthly payments on my student loans but had made barely any progress in 7 years! 

PA overall is a great move for us.   Our family has a farm nearby so we bought a freezer to put meat and produce from the farm in.  Everything where we live is very close, so we don't have to drive very far.  We downsized from 2 cars to 1 and haven't looked back. Our family also has a beach house nearby so vacations only cost a tank of gas.  Lastly, we both work from home so there are no commuting costs.  There may still be hope for us yet! :) We are ready to DESTROY OUR DEBT!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: climbingthemountain on June 21, 2014, 01:17:54 PM
Hello everyone! My name's Nick. I'm 29 and living in Boston.

I grew up moving around a lot, which I think drove me towards minimalism and a desire for self-sufficiency. I found the Mustachian ethos naturally appealing when I discovered it shortly after finishing college, while I was educating myself on the ins and outs of figuring out my retirement plan. Now I'm aiming for early retirement in hopefully 8-10 years, while also trying to convince my gf of two years to hop on the bandwagon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NorCal on June 21, 2014, 08:51:58 PM
I'm Brian, and I've been a strong believer of frugality and financial independence for years.  We're making good progress towards our goal, but can always do better.

I'm currently a resident of the time-space-money vortex that is Silicon Valley, which creates both interesting money opportunities and challenges.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lutra on June 22, 2014, 07:29:01 AM
Good morning to the forum!

I'll be 30 in a couple of months, live in a small community in upstate NY, who generally lives and comes in under budget every year on a teacher salary.  My goal is simply to never spend more than I make, and keep a smile on my face all the while. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Peregrin on June 23, 2014, 02:52:49 PM
Hey there!  I've been reading MMM for a while now and wanted to perhaps get some feedback on my own situation.  I'll post the details in the "Ask a Mustachian" forum, but here's the gist of it:  I'm 41, divorced, single mother of four including one with special needs (the youngest) who is unlikely to be able to live independently as an adult.  I read MMM and think, "boy, that'd be nice, but how on earth could I make it happen?????"  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: canuckie on June 23, 2014, 04:09:33 PM
Hi, I'm canuckie from Canada. I'm 25 and I've always been fairly frugal. My journey to MMM started when I began perusing PF blogs with the goal of finding advice and motivation to help my partner pay off his student loans. With a lot of hard work from him and encouragement from me, he paid off the whole $30k in 8 months.

His debt has been paid off for months now, but I continued to go down the rabbit hole of PF blogs and eventually came upon MMM. I have found my tribe.

Also, after 3 years of being to scared to ride in traffic, I am officially a bicycle commuter. MMM gave me the little push I needed!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: so.mpls on June 24, 2014, 08:55:28 AM
Hi all!  I recently found MMM and am excited to be a part of the forum! 

I'm 25, recently married, and living in the paradise that is Minneapolis, MN.  My wife and I recently paid off our student loans, opened a Vanguard account and will be maxing out our Roths for the first time this year, which is a great feeling!!! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: germaine on June 24, 2014, 06:17:24 PM
Greetings! Very (very, very) new to this world. This forum was linked from a Dave Ramsey forum.  On my own in the Midwest.  I look forward to learning a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JodyGirl on June 24, 2014, 08:19:34 PM
Thanks.  We are having fun with the bikes and I will track my eating out spending!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OptimizeOptimism on June 25, 2014, 05:29:49 PM
Hi all! I've been reading MMM for a little over a month now (made it through the backlog! Woo!). I feel like without even knowing that there were communities out there like this I still had an eye toward the FI goal for a while. My dad actually retired in his late 40s (not so early around here but earlier than anyone else I knew) and I've spent the last few years joking that I wanted to grow up to be just like him. It was a joke because at the time I thought that he just had some magic brain thing that made him good with money. This blog has taught me that that "magic thing" is really having a frugal, optimistic and optimizing mindset... all 3 of which I seem to have picked up on. Turns out, I really am growing up to be my dad!

So, I'm excited to continue learning new tricks from everyone. I've never really been a forum contributer before but I'm going to try to do more than just lurk here. lol

In other news, today was Bike to Work day and I took it as a sign that I needed to finally take the plunge into bicycle commuting. I have to admit that I probably spent more time looking up tips to beginning cyclists today (to make my ride back a little better) than actually working and my sitbones are sore from the ride in but I'm excited about tackling my ride home and developing a new good habit!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: neighbor on June 26, 2014, 04:21:36 AM
Hi!
I'm neighbor, though I doubt I'm your neighbor as I'm currently living in Germany. Heading to California soon and in preparation for crazy transition spending I've been over-dosing on MMM and the YNAB forum in an attempt to make the best of the situation.

I work from home part time and need to practice better focusing skills so I'll try to limit my browsing/posting - so, in advance, thanks for all the advice and suggestions and input made available for those of us trying to better our lives. I really appreciate it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ProfWinkie on June 26, 2014, 05:50:31 AM
HEY GUYS:

I teach and specialize in computer security. Just got hired to a new job and moving.

Looking forward to learning more Mustachian ways.

See you around.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: b1gm1ke11 on June 29, 2014, 12:35:48 AM
Hello I'm Mike, 32, from Houston!

Planning to reach FI in about 10 years. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ketziah on June 30, 2014, 06:33:20 AM
Hi all! I'm 32 and live in the Midwest. I'm currently in the process of reducing my student loan debt emergency.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Handsome Matt on June 30, 2014, 07:30:11 AM
Hi,

My name's Matt. A friend said that the home improvement stories on the Mr Money Mustache blog reminded her of my fiance and I. Read the blog, liked what was being said, didn't like the lack of specifics so I thought I'd join and see what other people are doing.

Looking forward to financial independence.

-Matt
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wanderlusting on July 01, 2014, 06:14:11 AM
Hey Everyone!

I'm a 25 year old currently working on attacking my student loan debt emergency. I'm working to be debt free in a couple years by aggressive savings, stoicism, and a side hustle here and there. I love travel and travel writing, and I plan on doing a lot of traveling once I become FI in about 10 years I hope!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Magclaw on July 01, 2014, 11:53:16 AM
Hi,
Posted this in the wrong place but moved my post here now.

Long time reader, new poster. I have been trying to grow my mustache and have utilized alot of info on here, so I thought I would introduce myself and become a more active participant.
I have been heavily trying to recruit my friends into this blog but have had limited success.

The biggest two things I have utilized from this blog besides spending less, is contributing to my 401k (which I had never contributed to before), and 2nd, reducing my $1200/month grocery bill to about $640/month (2 adults/1 baby, diapers and baby food is a killer plus wife is on a gluten free diet)

I have begun tracking my assets on excel and realize I am worth alot less than I would like. We are two working adults with a baby in daycare, but besides daycare we spend very little outside of our grocery bill & mortgage.

Anyways I am very glad to join this community.

Magclaw
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ynari on July 01, 2014, 02:49:02 PM
I AM SO EXCITE!

I found MMM just a few months ago.  Previously I was a pretty mathy person and occasionally read Get Rich Slowly but I'm finding MMM SO much more my speed.  I love it. 

21 in Chicago with a relatively well-paying cubicle internship (to turn into a job next January - graduating early to save money and also because school isn't my thing.)  I live cheaply (for the city - my individual monthly food and rent budget is under $750, and I bike everywhere) but without compromise (circus classes aren't exactly cheap...  but I consider them a personal investment).  MMM is more about preventing me from accumulating bad habits than healing past wounds, as I have been lucky enough to graduate virtually debt free thanks to my father and grandparents.

Without lifestyle changes, I would be able to hit FI in 7-8 years.  With planned changes, it'll be closer to 5.  The boy and I are already planning our tiny house!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PineapplePrincess on July 02, 2014, 04:53:46 AM
Hey everyone!

I'm 22 and live in the Chicagoland area. I've always been fairly smart with my money and I had a couple thousand dollars saved up in my bank account. A couple of months ago, I quit my job and have since been unemployed. I live across the street from a mall so I cured my boredom by going shopping nearly everyday. Most of my money is now gone. For what? Purses and shoes and clothes. I'm not happy with myself at all. I'm always so good about not spending unless I need it or at least waiting for sales/clearance/whatever. I really can't believe I blew my money like that. I'm so upset with myself. Thankfully I'm still in a position where I live rent-free and virtually bill-free. I have no debt, good credit so far. I want to build up my bank account to what it was, keep saving and building, learn to be even more frugal with my money, and just create better habits in general that will stick for my future self. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gomo on July 02, 2014, 09:51:38 AM
Hi everyone,

I have been reading MMM for a little over a year now. It was refreshing to find someone that thought the same way I did. I am 39 and DW is 36, we are a couple of DINK's living in Ohio. We are debt free still living in our starter home that we bought in 1999 and paid off in 2007. We always were and are quite frugal, we lived on my DW's check and used mine for vacations, taxes and invested the rest. Our savings rate was about 70%, easier to do without payments of any kind. Most people thought we were crazy because we invest so much, they always said you need to buy some stuff. I always replied, "We are buying stuff, we are buying our freedom."

I have been retired for two years now, my goal was to call it a day when our dividends were twice our expenses, that did not happen as planned. I was an engineer for 17 years before being downsized in July 2012. I thought , "well s**t, a little over a year away from my goal then this happens." But then a funny thing happened, my expenses started going down:
Lunches - $120 Mo
Gym Membership through work - $32.5 Mo
Fuel - $180 Mo
City Tax - $83 ( I worked in a different city than I live in and my local does not give credit for tax paid for other cities)
Fed Est Tax Payments - $370 Mo ( For dividends ) Since I don't work anymore we dropped to the 15% bracket and qualified div's are taxed at 0% there. I did not realize this until I met with our accountant the following week, he made me quite happy! MMM should write an article called "The true cost of working". Not sure if he already has or not.

So, right there dropped our monthly expenses $785 per month and with a couple dividend raises in August we met our goal of 2X coverage the following month. I know we were already FI, but I like a little safety factor.

I was not aware of the ways to access money from the 401K, so I put in up to the match and the majority in our brokerage account. All I knew at the time is that I wanted complete control of our investments. We are currently at an 85/15 split. I paid a butt load in taxes along the way. Looking back I probably would have done things differently, but I can't complain how things have worked out.

DW plans on working 3 more years, that would give her 20 years and you get a couple of pretty good perks after the 20 mark. I tell her that we are pretty well set and she can stop anytime she would like, but she has her mind made up.

Well that's our story, glad to be here.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wiggam007 on July 02, 2014, 10:10:48 AM
Hello!

I have been an off and on reader of MMM for a couple of years.  As far as cults go, I am much more in the J.Money camp!  But I decided to sign up because I am definitely going to be having some difficult times ahead.  A few years ago I had gotten out of college with a pretty much worthless degree and some decent student debt, around $25k.  This was right around 2008 and with the degree I got and what I wanted to do I couldn't get a job anywhere.  I started working at a Subway to pay the bills and pretty much lived paycheck to paycheck.  During this time I was pretty frugal, although not as much as I could have been.  I managed to pay all the bills, including the payments on my debt, while renting out a single room.  Well, after four years of doing this I thought I would like to do something different and better with my life so I decided to apply to law school.  I got in and moved to go there.  I am just starting my third year now and graduation/employment is on the horizon.  However, I have accumulated a massive debt now, about to roll into 6 figures and have no for sure employment after graduation.  I am working a part time job right now, but I am anticipating the face punch this debt is about to throw me as soon as I get out of school and so I need to start planning and trying to be frugal now to save me some money as well as increasing my working time so that I can decrease my loans this last year.  I also need to start planning for after school and what I am going to do.

Anyway, that is my story.  I mainly joined the forum after seeing the challenges section so expect to see me hanging out there a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Doneanddone14 on July 02, 2014, 04:09:35 PM
Hi Guys,

My name is Steve and I live in South Florida.

I must admit that I just found this forum a few days ago. I follow a few forums during the days and I followed a link to this site. What a great find.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on July 02, 2014, 05:35:50 PM
Hi Guys,

My name is Steve and I live in South Florida.

I must admit that I just found this forum a few days ago. I follow a few forums during the days and I followed a link to this site. What a great find.

Welcome!! This will be a journey for sure. It might just even change your life. Where'd you get linked from?

Hello!

I have been an off and on reader of MMM for a couple of years.  As far as cults go, I am much more in the J.Money camp!  But I decided to sign up because I am definitely going to be having some difficult times ahead.  A few years ago I had gotten out of college with a pretty much worthless degree and some decent student debt, around $25k.  This was right around 2008 and with the degree I got and what I wanted to do I couldn't get a job anywhere.  I started working at a Subway to pay the bills and pretty much lived paycheck to paycheck.  During this time I was pretty frugal, although not as much as I could have been.  I managed to pay all the bills, including the payments on my debt, while renting out a single room.  Well, after four years of doing this I thought I would like to do something different and better with my life so I decided to apply to law school.  I got in and moved to go there.  I am just starting my third year now and graduation/employment is on the horizon.  However, I have accumulated a massive debt now, about to roll into 6 figures and have no for sure employment after graduation.  I am working a part time job right now, but I am anticipating the face punch this debt is about to throw me as soon as I get out of school and so I need to start planning and trying to be frugal now to save me some money as well as increasing my working time so that I can decrease my loans this last year.  I also need to start planning for after school and what I am going to do.

Anyway, that is my story.  I mainly joined the forum after seeing the challenges section so expect to see me hanging out there a lot!

Sorry to hear about the debt. At least you found us. Look forward to seeing you in the Gauntlet!!! I handle the monthly biking challenges, along with a couple of other fun stuff. It's gonna be fun.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PatrickJ on July 03, 2014, 11:35:10 AM
Hi I'm Patrick. I have been reading MMM and just discovered the forum. I love in the suburbs of Baltimore MD with my wife and 6 month old daughter
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: laurievan on July 03, 2014, 06:41:31 PM
Hi I'm Laurie from Saskatchewan (SK), Canada.  The last couple days I have been reading MMM's blog every spare minute I have.  So thankful I came across his blog in a google search. 

My husband and I plan on semi-retiring in 5 years time.  Live 6 months in Mexico like a local and 6 months in SK and work full-time when in SK. 

Our mortgage is due to be paid off in 7 years but we are doubling payments and a yearly lump sum to have it paid in 3 years or less.  We are now a one car couple as we were for 23 of 27 years of married life. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DrJohn on July 03, 2014, 11:24:00 PM
Hi,
I'm a Brit/American.  Born in the UK, spent a while in Texas and now in the Middle East as an Expat.  Some nice ideas here- been lurking around and now it's time to join in...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zopersel on July 04, 2014, 03:23:36 PM
Hi, my name is Zoe, I'm 26 and I live in Luxembourg (that tiny country between France, Belgium and Germany for those who don't know).

I discovered MMM about a month ago, after having followed a link from David Cain's blog Raptitude, and was instantly hooked despite years of mindless consumerist conformism. Reading about saving through badassity has resonated on a deep level and made me feel like there is a whole side to life I've been missing. I was already in the middle of turning my life around (taking up running, losing weight, etc.) and this was just the icing on the cake: how to reach my goals much much sooner than anticipated, and freeing myself from the crippling worry of having to do the same job I currently do for an indefinite number of years.

Only two months ago I was trailing miserably behind the "by the time I'm 65, retirement age will have been pushed up to 75" wagon, dragging my feet with a sour taste of having been somewhat cheated by society along the way. Well yes of course, but not in the way I imagined I'd been cheated. And so now I find myself wincing when someone (as one of my colleagues did today) says something like "happy sales weekend!". My brain goes "Sales? Pah. That would be fine if I actually needed something, but why should I go buy something I fundamentally don't need even if it is a bit cheaper."

Sorry about the rant (half British, appologies are second nature), but reading MMM makes me feel very enthusiastic but also very alone sometimes (two colleagues of mine had this kind of reaction when I showed them MMM: "Well I like some of the ideas but it's not very realistic. I don't want to deprive myself of everything...") and so I can't help sharing a bit.

My conclusion is that while it did make me feel horridly uncomfortable for about 10 seconds, I'm glad MMM made me write down the cold hard figures of our household finances and realise that the interest we are paying on my husband's student loan is just ridiculous. I look forward to getting rid of that nonsense in about a year's time, instead of the 10-15 years we'd deluded ourselves into thinking were normal, and then saving up for a house also much earlier than anticipated.

Thanks you Mr Money Mustache, for helping me grow that first bit of money stubble. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rekon on July 04, 2014, 05:43:56 PM
Hi,

My name is Jim.  I've been reading this forum for quite some time and look forward to become part of the community.   I'm 26 and I just got out of debt.  Now it's on to living frugal and investing! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheAndes on July 04, 2014, 08:35:18 PM
I am a long time reader of MMM's blog, and also a long time lurker in the forum. I've decided it's time to contribute to the forum. I work as an optician, and my husband is in marketing. I used to work as a tailor, and have a degree in design. The design degree is actually what lead me here when I realized my $30,000 in student loans were just sitting there, costing me about $4 per day in interest, and I still had to pay the principal on top of that. I started in February 2014 paying down my loans, and they sit at $11,743 today. We have put every spare dollar into this debt emergency, and hope to have them gone by November 2014. We do of course save for retirement through our work and also our own Roth IRAs. After this we will only have mortgage debt, and I feel like that will be when the real fun can begin on our journey to FI. Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RenaissanceGal on July 05, 2014, 09:36:33 PM
Hi all!

I've been reading MMM and lurking on here for quite a while now, so I figured it was well past time for me to actually get on and participate. I'm 26, college grad with an English Lit degree, currently finishing up a 1-year English teaching contract in Taiwan. My big challenge is to balance my desire to pay of student loans and save with my travel/adventure addiction. Teaching abroad is a decent solution for now--I can travel and make/save money (not a lot, but a significant amount). Still, I'll be on the lookout for new ways to increase my badassity!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EarlyRetirementGuy on July 06, 2014, 10:07:02 AM
Long time lurker, first time poster. Just started on this journey towards early retirement and hopefully I can share my journey with you all :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BobToday on July 06, 2014, 12:24:43 PM
Hi, I am Bob from the Netherlands.
Have been following MMM for quite a while now and decided it is time to take more action. 
I live together with my girlfriend and our five months old son. I tried to convince my spouse step by step just as is being explained in mr M's post (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/22/selling-the-dream-how-to-make-your-spouse-love-frugality/ (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/22/selling-the-dream-how-to-make-your-spouse-love-frugality/))
She likes the idea a lot, so we are looking at ways that bring us forwards in our early retirement ambitions. Currently we are still far from our goal, but rough calculations show that it should be possible before we turn 40. That's 9 years from now.
I am going to follow the forum more to share ideas and I am particularly interested in The Investor Alley, as that is a topic where I have to learn more about.

Looking forward to share ideas with you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dgadletour on July 06, 2014, 01:25:26 PM
Hello, my username indicates what kind of bicycle I ride. I just purchased a 1974 Scwhinn Le Tour. Classic baby blue and rides oh so smooth. Anyway, I'm beginning my foray into serious mustachianism after piddling with its tenets for some time now. I just purchased a road bike this month in addition to signing up for Republic and cut Verizon off today. I am also going to be severing the cable line from Comcast (as soon as I am done writing this post) and am planning on getting serious about this whole being financially independent thing. I'm 28, a public elementary school teacher and am married to a beautiful 27 year old public elementary teacher as well. We make our home in a suburb of Atlanta, GA and are a bikeable/walkable distance from everything we like to do (town square arts events and concerts, as well as being a .5 mile from the grocery store). We are privileged to live as if we are retired for 8 weeks every year in the summer. :) A small community of friends of mine have passed around this blog for some time now and we all seem to be committed. Anyway, I hope this online community will help in terms of keeping me and Mrs. Le Tour motivated and to not repeat our sins of consumerism.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Al1961 on July 06, 2014, 03:51:03 PM
Hi. I found this community last week after following a link from the Bogleheads forum.

Back in May I decided it was time to take a thorough inventory of where our finances were at and discovered, after adding in the commuted value of my pension, that FIRE was within reach! After double checking my math (about 100 times!) I put in my notice.

I'm retiring at the end of July, age 53. DW asserts that she will continue to work for another 4 years, at which time she will have a fully indexed pension equivalent to 60% of her salary.

We've tried to be fiscally prudent. We're not really all that frugal, but we do live below our means. Our savings rate (including pension plan savings and mortgage principal reduction in the calculation) has averaged 53% of our take-home since at least the beginning of 2011. We buy what we need, and a bits of what we want - but we think about it first.

Since putting in my notice, my whole outlook on life has changed. It's amazing how liberating the realization that you don't have to be a wage slave for another decade or so is.

I'm glad to be joining those of you who have already FIREd, and wish those of you still working on it all the best. Now it's time to work on improving on my badassity.

Al

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dd564 on July 06, 2014, 04:15:37 PM
Been lurking.

I'm 42 (almost) and trying to get my way to early retirement or financial independence.
Have a net worth that increased from 500k to 600k in the last year.  About 40% of that net worth is housing and rental house related with what I feel are pretty conservative estimates.  (Doesn't matter much as we're not selling either for quite some time).

Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frizzywhiskers on July 06, 2014, 05:09:36 PM
Hi there!

Long time lurker here, coming out to say hi!  I am proud to be Canadian and am working hard at building my stache!

Focus number one - paying off a mega mortgage.  Homes in Alberta are not cheap! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JCfire on July 07, 2014, 11:09:50 AM
For those of you who have made it here to page 30 of the welcome thread, my name is JC and I'm starting to flex my FIRE muscles just a bit. 

I recently turned 30, and I spent much of my 20s working my way into a nice income in an interesting line of work.  Last year I stretched my budget to buy the house of my dreams, just one mile from work in my hometown, trying to outrace home price and mortgage rate increases in this economic recovery.  Now I live in a house I hope to keep for 20 years or longer with my wonderful wife and baby daughter, and I've shifted my financial focus to achieving financial independence.

Here's to making progress down that road together!

-- JC
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hdatontodo on July 07, 2014, 12:03:33 PM
Hi from Baltimore County, MD

I'm in my mid-50's and trying to get my mortage paid off in 5 years instead of 10 in case I get bumped from the computer industry and have a hard time re-entering due to age discrimination, skill set, etc.

I sold my $10K Honda Goldwing and bought a motorcycle that cost 1/2 that to increase my emergency savings. Since I work at home, I listed our 2nd car, a 2012 Mustang, for sale, although I have no takers thus far. It will take $25K to knock a chunk of the mortgage off (about a year's worth) and I'm trying to come up with that.

Thanks for the great website.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on July 07, 2014, 08:14:08 PM
For those of you who have made it here to page 30 of the welcome thread, my name is JC and I'm starting to flex my FIRE muscles just a bit. 

I recently turned 30, and I spent much of my 20s working my way into a nice income in an interesting line of work.  Last year I stretched my budget to buy the house of my dreams, just one mile from work in my hometown, trying to outrace home price and mortgage rate increases in this economic recovery.  Now I live in a house I hope to keep for 20 years or longer with my wonderful wife and baby daughter, and I've shifted my financial focus to achieving financial independence.

Here's to making progress down that road together!

-- JC

Welcome, JC!!  I just commented on one of your posts in a different thread.  You have been making some great progress already!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Juju on July 08, 2014, 05:17:03 AM
Hi everyone,

Another long time lurker here finally getting around to signing up!  My partner introduced me to the site quite a while back and I had that typical epiphany moment that so many others describe.

 I was lucky to have grown up in a frugal household where debt was a bad word, but never really thought about money myself as long as it was available.  As a poor student I had a great group of friends who were all in the same boat, so we lived in a happy state of frugality.  After graduating and working for a few years lifestyle inflation started to kick in.  I'd never had so much money to play with, and more arrived every two weeks!  So slowly spending increased.  I clearly remember having thoughts along the lines of 'oh, all of my workmates spend X on Y, it must be the right thing to do when you reach this phase of life!'  After all, with a nice combined income that covered the mortgage easily, why not enjoy the leftover cash?  What else can you do with money?  We were already doing much better with our spending than many of our peers so life was sweet.

Then my partner started reading up on finances a bit more and playing around with numbers and introduced me to the blog and the concepts of ER and FI. 
I felt like such an idiot.
Why had early retirement never even occured to me as a possiblity?!  I enjoy my job most of the time, but after seven solid years of it, the idea of not having to work was a dream I fuelled with the odd lottery ticket.  The dream of being able to visit family for extended holidays, to travel, to acually have time to sort out the garden and paint the house and spend time on my hobbies.  When I realised that all of this was a truly achievable goal I was filled with a strange feeling of relief.  Suddenly all of the habbits of being a poor student started to kick in again.

So we are now on our way :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mfanma on July 09, 2014, 04:47:57 AM
Hi,

I just discovered this site and the forums last week and am furiously trying to make my way through all the blog postings and recent forum posts. 

I've been dreaming about an early retirement for several years and started to dial back spending but don't have a concrete plan in place yet.  I'm looking forward to learning from everyone!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bert The Turtle on July 09, 2014, 08:13:42 AM
Hello Everyone!

I've been reading MMM for about a year now but only recently started venturing into the forums as a lurker.  I figured I'd go ahead and post and introduction just in case I wanted to start replying to some of the various threads.  I'm 34, work as a chemical/manufacturing engineer, and live with my scientist fiance in rural/upstate NY (if I said the name of the town, you'd probably be able to guess the company we work for).  We're both pretty frugal and have started to really focus on saving/investing for FIRE in the past 6 months or so.  No debt aside from a mortgage (15yr fixed @ 3.5%) and I'd say we're both saving at around a 50% savings rate.  We've got a dog and a cat in a smallish house (~1500 ft2), no cable, no A/C, and two paid off cars which get decent MPG.  We carpool the 5 miles to work (DF can't bike due to knee problems) and typically make 95% of our meals at home from scratch, though we'll go out to dinner or drinks with friends every other week or so.  Also, we'll sometimes hit up Chipotle on a Friday evening if we're leaving for a road trip or pick up a Sunday evening pizza on the way back from backpacking/camping.

I can't say we've really got a concrete timeline for retirement yet, but I think we've got the M3 mindset down pretty well.  There's always room to improve our badassity of course (we're nowhere near ERE Jacob levels and I doubt we ever will be), but I'd guess we're better than 90-95% of most households in terms of reduced consumption, saving levels, and net worth for our age bracket.  I look forward to conversing with y'all!

Cheers!
--Joe
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NoraLenderbee on July 09, 2014, 02:24:47 PM
Hello! I'm introducing myself after already making a few posts.

I was introduced to the blog some months ago by a friend, but I just found the forums. I'm 51, married, with a house and no kids. I've been living below my means for a long time, so the mustachian idea is not new to me. However, I never thought in terms of early retirement. I make low six figures and have a stash larger than most of the posters here (larger than most of the posters who have disclosed their stash, at least). We have no debt except a mortgage. We have 3 vehicles, the newest of which is 17 years old. We grow a lot of our own vegetables and some fruit, make bread, rarely eat out, and so on, although we also have some places where we spend a lot. We bicycle a lot.

 We live in an expensive part of the US. Living below our means allows us to have a comfortable life on one income, which means we are both less stressed out than the typical two-earner family. My husband works part-time for low wages. He spends the balance of his time being the homemaker and doing his (non-remunerative) hobbies.We have FU money and we're on track for a comfortable retirement at the normal age.

ER is really not in the picture because of my age. However, reading here is helping me to rethink my assumptions about working until 65 or 67, and about how big the stash really has to be before we're FI. I'm also at a point in life where I want to live more consciously and make the most of the years ahead, since I'm old enough to know how fast they will pass. (I "knew" when I was younger, but after my mid-40s I began to really *feel* it differently.) I doubt my lifestyle will change much--but I am definitely getting a new perspective. 

I really enjoy reading everyone's different stories and journeys. I don't enjoy the MMM blog so much because a lot of it is old wine in new bottles to me, and I personally don't care for the "badass" tone. But it is great to see the different ways people apply it to their lives.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Aussie Brad on July 09, 2014, 06:34:30 PM
Hello all!

I am a bona fide moustachian! Since pre-moustachian days. In Melbourne, Australia but from Sydney.

Anyone else here from Australia?

Um...I too have some debt! But they're all positively geared with the income from the assets exceeding the interest and the repayments!

I'm an avid share investor (stocks to yanks), I consider myself a 'value' investor (which I would define as "not a technical/chartist type trader"). I like the style of Peter Lynch, Michael Burry and Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger.

I am here look for some mustachians because just about everyone I know is an antimustachian!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheHouseStache on July 10, 2014, 12:48:03 PM
Hello everyone!  I wanted to introduce myself.  I'm a fairly long-time reader of both the forum and the blog, but finally decided to actually make an account.  I'm a real estate agent by trade, and am in the process of overhauling my finances.  I figured this would be a good place to start.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ignore-rant on July 10, 2014, 04:17:34 PM
Yo.  I'm just a 28-year old dude based in Houston, TX with little to no financial savvy.  Somehow I'm debt-free because I'm blessed with being innately frugal with spurts of splurging.  Need an education in personal financing so I can enjoy my time on this planet without making money my sole objective and concern.
How do I accumulate this green and make it work for me?  I hope this place answers that question. 

Time to raid the forums for information.  I look forward to receiving and potentially sharing advice during my time here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheNorwegianGuy on July 11, 2014, 03:04:14 AM
Hello everyone! :)

I am a 26 year old (single) man from the city of Bergen in Norway. I have always been frugal and quit minimalistic when it comes to materialistic things (I can not remember the last time I really "wanted" something I did not need). But I am surrounded by friends, collegues and family that do not exactly share my frugality (My parents have bought 2 new cars every 2 year and my mom has about 120 pairs of shoes!!!), so finally I am home with likeminded people! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ltt on July 11, 2014, 07:24:51 AM
Hi all,

I recently joined this forum; am a stay-at-home mom and husband is in engineering; four children.  Have always been interested in saving since I was young, although am not exactly frugal.  Would like to be more frugal and would like for my husband to retire in the next five years.  We are kind of waiting to see what's going to happen with the health insurance situation here in the U.S.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalFisherman10 on July 11, 2014, 10:15:41 AM
Hey, I'm mike. I work in accounting/IT in the Southeast US and am still within my first year of work. Crazy time to be thinking about retirement right!? But really, I've just always found money and personal finance interesting, and it gets more interesting the more I learn.  I basically just want to plan well and learn alot.

The thing that sticks out to me most here in the MMMworld is the anti-materialistic "keep it simple" idea because I identify with it so much- so it's been great to see so many people writing and living with that mindset. And understanding that we're not depriving ourselves of anything, we're actually enabling more in your life by not tying your happiness/satisfaction to obtaining things. That's TRUTH Brother MMM!

The thing that has been most shocking to me I guess is that by spending very little, it can actually make a real difference from a financial aspect in the long term too. It's taking one of the biggest factors of achieving financial independence and putting it in your hands, as opposed to just hoping for above average returns and "good luck."

Those are some of my observations so far. I'm looking forward to reading, learning and sharing more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sir Salty on July 11, 2014, 08:13:45 PM
Hi, I'm new to the forums.

Glad to be part of such an inspiring community.  So many here are way more badass than I am.  But we've started turning things around, and are now saving a good bit of our income and headed to an early retirement one day!

33 now, and hope to be financially independent in several years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: otherbarry on July 11, 2014, 10:00:10 PM
On the tail end of a pretty lucrative internship (since Spring 2013) and realized:

a) commuting absolutely sucks
b) I didn't have much money to show for it (thanks fast food and beer)

Anyway my research into an escape from that kind of lifestyle led me here. Already plan on opening and maxing out my Roth for this year.

Let's get busy!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DJP1 on July 12, 2014, 01:53:01 PM
Hi MMM Community.

My name is Doug and I've been following this site for approximately one year. It has helped my wife and I tremendously. We're both 26. I work as a mechanical engineer and she works as an assistant manager at a skincare company.

After reading through many of the articles I decided it was time to join the forums to ask and answer specific questions.

Here's to more Badassity through working together. Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jb_in_DC on July 13, 2014, 07:24:19 AM
Hello,
I'm Jeremy, from Washington, D.C.  I first came to MMM after reading a profile about him in the Washington Post, and I've only just registered for the forums to participate in some of the conversations about real estate investing.  Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: phasee on July 13, 2014, 08:31:59 AM
Hello,

Just joined the forum, been reading the blog from the beginning  whenever I get the chance for a couple of weeks now (started the 2012 posts recently).

Wish I had found this blog 2 years ago!

Living in London, UK at the moment. Will be moving to Canada (ottawa) in September. Just reading up on investing and savings before I move.

Looking forward to becoming a fully fledged mustachian
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: winstonsmith on July 14, 2014, 12:34:55 PM
Hi All,

I have been reading MMM for a few months now, and working towards being the most badass version of myself possible.

Just ditched my phone ($100/mo with AT&T) and rode my bike to work today! It's a scorcher out here in Northern Nevada today, but a fun/sweaty ride nonetheless.

I plan to grow a thick and luscious mustache in the days to come (may need some MMM advice along the way).

Best,

winston
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Todd on July 14, 2014, 03:40:15 PM
Hello,

My name is Todd and I've recently moved my family (wife, child & dogs) to Southeastern WA state.

We've only found MMM about 90 days ago, but I have been trying to absorb the posts & understand more of the Mustachian ways.

Thanks,

Todd
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsRichLife on July 14, 2014, 08:55:06 PM
Hi,

I discovered MMM last week and it's like an absolute breath of fresh air here.

I'm 37, with a husband and 2 year old son. I decided at 22 that I wanted to retire early and set the goal of being retired by 40. People laughed then, but despite a few ups and downs along the way, I'm happy to say that I'm on track to achieve this goal.

My husband has already 'retired' and is staying home to look after our son. He has a couple of hobbies which bring in a little bit of cash, but are mostly to keep his brain stimulated after spending long periods of time with a toddler. :)

I am currently completing a Masters by Research and am loving it. Unfortunately I have to go back to a real job in the new year, but it comes with a promotion and a significant pay rise. I'm going to stick it out for a couple more years and use that time to save an extra $100K-$150K. Perhaps the biggest benefit to staying that bit longer is that it adds significantly to my superannuation (Over $200K) so if (when) I eventually get access to that, it will be worth a few extra years of work now.

In the last year, my husband and I have really struggled with what our next steps might look like since we've achieved the goals we've set over the last 10 years. No one that we know is even close to retiring and even our parents are struggling to achieve this apparently elusive goal. I'm so happy to have come across this community and already feel inspired to set that concrete of goal of resigning before (or on!) my 40th Birthday.

Glad to be here.

MRL
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: babesummy on July 15, 2014, 05:22:19 PM
Hello,

I discovered mmm this year. I am 33 and I hope to retire at 40. I am from Nigeria but currently live in Norway.

Summybabe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EarlyQuit on July 16, 2014, 06:13:01 PM
Hi all!

I have been reading and re-reading the MMM blog for almost a year now (found it through Lifehacker.com), and finally decided it was time to join the forum as well.

Here is a little about myself. I have very recently become a U.S. immigrant through employment, but I have lived in the U.S. under various non-immigrant statuses for more than a decade. I am currently in my mid-30s. Not married, no kids, in a relationship. My goal is to reach FI by age 40, or sooner. I grew up with many Mustachian-like habits, but stupid mistakes were made along the way as well...

The most important thing the MMM blog gave me is courage. Courage to take my money out of savings accounts and invest in mutual funds for higher returns. Courage to substantially decrease my emergency cash cushion and put that money to work. Courage to set challenging goals and follow through.

I look forward to learning, sharing, and exponentially increasing my badassity quotient :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Coop on July 16, 2014, 09:11:36 PM
Hey everyone,

I discovered MMM a few weeks ago and have been reading and re-reading a number of posts. I've even got my better half in on it and we've already started to purge on some of the fluff. . . like ditching the iphones immediately and switching to $10 wireless republic plans. In fact, I already took advantage of the referral link thread.

Glad to be here. Looking forward to interacting with you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mr_mustash on July 17, 2014, 02:37:53 AM
Greetings all!

I discovered MMM a few weeks ago and immediately realized that having a money mustache was exactly inline with my life's goals. I had always wanted to retire by the time that I was fifty, but now I'm aiming for returning at thirty seven. I'm still relatively young, twenty four, so this seems easily doable to me.

I was already an almost mustachian since I was saving around 40% of my income. I've already started to change my spending habits (mostly eating out and buying the latest tech gadget) so I hope that I'm off to a good start.

Cheers,
Mustash

PS: I've been using the name mr_mustash for the last 11 years (see my reddit profile (http://www.reddit.com/user/mr_mustash)) so hopefully it won't cause too much confusion!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: philby85 on July 17, 2014, 10:10:31 PM
안녕하세요

I'm an aussie currently living in South Korea. In Australia I was an Engineer... but I met a pretty Korean girl, quit my job, and moved to Korea to teach English. We got married last year. All being well we will move back to Australia in 2015. I can't wait!

I am 30 years old at the moment. Provided we can both get a decent jobs in Australia, we are planning to retire at 40.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: riverrat on July 18, 2014, 11:32:58 AM
Hello,
    My name is Kevin.  I have been reading this forum for over a year...and just now decided to sign up and log in and say hello.   My wife and I live in Ohio.  No debt, other than our home, but no substantial amount of savings either.  Been putting money into a retirement account for ten years.  I am 37...and have a dream of leaving stressful work behind at 50.  Nice to meet you all.   Looking forward to learning more so I can get closer to achieving my goal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RelaxedGal on July 18, 2014, 02:13:56 PM
I live in along 495 in Massachusetts - the outer suburbs of Boston.  House, 2 cars, husband and 1 kid.  On a mustachian scale of 1 to 15, I'm about a 4.  We're working more toward FU money than FIRE.  Our initial goal was FIRE by 40 and move back home to Michigan, figuring there are no jobs there so we'd have to be independently wealthy.  Now we're 36, and realizing we like the cushy lifestyle, we like the work, and being near family doesn't have as much of a draw.

Reading Mr Money Mustache is helping me challenge my assumptions, dream a little, play with the "What If"s. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Greystache on July 19, 2014, 08:42:13 PM
Hi, I'm Chris from SoCal. My FIRE date is Jan. 2nd 2015. The plan is coming together nicely. I qualify for a modest pension, pay off the mortgage, and my youngest graduates all in Dec. of this year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sparrow13 on July 20, 2014, 02:25:09 AM
Hello! 

I am a 20 year old student who hopes to retire ASAP in order to focus more on writing what I want to write (instead of what my potential future bosses expect me to) as well as just have the freedom that comes from "retirement."  While the blogs themselves are certainly helping me figure out how to be frugal in the upcoming years in order to reach that goal, I am here to try and figure out how to apply that advice to someone with a significantly different lifestyle from Mr. MMM and his family.  Especially since math is not my strong suit and I may need to ask occasionally if I'm just calculating everything incorrectly XD 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sammybiker on July 20, 2014, 07:56:55 AM
I'm Sam.  Been a lurker here for a good bit.  Looking to join in on the real estate discussions and add value.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mikepm711 on July 21, 2014, 10:44:28 AM
Hello All,

I'm Mike. I found MMM through an interview he did in the Washington Post. I have read all the posts from the beginning, and hope to implement enough of his advice to retire before I am 50. I am in my early 40's now, naturally frugal but not a good planner, and I like DIY projects. I haven't ridden a bike in over 20 years, but do take the bus to work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coope01s on July 21, 2014, 12:31:51 PM
Hello Everyone,

I'm Sam - currently working as a chemical engineer in Houston, TX.  I'm 24 now and plan on being retired by 35 with 'stash of $1MM. I look forward to your input in helping me achieve my financial goals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Blany on July 22, 2014, 07:39:09 AM
Long time lurker, made to leap to the forum.  I have learned alot and hope to contribute this community.

Blany
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wannasave on July 22, 2014, 08:12:24 AM
Hello mustachians of the world!!

Any Spanish mustachians out there?

I've discovered MMM a couple months ago after a rough financial time and I've been reading the archives non-stop starting from the first post.

A bit about me: I'm living in Barcelona, Spain, but I'm originally from Venezuela. While this is still comparatively one of the richest regions of the world (Western Europe), with a solid currency and a strong culture of saving (Catalonia has been home to most of Spanish industries and capital, and is now an important hub for IT companies), the challenges a mustachian faces here are different from the ultra-consumerism in the U.S. Namely: A not-so-free economy, lower salaries, larger tax retention, did I mention lower salaries?


My current net worth is: Zero. I've been saving for the past 3 months on an intern's salary and have managed to save 200€/month from my 900€/month salary (no tax deduction yet). My next financial goals are: 1) To have a 1.000€ "emergency fund" 2) to have 4.200 € to cover for 6 months expenses in a savings account, 3) To get the minimum 3.000€ to invest in an index fund and start growing my 'Stash.

For this, I can expect to make: 900€/month for the next 6 months and, after this, probably 1.300 €/month for the first year. It would take me 1 1/2 years to open my Index fund. Spain is just recently recovering from the economic crisis, so I'm still not sure what I can expect to make here after the next 1 1/2 years, or if I'd be better off moving to another European country. I'll be 28 years old pretty soon, which means I won't be starting to grow my stash until I'm 30.


The positive aspects:

- I have no debt
- I have a University degree and a Master's degree
- I'm about to finish my 1st year of work experience
-  I'm an avid reader and a keen learner. I work in an exciting start-up with professional expansion possibilities and adding to my career value. I'm constantly learning new skills and making professional contacts, though this is still to start making actual money for me.
- My girlfriend has her own business which is construction-related so we have advantages if we wanted to enter the Real Estate market.
- My girlfriend is a good saver, though we still need to have "The talk" and start saving more aggressively,

The not-so-positive aspects:

- For the time being I'm forced to keep working as an intern due to visa procedures (it's like fighting a battle with one arm tied to your back).
- Very little savings.
- Had a few setbacks which made start working and saving a bit late.


Wow that was long! If you read this far I appreciate you taking the time.

I want to meet mustachians to share our goals and motivate each other, especially in Europe/Spain so we can share tips about Old-continent Mustachianism. Feel free to get in touch with me.

Best,

Luis
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wannasave on July 22, 2014, 08:15:45 AM
Hi Michael, Silvie,


Great to see you guys are in Barcelona. I've been living here for the past 5 years, though I'm also from abroad. Let me know if you'd like to meet up.


Best,
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wess on July 23, 2014, 08:56:29 AM
Hi everyone!

I'm Wess, 26 years old and one week debt-free! I paid off the last chunk of my student debt after reading the first two months of the MMM blog, now working on making some goals. I want to stop working as soon as possible and start volunteering as much as I can. I make about 27k a year right now as a full-time nanny and part time coach--hoping to save as much as possible from now on.

LOVE the mustache blog and LOVE this forum! Keep it up, y'all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: castoriehandley93 on July 23, 2014, 11:15:26 PM
Hi. Im Castor. Newbie. Loves to eat and run and read and hike and swim and sleep and hibernate.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frostee on July 24, 2014, 12:21:46 AM
Hello All,

I've been reading MMM for a few months now.  I'm 30 years old and live in Seattle, WA (but hope to return to N. Utah where I am from originally in the next couple years).  I am a structural engineer at a large aerospace company.  I have no debt and a small, but quickly growing, stache.
Title: Hi from Thailand
Post by: billybaht on July 24, 2014, 03:07:26 AM
Sawasdee krab! (Hello)

I ERd at 49 and moved to Thailand in 2002. I haven't owned a car since retiring but I have had a couple of motorbikes and really enjoyed touring around the country, especially the north :)

I lead a simple lifestyle but pretty much do what I want. The greatest thing about retirement is that your time is finally your own and you can engage in the activities that interest you :)

Catch you later,

Billy



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: snickers on July 24, 2014, 08:31:29 AM
Hello everyone.   Another new dude.   50yrs old, and pretty disgusted with my money management skills, so here I am to fix that.   

Snickers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kansas Beachbum on July 24, 2014, 10:27:11 AM
Morning everyone.  Been reading for about 6 months.  Love it!  Mrs. KBB and I share a frugal streak, which is nice, and a vision of not working at a big company much longer.  We are early 50's with 3 kids (27, 22 & 16)...only the youngest one still at home full time.  I think we're in pretty good shape thanks to fairly nice incomes and a savings rate of ~40% currently.  We're at $1.2M in invested savings, another $150K equity in our home, no debt (except for mortgage), so...as our adivisor put it at our last meeting, we are "The Millionaires Next Door" :-)  I struggle with how to transition from the working, accumulation stage to the distribution stage...how to turn the nest egg in to an income stream.  A lot of it is in deferred accounts (401K's, IRA's) so we can't tap it for a few years, but plan to quit the corporate rat race when the youngest graduates from High School in 2 years, downsize & pay cash for a house somewhere that has better beaches than Kansas.  Cheers all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Richie Poor on July 24, 2014, 12:29:40 PM
Hello.

I'm from Dallas and working on FIRE. About 10% there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: laughingmanzero on July 24, 2014, 02:37:56 PM
Hi, new here, finished reading about a third of the blog, plan to continue learning all of the great things here. 25 years old, have horrible spending habits, can't wait to fix them for good and stop letting my money control me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalTravelGal on July 24, 2014, 08:50:36 PM
Hello, fellow Mustachians!  I first read about MMM a few months ago on a DISNEY message board  (Budget  Board  thread about early retirement) - of all places! I am married, have 3  adult children, and I love to travel.

 I have been interested in "simple living" since my college days in the 70s, but it was a lot easier to live that way when I was  a poor student! We have lived on one income since my oldest child was born almost 30 years ago, and I homeschooled my children. However, "affluenza"  crept in over the years as  my husband's income grew, and now we have a fairly large  house full of "stuff"!  My husband plans to retire at the end of this year at age 55, and we want  to downsize to a smaller home in a less expensive state in a few years.

I love MMM's blogs, and I have been trying to read all of them. Although I  don't plan to start riding a bike around town, I have been trying to cut way back on unnecessary driving trips. One day I even walked to the nearest grocery store when all I needed to buy were hamburger buns! It took me 29 minutes each way, and in the back of my mind I wished I had a bike available for that trip!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Happy in CA on July 27, 2014, 12:27:17 AM
I started reading the blog last month. 

I retired in 2010 at 54 with a pension.  DH retired a year later at 50.  We both have pensions and no kids.  We always lived within our means and saved a lot of money, but spent (wasted) a lot of money also.  Last year we bought a beach house. We are fixing it up a bit and plan to move there when it's done.  Then we may sell our current house or rent it out - we aren't decided yet.

I am very attracted to the philosophical aspects of mustachianism.  I love my life because it allows me to run and bike and spend a lot of time outdoors, but I would also like to stop wasting money, get rid of my crap, and find new adventures to pursue in retirement.  I also want to make sure that DH and I will be ok if the pensions were to disappear or lose significant value because of inflation, and to do that we really need to get back to saving a big chunk of our income.

The young people in the MMM community are very impressive, far more so than most of my baby boomer colleagues who seem to never, ever have enough stuff.  I am learning daily by reading the blog posts and forum.  Keep up the good work!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scrnplyr on July 27, 2014, 01:43:24 AM
Hello my name is scrnplyr and I'm a frugaholic...
I don't pay retail
I buy in bulk
I fix everything myself
I workout constantly
I bike up a lot of hills
And my garden kicks ass

I am a frugaholic
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shitzmagee on July 27, 2014, 05:43:03 PM
Hi, my name is SM and I'm a mustachaholic...I've been following MMM since the article in the Post.

I'm 29 and married with a 2 y/o. I've been in the military for 7 years. I graduated college with no debt and then quickly buried myself under a mountain of it. I woke up one day and realized my debt was an emergency and spent the next few years destroying it. I've been debt free for about 3 years and it is glorious! But I continued to waste my money rather than save/invest it until about a year ago.

Now all I think about is growing and managing my stache and increasing my savings rate (currently about 40%). I've synced up my FI date with my military retirement in 2027 and will be able to live very comfortably there after.

I love to talk about how to lower expenses. I need motivation to be more active and spend less time in front of the TV and laptop. My current goals are to start riding my bike to work, downsize to one vehicle, and sell all the crap I've accumulated and don't need. Then I plan to use my next military change of station (in 2016) to completely engineer everyday life around growing my stache as fast as possible.

Thanks MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hank on July 27, 2014, 06:39:06 PM
Hello.  28 and married with one on the way!  I've been in the military for about 5 years now.  My wife and I have student loans from college.  No mortgage.  No credit card debt (recent accomplishment).  Maxing out TSP/Roth TSP in addition to a Roth IRA.  Came across this beauty of a blog and have been a lurker for about 5 months now.  Looking for ways to save, invest and adjust my lifestyle to gain FI.

Cheers!
Hank

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fenicio on July 28, 2014, 03:33:22 AM
Hello! I go by the nickname of Fenicio and have been lurking around here for a year, now, since I'm now living with my SO i decided to make an account and ask for delicious advice.

I'm 27 without debts, started working 2 years ago, since I started debt free and living under the caring wing of my father I've been allowed to save a lot in these 2 years even though my current salary is not so optimal.

What I'm more interested in now is in making my little stash work for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kagrady on July 28, 2014, 07:57:02 PM
Hello,

I've been reading for about a year and ready to step up my commitment.  I am married with 3 kids.  I love the MMM philosophy and I am trying to enchant my family with it.  There's been some accommodation, but the rest of the family is not fully on board.   

We recently sold our nutty too big house and we are moving into a smaller townhouse.  I am looking forward to putting the difference toward real savings and reducing our environmental impact.

It's been frustrating breaking free of the old money ways.  When we put our house on the market we had to put a lot of money into making the house ready to sell.  It feels like in making the big switch there is still pulls at us to spend, spend spend.

I am looking forward to interacting with more folks in the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: breakfast on July 31, 2014, 09:23:50 AM
Considering some friends read this place. Im surprised I hadnt heard about it until now.

Ive dabbled reading some other places which help with spending and investing. But I am quite used to forum layout so I hope to stick around and gain some more tips, tricks and insights.

I had never thought about retiring early, and god knows Im way behind on that one...but overall I think I do ok so far. Would be nice to set up a bit more structure and "force" things to happen a little better.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pennywisemom on July 31, 2014, 02:29:44 PM
Hello, I'm a mom in my 40's. Hubby works I stay at home with our 2 kids. We were doing pretty well until my daughter was diagnosed with cancer and my son with epilepsy and cerebral palsy. My daughter beat cancer and is a survivor! With all the medical for both kids, our savings was wiped out and debt accumulated. But both of our kids are still here and thriving so we are grateful.  We are now digging out financially so I'll be in the challenge section a lot trying to rebuild step by step. Looking forward to moving through the "hair on Fire"  stage and into a more secure position. Hoping for encouragement from like minded folks. :)

-PWM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sneeria on July 31, 2014, 06:45:40 PM
Hi guys,

About to finish up my student loan debt of ~50k after living the least mustachian life possible.  Already read through like 95% of the blog posts and I'm excited to get some things rolling, including signing up for Ting (vs. Sprint!).  I've been honing my free thinking and mindfulness skills so this will be a great exercise of those.  I have a D-BF of 15 years (we've outlasted many of our friends' first marriages, lol), and 2 adorable mini-mustaches that haven't learned what that means yet.  RUDE AWAKENING TIME!!!  :D 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brizna on July 31, 2014, 09:20:08 PM
I'm brizna. I'm 31. I started out living an extremely mustachian life post college but my chosen route to FIRE has been to climb the corporate ladder in an obnoxiously profitable industry (finance). Now I'm not so mustachian but it doesn't matter since the household income is so high.

I'm still deadset on FIRE though and could probably pull it off now if we moved to the midwest. But for now, I'm targeting 40.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rygor on August 01, 2014, 03:54:09 PM
Hi, I'm Ryan aka "Rygor" (of the Hill People).

I just moved to the Denver area a little over a month ago.  I'm 36, married to my beautiful wife, and we about to have our first child.  I work for a large homebuilder that builds right here in CO as well as all over the rest of the country.  My wife no longer works, although she will again after staying home with our child for a couple-few years.

I became obsesses with the Mustachian lifestyle after discovering this blog about 4-5 months ago, and it caused a wholesale change in our lives and in my personal outlook.  I've read every single article in the blog and have been reading the forums for about 2 months.  Sadly, we have a lot of debt to over come before we can start really improving our positive net worth (mostly in the form of a home and student loan debt).  I estimate though that we should still be able to "retire" in 12 years or so (will be tougher with a kid).  That is our goal!  Thanksfully we have some savings built up but right now just enough to have a little cushion.  Right now everything extra is going towards paying off the debt.  After that I can't wait to get started in investing!

Anyway, great community.  Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you and Mr. & Mrs. Money Mustache at a local meet and greet someday!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mhufft920 on August 02, 2014, 10:49:53 AM
I'm Melissa and new to MMM.  Loving the site and articles.  Working my way toward FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thecornercat on August 02, 2014, 11:03:19 AM
I realized I never introduced myself here! I just went from Guest to User yesterday. I started a journal: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/welcome-to-thecornercat's-little-corner-of-the-world/

That has a bit of background about me. Essentially, I want to keep on keeping on with my goals and staying on track and building a good lifestyle. I find this community really supportive and motivating so I want to stay connected. Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mike N. on August 02, 2014, 03:19:44 PM
Just wanted to say 'hello' to the community:

I'm Mike, already 40 years old and from Germany... So you can't call my approach ER anymore :( Found the blog on my path to minimalism and simplicity a few months ago. So I was already enlightened before I read MMM :) But since my turnaround last year I'm saving nearly 50% of my income. But after long years of shameful spending I'm still at the beginning of my way to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Falcon on August 02, 2014, 05:33:46 PM
Have enjoyed reading the intros on this page, what a diverse bunch.

I guess my goals are a bit different to many, in that I am in no rush to retire, as I enjoy my job (director and co-founder of a private company) and the cut and thrust of the capitalist game. I certainly want to ensure I maximise our family net wealth however, so if the day comes and I say "enough!" then we don't have to worry.

As an investor I see value in the thoughts of Bogle, Malkiel, Munger & Buffett.....I've learned of the smoke and mirrors involved in the game of parting investors from their money through experience, so these days I am just playing a long game. I look forward to picking up some mustachian traits :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: David Lurie on August 02, 2014, 08:22:58 PM
Hello.

My wife and I are 26 and live in Texas. We do not have children, but want them someday. I was motivated to join this forum because I am eager to become more mindful of my spending and consumption patterns and save and invest more of our money. I'm not so sure that I want to keep my career forever, so that is the biggest motivator for wanting to get the act together. I'd like to have some security when I get completely fed up so I don't end up languishing forever doing something I don't like.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2ndTimer on August 04, 2014, 09:03:06 AM
Hi:

As you can tell by my name we did this all once before including retiring in our 40's.  Then we were derailed by a major health issue and wound up back in the system in our 50's.  Now that my brain works well enough to add two numbers again I am digging into our finances to make sure we are on track for a "normal" retirement age. 

Have been lurking for a while.  No question about it, this place is an INTJ paradise.

2ndTimer
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nicetry on August 04, 2014, 12:12:17 PM
I joined today. Looking to achieve FI soon.

Sam
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dz1087 on August 04, 2014, 04:40:39 PM
Hello!  Dz here.  I just finished reading the entire blog this week after finding it about three weeks ago!  Been really enjoying learning about the word of badassity and frugal living.  I'm very motivated to start changing my consumerist ways right now. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Missk on August 05, 2014, 10:53:19 AM
Hello! I found this site a few months ago and I take time to visit everyday. Always something fresh and new to read. Thank you all!

I'm 35 years old, married, and have three children (9, 5, and 1). We are a dual income family and we are being killed with daycare expenses. My goal is to be FI in ten years. As far as debt, we have one smallish auto loan (gotta work with the Mr. on this one - baby steps) and a mortgage. I've always been very frugal but I have fallen off the wagon at times (silly coffee habits and fancypants clothes). Right now I am contributing 18% (with hopes to get to 30%) to 401k.

Looking forward to more good reading here on the site and in the forum!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: res on August 05, 2014, 09:06:40 PM
Hi, I have just joined.
I have read the odd block of posts in the main mmm blog over the last few years.
I'm currently 32 and waiting to be a stay at home dad(only 3 weeks to go) and legally can't work for the next five years due to weird visa rules.
My partner and I have just gone from two well paying jobs to one very well paying job. We own 2/5 of a house in our home country that is rented out while we live a rent free expat lifestyle.
We have always thought we would return home mortgage free but I have a strongly growing desire to achieve more than that.  This forum will hopefully be part of that story.

Res     
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JG on August 06, 2014, 02:07:30 PM
Hello everyone,

Been lurking around here a bit and it seems to be a friendly place alright.

I'm 29, living in Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden. If I recall correctly I found MMM after browsing the ERE website and immediately started reading all the MMM articles. For me it really seemed like this guy was on to something :)

In short I've been feely pretty bored lately with a stable job but nothing interesting happening in life. I've always known I did not want to end up in the rat race that most people seem to find themselves in, buying more and more expensive houses, cars and boats. I want to do something else.

Working with computers I've always felt pretty bad at anything practical (home improvement, car maintenance, etc) but lately I've realized that learning practical (currently some gardening, beer brewing and bike maintenance) things really works wonders for the self confidence.

My current plan is to use my high-paying job to increase my stash, which consist largely of index funds, and to move to another part of the country. I have realized that this large city has little potential for someone like me who wants live a simple life. So lately I have been spending part of my looking for jobs and housing.

I'm working to be FI in 10-20 years, but not entirely sure I will retire early if that is possible. I'm probably leaning more towards working less, but we'll see what happens when I get there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jenny1974 on August 06, 2014, 02:40:35 PM
Hello!  Name is Jenny . . . .live near Tulsa, OK.  I'm 40 . . .DH is 48.  We have one child together (12) and DH has two from a previous relationship (16 and 18).  Hoping to have DH retired within the next 6-7 years and myself within 10.  I'm a tax accountant . . . DH is in sales. 

LOVE . . .LOVE . . .LOVE this site.  Been lurking for quite some time but figured now was good a time as any to step up and introduce myself.

Spent a good portion of my life feeling like some oddity because I actually spend wisely and save money . . . and don't use my kids as an excuse to be knee-deep in debt.  Feel like I have met my people!!  Looking forward to learning a little more every day.

Jenny
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JetBlast on August 06, 2014, 05:03:57 PM
Hi everyone!

Decide to join after lurking for about six months. I've always thought a little differently about money than most of my family and coworkers. It's nice to find a place where the subject isn't taboo and people don't look at me funny for not wanting to buy endless amounts of stuff.

DW and I have always been savers and the only debt we have is a mortgage, but slowly we've been making changes based on ideas from both MMM and this forum to build our stache even more quickly.  Looking forward to contributing what I can to the MMM community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Outlier on August 06, 2014, 07:32:32 PM
Hello everyone

The financial honesty and general kindness in this forum is so refreshing I just had to join. I've been working on nailing down my budget and getting some old loans dealt with so I just kinda stumbled here through an internet rabbit hole a few days ago. I wish yall the best and good luck with the mustachianism.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: magickelly on August 06, 2014, 08:10:38 PM
I've been obsessed with this site for a few weeks now, had to sign up when I saw I just missed the Philadelphia meetup. Early 40s female in a high-paying but soul-sucking corporate job with a 'stash of FU money and about 3 years from edging over the border to FI.

I'm the child of a frugal mom and a super cheap tightwad dad so being Mustachian has always come naturally. I've loved watching my 'stash grow from the time I was 10 years old and had a set of little piggy banks as a kid. Relatives would give me money and instead of spending it immediately on candy and crap at the 7-11 like all the other kids, I'd rush home to store it away in the properly colored bank corresponding to the denomination of the bill. Not quite ironing them like MMM but...

I really identify with minimalism/voluntary simplicity and to some degree things like the tiny house movement and off-grid living. But never felt like I fit quite right with those crowds because I'm compelled to save and invest $1M before I move on to a more authentic and natural way of life. I found ERE then MMM last month. This feels like my tribe... my goals are coming into focus. I love this place.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs. Iceland on August 07, 2014, 01:56:34 AM
Hi,

When I was pointed to MMM site it was like finding a secret map that pointed out the way through the field I have been wandering aimlessly all my live!

And now when I am foreigner in a new country (Icelandic in Norway) this site has come one of my best friends :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kecosj on August 07, 2014, 04:32:21 PM
hi everyone,

    i am a spanish guy from canary islands and i have been reading the blog for about a year or so. i find it a great inspiration to realise that some of my frugal thoughts are not alone in this world.


  i hope to join and participate in the forum with some ideas i have, and some traditions that here in spain would seem mustachians in the US, such as the one that a car below 45-50 mpg is a very expensive car to keep.

see you,
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanuckExpat on August 07, 2014, 10:39:22 PM
Kecosj,

Welcome to the forum. If you have some time I think it would be great if you could make a post with your experiences living the frugal life in the Canary Islands. I am very curious about that location , and I am sure others would be as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: olly on August 08, 2014, 05:01:03 PM
Hello! I'm Olly.

I'm 18 and live in the UK. Well, to be precise, I'm on an island called Guernsey which is between England and France - but we're still British and use GBP etc. The cost of living and groceries is a bit more expensive than you can get at the likes of ASDA in England, and the cost of housing is much more expensive - but at the moment I'm still living at home and recently started a paid internship which I'm loving.

I joined MMM as I was recently speaking to a colleague about starting to save money, and he gave me a few suggestions and directed me to this site. I figured that I've got a prime opportunity to learn to save (and save well) whilst I'm still 18, and whilst I don't have credit cards/mortgages to pay for now's a good time to start saving. Currently aiming to save ½ of every payslip but paying off a family holiday too
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BigEasy on August 08, 2014, 07:16:48 PM
Hi...

Found out about you guys on Bogleheads...Hung around there for a while, but some of them are wound a little too tight for my taste. Background...parents survived the real Great Depression and learned a great deal from them about life and finances.

My wife and I are semi retired... All the kids are college educated and on their own. We have no debts and sufficient income to enjoy life on our own terms.

Looking forward to contributing....and meeting you...

Big Easy
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Philosophers_Wrench on August 09, 2014, 06:42:35 PM
Greetings,
I've been reading MMM like crazy for a few months now. A good buddy of mine sent me the link, and I got hooked.

My lovely wife and I are a part of "The Tiny House Movement". We live in a 200 square foot cedar cabin built on a custom trailer frame. We started out on this path to follow a dream while rejecting the gluttonous excess of the normal consumer world. It's been a lot of work, and it's also been rewarding. Our minimalist living approach felt somewhat incomplete until I began to read the gospel according to MMM. Now, we are on the fast track. I actually didn't realize that it was financial independence I was searching for, but once I got a hold of the idea everything clicked.

My wife and I are early 30's, recently married, stable modest income, active in backpacking, biking, climbing, and small scale homesteading.

I'm loving the positive can-do attitude of the MMM forum. It's a breath of fresh air from the usual internet trolls.

I'm looking forward to further education on MMM, as well as adding a bit to the discussion where possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frozzie on August 10, 2014, 03:11:29 AM
Hi,

I'm Hugh, a Frozzie (a frog, born in france 40+ years ago, migrated in Oz in 2003), married with 2 little ones (6 & 4) and living in Sydney on the northern beaches.

I came across MMM while looking for tips on simple living/minimalist. So glad to have found this community !
Still early days (still need to convince the wife) but already working on reducing some bills (health insurance, groceries etc) and probably fixing some mistakes (like the 11l/100km 2001 subaru forester) and the interest only mortgage.
Recently realised that something needed to happen on the mortgage and expenses front to live a better life : 275k mortgage on a 100k income.
Biggest expenses on special school (French program so that the kids can speak to the family back home), childcare for the younger one and 12km commute to the school.

Little mustachian things started a year ago :
- 12 km bike commute ($36 weekly saving)
- lunch from home ($30 weekly saving)

More recently :
- health insurance renegotiation $150 monthly saving

To do:
- mortgage
- superannuation extra contribution
- other investments
- decision to move closer to the school to reduce commute
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bassman on August 10, 2014, 06:15:43 AM
Hey frozzie... Welcome to the forum. I too came to Sydney in 2003, although from the uk, and now have two kids here and loving the Aussie life. May I ask how you negotiated the health insurance down? That sounds like a great saving each month. Also, a 275k mortgage sounds very small for Sydney, well done.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gunny on August 10, 2014, 06:23:07 AM
Hi everybody, I'm Ron.  I'm about four years from ER.  Found this Blog through another ER Blog.  Looks to be some real good info hear.  Look forward to conversing with everyone.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dhw85 on August 10, 2014, 09:22:27 AM
Hi to everybody from England,

I'm Dawn, 29, married with no kids. Debt free, no mortgage on the house, car (or should I say 1984 Honda Acty pick-up truck) bought outright.

We have 2 cats (Lyle & Lucy who are brother and sister), a Bull Mastiff called Honey, 5 fish and two snails.

Loving life, just not loving work. Trying to figure out how hubby can retire when he's 55 (he's currently 53) and wondering if we can manage on just one wage, or, hopefully, one part-time wage. I would love to retire at about 40/45, something like that. Obviously earlier if that were possible.

We don't drink or smoke, most of our money is spent on our Lambretta scooters (again, all paid for) - our main hobby and the reason we met in the first place, and... travelling. We love to explore.

Looking forward to learning from others as I explore this forum. Great to be here!

Dawn x
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frozzie on August 10, 2014, 06:15:27 PM
Hey frozzie... Welcome to the forum. I too came to Sydney in 2003, although from the uk, and now have two kids here and loving the Aussie life. May I ask how you negotiated the health insurance down? That sounds like a great saving each month. Also, a 275k mortgage sounds very small for Sydney, well done.
For the Health Insurance it was just a matter of checking what me and family were actually using and dropping/reducing cover on things we don't/no longer need. Things like hip replacement, pregnancy etc ..
Then using some corporate rebates on health (I work for a healthcare provider so we have some rebates with various funds), HCF reduced my bill by $100. Bupa came back with $150 less and a $200 eftpos gift card ... Still tempted to ditch bupa considering they did nothing for me for 10 years until I decided to leave them.

As for the mortgage, I asked a broker how much I could borrow while repaying what i was considering to be a safe monthly expense (about $2000 or 1/3 of my income as my wife study and do casual work), then worked out what my deposit would need to be (about 40%).
Made the switch in 2009 but switched to interest only with the arrival of baby number 2. To make it somewhat safe, I had stashed $100k on an offset account so I'm effectively renting from the bank at about $700 per month.

What got me thinking recently was that I  would have to pay eventually and the need to probably move closer to the school to avoid unnecessary commute. Only problem, anything up in Killarney Heights and around costs around $1M ... not the kind of mortgage I want.

So currently I'm doing spreadsheets after spreadsheets to check if I could rent out my current place while renting closer to the school with the hope of balancing everything to be debt free within 5 to 10 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bassman on August 10, 2014, 07:11:17 PM
Thanks. I'll do the same and review our cover and get rid of anything we don't need. Last time I did that was 3 years ago.

We are looking to buy at the moment, and are faced with $1m for something in St George area. I refuse to join the rush of fools taking out enormous mortgages and pushing up the prices even though we could. I have MMM to thank for stopping me get carried away in that regard!

Good luck working out those spreadsheets!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PCSailor on August 11, 2014, 01:24:05 AM
Hello All,

My name is Phil, 45, a marine engineer, active investor, and looking for a career change to get me on land and bring more creativity into my life.  Plus a girlfriend who wants a home, garden, dog, cat, and kid.  And not necessarily in that order.

Cheers,
Phil
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AshStash on August 11, 2014, 02:59:43 AM
Hello! I've been reading MMM for about two years now and have lurked on the forums for a year or so. I wish I'd had this site and the whole FIRE concept back in 2011 when I was making some big career decisions! Instead of sticking with my industry and working the extra 7-10 years to FIRE from that point, I went back to do a PhD for a fraction of my old salary. Luckily I'm in the physical sciences so I'm being paid for 3 of the 4 years of my degree (UK system 3 years paid research + 1 year unpaid to finish research and submit a thesis).

It's been a great experience overall but will probably cost me 7 years of FIRE freedom, which no longer feels worth it to me. Hopefully the PhD pay bump and the FIRE strategies I'm learning here will let me grow my 'stash fast enough that I can reduce that time some.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AJT on August 11, 2014, 06:53:35 AM
Hi,

I'm Andy.  I work part-time as a lawyer, and live with my wife in England while she goes to graduate school.  We have a two year old, and a new kid on the way in a few weeks.  Up until three years ago, I save roughly 40% of my full-time income.  Then we moved to England, and I have covered expenses with part-time work for the last three years, but not saved much.  I'm looking to get back into saving, and getting closer to financial independence.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: larmando on August 11, 2014, 10:31:30 AM
Hi!

It's great to join the MMM forum. I've been following the blog for a bit more than a year and find it very interesting and inspirational.
I live in Germany with my wife, we are 32 and 29, and save more than 60% of our income. We are still figuring out how to best invest it around here.

Great to talk to everybody!

AH
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: madame librarian on August 12, 2014, 11:50:32 AM
Hi everyone!

I'm 25, starting as a grad student next month (library studies), living with my boyfriend and 2 cats. We started living Mustachianly about 6 months ago when we were both working corporate jobs. At the time we were able to save about 60% of our income which has gone a long way towards reducing debt that we need to take on in school. 8) Current goal is to make it to graduation with as little debt as possible + maybe even some savings.

Nice to meet you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ecmcn on August 12, 2014, 02:22:44 PM
Hi all -

Been lurking here for a while and thought I'd join more of the discussion, as this whole community/life style/philosophy has really resonated with me and I'd like to become more involved.

I'm 44, in Seattle with my wife and two young kids. We've launched a concerted effort to get our savings and spending in the right balance. We're not too far off the mark, though with Seattle house prices and a desire to live close in so I can bike most places it'll be a while before FIRE.

I love the spirit and intellect of this place. Keep it up!

Eric
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YoungConsultant on August 13, 2014, 04:18:43 PM
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on August 13, 2014, 06:34:55 PM
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stlbrah on August 13, 2014, 08:39:16 PM
I am Jeff.

I came across this forum from an article on marketwatch.

I am a network engineer in the IT field and live in a low cost of living area. I enjoy my work, but I feel that I would enjoy it more if I didn't depend on the paycheck.

I have always been a bad spender, but after I spent money I always felt bad about it. I was kind of brought up with the mindset to work hard and buy nice things with the profits, but I never cared much for the things I bought, and most just created more work for myself (examples: hot tub, german car, modern-fitting clothes that are outgrown easily as a weightlifter). I knew there had to be a better way so I started researching investments. If I had this mindset since I got out of school at 20 years old I don't even want to know how much my net worth would be now, but I still feel fortunate to have got into hardcore saving at 25 (im 26 now rather than 10 or 20 years from now.

My portfolio is basically 17,500/year into 401k which I picked a blend of index funds about 90% stocks and 10% bonds. Mostly s&p 500 index. I have a taxable account too with stock and bond funds, and a reit fund, and  some savings in a high interest savings account which I am holding until a better time to jump into the market w/ it. I also have some equity in my condo which I won't sell for a while.

I'm always looking into new ways to invest and save money so I finally made an account.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dragon on August 13, 2014, 11:10:55 PM
Hi,

I'm Dragon.  I love the idea of retiring early.  My wife doesn't get it.  We have 2 small kids, are in our late 30's.

We have always done a good job of saving (maxed on 401k, Roth); live in a house we can easily afford; drive older cars.  Neither of us grew up with a lot of money.
In the last few years though, as my income has increased, I've allowed our lifestyle to increase: new car, private school, summer camps every week for the kids, 25 cases of good wine in my home, eating out, lots of travel...

I've been reading the blog for 3 weeks now, and we've done the following:
Bought bikes for everyone - I haven't driven my car in the 2 weeks since we got our bikes (80 miles on them so far)
Cut out unnecessary insurance (removed LTD, lowered the term life policy, removed UM auto coverage) - this was 4,000 in annual savings with 2 phone calls.
Going to the Library for books now (Food Rules, The Life you can Save); learning to use Cragslist.

Now we are attacking the discretionary expenses that weren't tracked very well.  I'm trying to spend as little as possible in the month of August (no eating out, no Amazon purchases - just because something looks cool).

I make good money, and based on the first draft of an adjusted budget, I think we can get savings to be 75-80% of income this next 12 months.
With the stash we already have, I think we can be FI in 2 years.

I have a teaching job on the side (online course), so I plan on continuing to do that for a few years.  It's only about 300 hours of work a year, but more than covers our new expense level; so I could let the stash grow untouched for a while.

I'm looking forward to having time to volunteer, spend more time with the kids, sit around and contemplate, read, cook more; travel more (in a frugal way), and maybe become half as handy as MMM.  I'll be glad to have the stress of a job removed.

It's no understatement that this site is going to be life changing for my family and I.

-dragon
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mwstas on August 14, 2014, 04:26:28 AM
Hey folks,

My name is Sam and I hale from the valleys of Wales in the UK. I'm 25, on £16k a year and have about £15k in cash sat in a low interest bank account (soon to be rectified) and I have maybe £18k in student loans. My expenditure is generally very low with my main expense being fuel/car for my 36 mile round commute. My mother is very frugal and both parents are very responsible when it comes to financial dealings and this has definitely rubbed off somewhat!

Now that I do have some spare cash, and after buying a new second hand car, I'm looking to invest the majority of it. I'd like to achieve financial independence as soon as humanly possible as the thought of working in an office for the rest of my life fills me with dread! I've got a few ambitions - such as building a tiny house and buying a few acres of land - but that can wait for now.

Anyway, it's good to be here and, as I'm relatively new to all this, I look forward to reading as many forum posts as I can in an effort to get my FIRE plan established and under way.

Cheers,

Sam
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YoungConsultant on August 14, 2014, 07:51:14 AM
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)

Boy, that's a long story haha. But here it goes:

When I first moved up here I purchased a membership in a co-op that allowed me to live in an apartment for $390/month with gas and water included. In the beginning I was still in training/not traveling so I definitely needed a permanent home since I refused to commute an hour and a half from Toledo, OH. Unfortunately, some of the younger friends of mine that I made after I moved caused the elderly neighbors to complain one too many times about noise and the board of directors at the co-op voted to revoke my membership. I received my equity back but after I moved out in March this year I still had to pay the $390 carry cost per month until June 2, pro-rated. I didn't want to pay for two apartments at once so I moved my stuff into storage and moved in with friends. I actually "moved" three times due to incompatible personalities. as of right now, I am staying with some guys I know on the weekend for free/cheap while I travel Sunday-Friday.

So to answer your question, as of today my home base is "voluntary homelessness" where I live out of the trunk of my car and visit friends on the weekend :)

This month, my monthly "housing" cost has been $81 for my storage unit and I paid for a PO Box for 6 months for mail back in March. I didn't owe my friends rent this particular month because I have had back-to-back trips. Unfortunately, traveling week after week after week is not guaranteed, and my friends don't have hot water, therefore I am looking to buy a house. I would much rather pay $400-500 combined for mortgage, property tax, and home insurance instead of renting a apartment for $600-$800 in the Detroit suburbs. And it will be much nicer than those apartments :)

But you're right about those cost savings. When I had my apartment, all I paid was a little bit of electricity for the refrigerator when I'm gone. Otherwise, I used the cable, wifi, free breakfast, etc at the hotels ;) The lowest electric bill I was able to squeeze out I believe was like $15.

I barely spend any of my meals per diem I receive, and I've turned my old used car into a big profit center by collecting $0.565/mile in reimbursement if I travel by car instead of plane. (when I'm allowed to). and it goes without saying that I collect flyer miles and hotel points. Although I had to use the hotel points occasionally when I didn't have anyone to stay with. The voluntary homelessness idea can be lucrative when the stars align, but after couch surfing for 5 months I'm ready for stability again. Might as well get a small house and build equity.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on August 14, 2014, 09:15:06 AM
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)

Boy, that's a long story haha. But here it goes:

When I first moved up here I purchased a membership in a co-op that allowed me to live in an apartment for $390/month with gas and water included. In the beginning I was still in training/not traveling so I definitely needed a permanent home since I refused to commute an hour and a half from Toledo, OH. Unfortunately, some of the younger friends of mine that I made after I moved caused the elderly neighbors to complain one too many times about noise and the board of directors at the co-op voted to revoke my membership. I received my equity back but after I moved out in March this year I still had to pay the $390 carry cost per month until June 2, pro-rated. I didn't want to pay for two apartments at once so I moved my stuff into storage and moved in with friends. I actually "moved" three times due to incompatible personalities. as of right now, I am staying with some guys I know on the weekend for free/cheap while I travel Sunday-Friday.

So to answer your question, as of today my home base is "voluntary homelessness" where I live out of the trunk of my car and visit friends on the weekend :)

This month, my monthly "housing" cost has been $81 for my storage unit and I paid for a PO Box for 6 months for mail back in March. I didn't owe my friends rent this particular month because I have had back-to-back trips. Unfortunately, traveling week after week after week is not guaranteed, and my friends don't have hot water, therefore I am looking to buy a house. I would much rather pay $400-500 combined for mortgage, property tax, and home insurance instead of renting a apartment for $600-$800 in the Detroit suburbs. And it will be much nicer than those apartments :)

But you're right about those cost savings. When I had my apartment, all I paid was a little bit of electricity for the refrigerator when I'm gone. Otherwise, I used the cable, wifi, free breakfast, etc at the hotels ;) The lowest electric bill I was able to squeeze out I believe was like $15.

I barely spend any of my meals per diem I receive, and I've turned my old used car into a big profit center by collecting $0.565/mile in reimbursement if I travel by car instead of plane. (when I'm allowed to). and it goes without saying that I collect flyer miles and hotel points. Although I had to use the hotel points occasionally when I didn't have anyone to stay with. The voluntary homelessness idea can be lucrative when the stars align, but after couch surfing for 5 months I'm ready for stability again. Might as well get a small house and build equity.

I was hoping it was something like that. Glad to have you here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YoungConsultant on August 14, 2014, 09:27:39 AM
Hey I'm Alex, 23 yr old male, Detroit Metro area, and single. Been lurking and reading the blog for less than a year, but taught to be a saver by my mom :)

I started working as a consultant for a software company based in the area just over one year ago. 70-90% of the time I'm traveling all over the US all expenses paid, which kind of makes this the perfect Mustachian job: low personal expenses + high income = really high % savings rate.

I graduated with my bachelor's degree at 20 years old with no student loan debt at all. The first 2 years of my career weren't the greatest from an income standpoint but this job has accelerated my ER plans big time. I reached $100k net worth on June 15, 2014. Yay!

I figured it was time to stop lurking and actually talk once in while :)

Welcome!! I have to ask what you do as a home base if you are travelling 90% of the time? Methinks there are some awesome savings to be had there. :-)

Boy, that's a long story haha. But here it goes:

When I first moved up here I purchased a membership in a co-op that allowed me to live in an apartment for $390/month with gas and water included. In the beginning I was still in training/not traveling so I definitely needed a permanent home since I refused to commute an hour and a half from Toledo, OH. Unfortunately, some of the younger friends of mine that I made after I moved caused the elderly neighbors to complain one too many times about noise and the board of directors at the co-op voted to revoke my membership. I received my equity back but after I moved out in March this year I still had to pay the $390 carry cost per month until June 2, pro-rated. I didn't want to pay for two apartments at once so I moved my stuff into storage and moved in with friends. I actually "moved" three times due to incompatible personalities. as of right now, I am staying with some guys I know on the weekend for free/cheap while I travel Sunday-Friday.

So to answer your question, as of today my home base is "voluntary homelessness" where I live out of the trunk of my car and visit friends on the weekend :)

This month, my monthly "housing" cost has been $81 for my storage unit and I paid for a PO Box for 6 months for mail back in March. I didn't owe my friends rent this particular month because I have had back-to-back trips. Unfortunately, traveling week after week after week is not guaranteed, and my friends don't have hot water, therefore I am looking to buy a house. I would much rather pay $400-500 combined for mortgage, property tax, and home insurance instead of renting a apartment for $600-$800 in the Detroit suburbs. And it will be much nicer than those apartments :)

But you're right about those cost savings. When I had my apartment, all I paid was a little bit of electricity for the refrigerator when I'm gone. Otherwise, I used the cable, wifi, free breakfast, etc at the hotels ;) The lowest electric bill I was able to squeeze out I believe was like $15.

I barely spend any of my meals per diem I receive, and I've turned my old used car into a big profit center by collecting $0.565/mile in reimbursement if I travel by car instead of plane. (when I'm allowed to). and it goes without saying that I collect flyer miles and hotel points. Although I had to use the hotel points occasionally when I didn't have anyone to stay with. The voluntary homelessness idea can be lucrative when the stars align, but after couch surfing for 5 months I'm ready for stability again. Might as well get a small house and build equity.

I was hoping it was something like that. Glad to have you here.

Thanks! I'm happy to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. Bullion Beard on August 14, 2014, 09:52:27 AM
Hello all, great to be here :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bose on August 14, 2014, 11:36:55 AM
Hi all, I had looked at MMM a couple times in it's younger days, just ran across it again and decided to try buckling down on the finances and badassity in general.
I've been working my way through the blog from the earliest on up... I've made it up to march 2012 so far.

Single income family, 3 kids, started paying for a house last year.
Finances are in check, but I've been trying to reprogram my happiness scale to be based more on frugality than on convenience.

Sweeping through my finances, putting things in order - currently looking for a decent mini fridge on craigslist to curb my eating-out-for-lunch habit.

Trying to figure out how to gracefully win over my wife to finding joy in more frugal ways.
So far she hasn't been keen on reading the blog, she feels too busy.
Any suggestions?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: missj on August 14, 2014, 10:20:48 PM
Hi All. I'm Jacki 33 and make a medium/high salary  with great employer paid benefits
Husband is 39 and self employed. His income fluctuates wildly and he usually gets paid in 2 or 3 big sums per year.  HARD to budget!
Our son is 5 and starts kindergarten in 10 days.  just wrote my last daychare/preschool check!  YEAH!

I've been obsessed with this website for about 24 hours now (though I've always been a saver, budgeter, analyzer, obsesser)

Anyways, I've been saving between 5-20% of my pay since I was 18 with the last several years being in the 20% range.

BUT...I've been lazy and overspending on luxury and convenience items, and I have car loans, and a mortgage.....

got a lot to do but I've already started...

so far in the last 24 hours I've made these changes:

1) cancelled Hulu Plus savings $8 month
2) cancelled Audible.com savings $15 month
3) paid off all my credit cards down to zero from my emergency fund
4) pledged never to carry a credit card balance again

next step: look at moving my investments out of Edward Jones and into Vanguard.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SimpleGuy on August 15, 2014, 01:49:08 PM
Hi, my name is Dennis.  Like many others, I've been lurking for some time now (about 6 months).

I'm 34 years old, single, no kids.  I've always been frugal and already had a decent stash (stache?) before I found MMM.  Up until a year and a half ago the only debt I had was student loans.  Then I had an early mid-life crisis and bought a new Toyota 4Runner.  I thought I was going to do a lot of boondocking to explore Alaska and the West when I moved back to the lower 48.  But I think I was trying to be something I'm not or I liked the idea of exploring more than the reality of it or I just couldn't stand having the huge car loan.  Whatever the reason, I was beginning to regret the purchase when I came across ERE and MMM and that sealed the deal.  I had to get rid of the 4Runner. 

So for the past few months I'd been looking at vehicle options.  I had my eye on a 2012 Scion xD and then a 2007 Ford Focus hatchback.  In the end I bought a bicycle.  During the time I was car shopping, I found a new apartment and was able to cut my commute from 4.5 miles to 800 feet.  Even with my original commute, owning a car was probably unnecessary.  Now that I can walk to work, it would be ludicrous.  I have a hard time justifying spending the money on the car purchase, insurance, repairs, gas, and electricity (block, battery, and oil pan heaters in the winter) for what little I would be using it.  I know cycling in double digit sub-zero temperatures won’t be easy but there are people who do it.  I believe fellow mustachian SisterX’s husband is one such hardy soul.  I just need to stop being a wussypants and keep my eye on the prize – FIRE at 45 (give or take 2-3 years).  So much better than the 62+ I thought I was destined for before I found this website and others like it.     

Next up: sell the 4Runner.   

Thank you all for the information and inspiration.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Piwakawaka on August 15, 2014, 05:01:18 PM
Hello All
My name is Popo la Roux and I am a recent convert to the mustachian way.
Despite being a poor grad student in New Zealand, I am already investing for what I plan to be a 12 year career before FI.
I do not have a car and will not be getting one unless absolutely required
My food bill has plummeted
A day without spending money is a great day for me, and such days are becoming more and more common
Things are going well!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Louis the Cat on August 16, 2014, 09:31:50 PM
Hi, I'm actually Mom to Louis the Cat! My husband and I are in our early 30s and have generally evaded the consumer lifestyle (never had a car loan, among other things). I found the blog about 18 months ago and read the whole thing in a couple of months, then sicced my husband on it. We are now thinking of retiring in the next 10-15 years and both being musicians full time (I already am, sort of). We live in Colorado, about 30-40 minutes from the MMM family with 3 cats, 2 kids, and 1 dog. I will be posting a case study shortly from which I expect some facepunches (not too many, I don't think) and hopefully lots of good ideas about how to proceed from where we are. I love the mindset here and am eager to be a more active participant.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Distshore on August 17, 2014, 01:57:06 PM
Hi,

I'm from a distant shore and now living in NYC.  Husband and I are starting to talk about growing 'staches, though I haven't yet talked him into "downgrading" his flip phone to a Republic smartphone.  Kiddie #1 on the way and we are looking to become quietly, frugally well off without ever letting another soul know about it, and to enjoy our lives, each other and our families; travel lots and make everything we can (clothes excepted; I hate sewing!).  Husband never wants to retire (though desperately looking to change careers to something much lower paid) and I really, really, really want to!

We will keep plodding away working on our investments and being inspired by MMM and you all.
Title: Hello!
Post by: MrSteward on August 18, 2014, 11:52:58 AM
Hi all,

We are from Central California, have been married one year as of yesterday, and my wife and I are both 24 with no children(yet). I finished a 2 year college degree early at the age of 17 and started my career in IT. I now work as the Director of IT at an awesome family owned farming equipment manufacturing company. My wife graduated from Nursing school last spring and works full time as an RN at a hospital. We have managed to pay off her $40,000+ in student loans in just 8 months which is super exciting to us and with inspiration from MMM we intend to up our savings to at least 70% which will allow us to buy a house/duplex next summer with at least 20% down.

We have made a some financial mistakes in the last year such as wasting a lot of money on eating out and other misc non frugal thinking and we also bought a new car which went against my internal logic that said it was a dumb idea... anyways we are here to learn from more frugal individuals so that we can be good stewards of the money and financial stability that we have been blessed with.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: peace99 on August 18, 2014, 02:43:44 PM
Hi All,  Glad i found this site! I'd been reading various financial self help books for years and finally got myself into a position where I can invest. Looking forward to learning lots!
Title: Re: Hello!
Post by: jordanread on August 18, 2014, 03:41:15 PM
Hi all,

We are from Central California, have been married one year as of yesterday, and my wife and I are both 24 with no children(yet). I finished a 2 year college degree early at the age of 17 and started my career in IT. I now work as the Director of IT at an awesome family owned farming equipment manufacturing company. My wife graduated from Nursing school last spring and works full time as an RN at a hospital. We have managed to pay off her $40,000+ in student loans in just 8 months which is super exciting to us and with inspiration from MMM we intend to up our savings to at least 70% which will allow us to buy a house/duplex next summer with at least 20% down.

We have made a some financial mistakes in the last year such as wasting a lot of money on eating out and other misc non frugal thinking and we also bought a new car which went against my internal logic that said it was a dumb idea... anyways we are here to learn from more frugal individuals so that we can be good stewards of the money and financial stability that we have been blessed with.

Happy Anniversary!! You got a hell of an early start. I look forward to following your journey, and seeing what could have been had I not screwed around for so long. :-) Welcome to the forums.

Hi All,  Glad i found this site! I'd been reading various financial self help books for years and finally got myself into a position where I can invest. Looking forward to learning lots!

If investing is your thing, I highly suggest checking out the Investor's Alley section, as well as BogleHeads. Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Brighteyes on August 18, 2014, 05:29:53 PM
Greetings,  I always thought I was frugal, but after reading MMM blog I realize I have a ways to go! I am slowly working my way through the blog and forums.
Here's to the power of the Mustache to change my financial life :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeninco on August 18, 2014, 08:06:18 PM
Hi! I've been lurking for a while, but I finally registered here to respond in the housecleaning thread… DH and I, in our late 40's, live with two boys and two cats in the yuppy-ified town just to the west of the MMM-family. We generally like it: we're in a very, very bike-friendly location, our kids don't need to be driven much and we're in easy walking or biking distance from amenities. Our neighbors are rather thrifty, and it's nice to be surrounded by some similar-minded folks. Other than the biking and a general displeasure for shopping we're not "super-mustachian", but having fun figuring out how we can further optimize our expenses to get the maximum pleasure jolt for our bucks! Many, many thanks to IPDaily for the Ting recommendations (both for the company and the suggestions for usage) and to MMM for the idea of a SWR of 4%!

We've paid cash for both the (mostly rusting in the driveway) cars, and have only 10 years left of a mortgage at 3.xx %, so no real hurry to pay that off. We're now working mostly to sock up the kids college fund and build up a bit of extra cushion...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MikeC on August 19, 2014, 04:17:01 AM
Hi all

My name is Mike, from the north of the UK, and I am currently living an antimustachian lifestyle. I am married with double income, no kids, big ass (4 hours a day) commute, 85% mortgage and a dog.

I just did a quick spreadsheet review of my expenditure and hang my head in shame. I spend HUNDREDS of pounds a month on coffee out, fancy lunches, expensive nights out with friends, fancy food, gadgets (many with apple logos) and public transport.

I don't have a bike, have a taste for champagne and fine whiskey, I haven't optimised my utility bills and I'm carrying 5K of (currently interest free) credit card debt.

I'm not a completely lost cause though as I am overpaying my mortgage and have 20K of invested 'stash (chose not to pay the credit card off while the interest is at 0% but that will clear it as soon as the intro rate is gone). We are also a one-car couple and grow some of our own food.

I do, however, deserve a big punch in the face! Looking back over the last 9 years of my career, I realize that I could be in almost the same position as MMM had I lived differently. I have been a complainypants, wussy over-consumer and MMM has helped me realize this. 

I *LOVE* this blog and the ideas in it. I very much want what MMM isn't selling. I am writing this post, mainly for myself, to say 'Something has gotta change'.

Thank you MMM and the community here for showing me the error of my ways.
I am working on it.

Cheers,
Mike
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DragonSlayer on August 19, 2014, 05:34:24 PM
Hi! I'm 42, married, and live in NC. I retired at 33, before FIRE was cool! Reading "Your Money or Your Life" was what turned me on to the path of financial freedom. That and a series of jobs with bullying bosses, backstabbing coworkers, and mind numbing work. The life of a corporate drone was never going to be for me, so I did all I could to "buy" my freedom as early as possible.

I still "work" a bit doing some freelance writing and graphic design, but now I work for myself, when I feel like it, and only with clients and on projects that I love. I'm free to choose work that challenges and interests me and, when I'm tired or have family obligations, I can say no.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Helders on August 20, 2014, 08:44:25 AM
Hello, I'm a mustachianist since I discover the blog, from the moment I started reading I got a sense that this philosophy was definitely for me. Currently 29 and with a plan to reach FI by the time I'm 45. I see very difficult to get a high paying job in my country considering the unemployment rate (I live in Spain) so I see 15 years from now as the minimum time for me. I've been recording all my income and expenses since I began working so being frugal it's not an issue for  me, that has allowed me to use the money to invest.

I have never owned a car so don't miss it, and with a recent job switch I am earning something like $48K which allows me to save 62% of my salary more or less. I'm sharing a flat with two roommates and live near my office. Still, looking forward to be more mustachian!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Elderwood17 on August 20, 2014, 05:10:52 PM
Hi! I am Doug and was introduced to this site a month or so ago.  Since then I have systematically read every post, and having finished today I decided I better register and jump in.  Being in my early fifties I am a bit late to the party.  We have always saved some of our income, and managed to get our house paid off while raising four kids.  But we never really developed those frugality muscles and certainly didn't exhibit any degree of Badassity.  We always figured if we were putting away our 10% in the retirement fund then we could indulge in a few toys here and there.  Once the last kid graduated from college we found our savings went to 20%, but in the past month I have been motivated to sell the ATV, cancelled some subscription, and sold a couple things on Craigslist.  It is ramping up!  This month we should be socking away about 35% or more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lizzy B. on August 21, 2014, 07:57:40 AM
I’m Guckles and I’m (learning to be) a mustachian.  Engineer, married, late 20s, no two legged kids, but one of the spoiled canine variety.  Found MMM through 20SomethingFinance (it was helpful advice until I found something better here) about 2 years ago, and have been lurking on the forum ever since.  I’ve always been interested in personal finance and avoiding debt (I read a lot of Dave Ramsay in high school/college) but the idea of using our savings to buy freedom and flexiblility has been utterly transformative and liberating.  We’re still far from FIRE, but a whole lot closer than we were 2 years ago.  Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. MM for sharing their knowledge, their badassity, and for pointing their optimism gun at us.

I love this forum community.  Ya’ll (yes, I live in TX) are knowledgeable, friendly, and don’t pull your (face)punches when necessary.  You’ve inspired me to make some changes in my life already, and I’m sure there’s more to come.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pixeldollars on August 21, 2014, 06:43:18 PM
Hello my name is Smith, I'm the nobody from nowhere that knows nothing. My age is between zero and one (zero= birth, one= death). I am starting the noble pursuit of financial independence in the right place at the right time. I am very excited about the info about directing money to maximum positive effect for personal happiness and for the highest good of all concerned.  What a cool blog! Thanks for having it! The world's a better place because of it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dlo on August 21, 2014, 07:15:43 PM
Hi, I'm Dustin. Here to read, share and learn as much as possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Basenji on August 22, 2014, 05:14:00 AM
I’m Guckles and I’m (learning to be) a mustachian.  Engineer, married, late 20s, no two legged kids, but one of the spoiled canine variety.
Welcome. I'm stealing this just to see people doing math with a quizzical face.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: valve on August 22, 2014, 07:38:15 AM
Hello everyone!

After reading through many of the posts for several weeks, I'm finally on board with getting serious about my finances. As a 33 year-old divorced mom of a toddler, I have a few mountains to climb, but now feel confident that I can make it. My main goal is to be able to provide a stable future for my son and I for years to come and I can do it surprisingly well with sacrifices that really aren't going to impact either of our lives much at all.

After I submit this post, I'm on the way to the bank to put my employees to work by paying off my car (I feel silly for keeping $10k in the bank for so long gaining no interest). Last night I cancelled DirecTV, trash service, reduced my Verizon bill by $30.00 a month, and changed the thermostat from 73 to 83 (when I turned it up last night I literally said outload - "fuck the power company."

I'm working on a before and after MMM budget and can't wait to see the final tally. Looks like pre-MMM savings was about $200.00 and now it is looking more like $800.00. Since I was 18, I've contributed a minimum of 15% of my 401(k) and looking forward to adding more. I just have to be diligent and not fall into old spending habits. I've got a lot more things to work on and really excited to see what the future holds.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MandalayVA on August 22, 2014, 12:01:05 PM
Hi!  (waves)

I'm a nearly 48-year-old woman; my husband is nearly 59 (next month is birthday month).  No kids, some cats.  My husband LOVES playing with finances and as a result we're one of the very few with that six-month cushion the talking heads push, plus he has a couple of trusts.  We live in a two-bedroom condo in a national historic district and our only debt is our mortgage, which we hope to pay off in the next three years.  The condo is a little less than three miles from our jobs (we work for the same company) and I've walked there and plan to do so much more regularly.  We have two cars right now but we plan to drop down to one, probably within the next year.  We got rid of DirecTV earlier this year and installed an antenna for news and football purposes; the internet covers the rest of entertainment.  I'd like to be able to retire when my husband does--we're fortunate that our company has a fully funded pension plan and both of us are vested, plus we have 401ks and other investments.  I'd also like to start investing a little on my own too, which is how I found MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MamaFootball on August 22, 2014, 07:49:50 PM
Okay, I'm not going to just lurk and read. I'm married for almost 25 years, mom of three adult kids and stay at home to take care of our youngest daughter who has special needs and is chronically ill. We are quite frugal and are now learning how to better manage "the gap" and tuck our money away in the wisest way. We are pretty much the renegades in our crowd, we don't pay anyone anything that we can figure out how to do ourselves, we thrift shop/yard sale for whatever we need, and have no interest in keeping up with the Joneses. That's me and I'm here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chibalass on August 23, 2014, 06:34:10 AM
Hello to all,

I'm a new reader to this blog, and can see quickly that community helps to achieve MMM ( and Mrs MM) freedom so I'll dive in and say hello.

I'm married, currently work in education,  am approaching my late 30s, and live in Chiba, next to Tokyo, Japan.

I spend many weekends kicking a ball about in the park with my kids, reading a book, or sharing a cool beer with my hubby. I like reading so I'm glad this group has a book club. Keen to learn more from the shared wisdom of all here.

Chibalass
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kathrynd on August 23, 2014, 06:29:39 PM
hello,
My husband and I retired 4 years ago at 46 & 50. We split our time between Australia and Canada.
We own rental properties, which funds our 'retirement'. Neither of us made a high income, and didn't even consider retiring until realised by making a few changes, we could live off rent.
 We still live a frugal life, but we have everything we want. As the property mortgages get paid off, our income will rise.
 Being frugal is fun :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on August 24, 2014, 03:42:01 AM
Greetings facial hair people,

I am here to learn, network and be inspired.

On the personal side: male, 42, single, no kids, enjoying life in a medium size city in the middle of Scandinavia.

Working in the software industry, and making a comfortable living.  Spending a lot but saving more.  Rarely bike since I live downtown where everything including work is within walking distance.  My only car is a 15 year old sports car that I almost never use for any purpose other than fun trips with the top down.

On the investing side, I've been an active investor since the late 1990:s.  Back then it was speculation in the dot com boom era, now I'm a combination of boglehead, deep value investor and a dividend junkie.

I'm in the process of reducing my regular spending to instead spend more on travel and experiences.  Love to travel to the USA (been 6 times now) but perhaps I'll also start exploring more of Europe too.  Would love to connect with fellow travel fans from all over the place. 

Would also like to get in touch with fellow entreprenurs.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cowboysgirlfriend on August 25, 2014, 10:14:11 AM
Hello, I decided I had better jump on board.

28, engaged to a cowboy, about to move from Oxford, UK to Bellingham, WA (USA, not Western Australia). We work in horses, a notoriously difficult industry in which to be successful, but I'm determined that we're going to make it happen. I own a small business in the UK which is just starting out and not yet at the "paying dividends" stage, but I hope it will be soon.

I still have a lot to learn about working the system in the US, and I'm mostly here to plunder the wealth of knowledge and experience that I've seen on the boards. I feel like I'm at square one. Look forward to seeing how this adventure goes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mrdebtbeard on August 25, 2014, 12:39:57 PM
Hi I'm new to the forums and thought I'd drop in rather than lurk.
I'm 34 work in the mortgage industry, married with one daughter and hopefully one other little one on the way.
I'm currently in the process of relocating to Seattle, and I've clearly got the roots to be a mustachian but need some tuning up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Romag on August 26, 2014, 03:52:34 AM
Hi, I've been lurking for awhile.
Single Army Officer, 43, about a year away from retirement. FI the day after I retire with pension and savings. Planning on teaching High School ROTC for a few years as a soft landing before leaving the workplace entirely.

Really enjoy the blogs and forums. I've always been pretty frugal, but reading MMM has allowed me to refine some practices.
Thanks for having me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CatchingFire on August 27, 2014, 12:21:48 PM
New to the whole idea, but thankfully not too far gone.  ;)

It seemed destined.  My husband and I arrived here after being inspired by minimalism to reduce our stuff, followed by problems with Moneywell moving us to YNAB, listening to their podcast brought me to MMM, and now... yes...  this feels like home.  Wish I'd arrived here many years ago, but perhaps the trip through crazy clown car, luxury living was necessary for MMM to have the impact it has. 

So far, I've dusted off the bike, got a rack for it to haul my goods, and crunching numbers to retire a little earlier than planned (about 10 years).  The husband has been a bike commuter for 10+ years and we thankfully live in a fairly bike friendly city with good (and bike friendly!) pubic transit.

I am grateful already for the generous and humble community here and the amazing mass of knowledge here.  Hope to contribute as I progress!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Public Hermit on August 27, 2014, 06:00:30 PM
Greetings!

Been lurking for a few months and decided to sign up with some difficulty. I've had my fair share of some financial blunders, but not as bad as some. I am 25 years old, single, graduated college a year ago with $19,000 debt and modest savings. I've had a full time job in my field of study since two weeks after graduation. I also kept my college job gig at the supermarket for 15 hours a week even though I hate it with a passion. I have a 401k through both jobs and plan on pumping as much as possible into each. I also have a Roth IRA which I've completely maxed out on this year. After this month, I will have just under 5K on my student loans. According to Mint, my net worth is just under +$9,000, which is awesome, considering I was in the negatives a year ago. Once I pay off my student loans, I project that I will be able to save/invest at least 50% of my income.

I hope to achieve FI between the ages of 45-50. And that Roth IRA pipeline idea I've been reading around the forum? Genius! I've read many investing/trading books and forums since the beginning of this year. I started investing in the stock market in January and hope to reap the benefits of compound interest. Looking forward to posting here and sharing the enthusiasm of practicing an anti-consumerism mindset!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KES on August 28, 2014, 08:34:21 AM
Hi! I've stalked the blog/forum for about a year now and thought I'd say hello. We are 30 and 38, have 3 small ones with whom I stay at home, and right now FIRE is just a dream. We live rather modestly with one car, but again we only have one paycheck at the moment. When we're done having kids I'll go back to work to jack up our savings. I enjoy the positivity and non-judgyness of this forum the most.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: plutoloco on August 28, 2014, 08:56:24 AM
Hi I'm Mike, 35 years old, married with two small boys and starting my professional career after years of being a slacker. My brain has been wired incorrectly for years when it comes to money and what I can actually afford. Happy to be in the company of so many like- minded frugal individuals!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RichLife on August 28, 2014, 12:22:58 PM
Hello everyone, happy to be here. I'm Nina, 28 and I live in Belgium. I work as a software developer. About a year and a half ago I finally started to take my finances seriously, having in the past relied on others to do all that for me. Things really took off when I learned about the concept of 'financial independence' and the realization that the dreaded fear of having to work until 65 to then live off a meagre pension was not one I'd have to have any longer.

I feel lucky that I grew up with many frugal habits which stuck with me into adulthood. As such I do not feel that I am missing out on anything, I even take a certain pride and joy into living below my means. Plus having friends whom are not able to work due to disability it is nice to be able to share and exchange tips with them and take away some of their worries too.

Doing this was in part inspiration to start my own blog which revolves around the concept of living a rich life. Right now the focus is on money matters, but as I go I will expand into anything that contributes to the concept, as richness is not only defined by material aspects but also experiences. The link is in my signature, feel free to have a look around. Should you have any feedback then send me a PM, or post a comment on an article, I love to hear from others.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: UnleashHell on August 28, 2014, 07:29:14 PM
Hi!

Been lurking around for quite a while and have decided to add some of the things here to what I'm already doing.

Lost my Job in Jan 2012 which wasn't good as it wrecked my financial plan.. had to move 1,400 miles and drag the family with me to get the job I needed to carry on (nothing too excessive).

The house shorted saled last july - right after the one I was renting was fore closed on.
I bought a house outright in florida last September and renovated it in a month - without missing a day off work.

I'm now about to go all out frugal and hope to be in a position to be FI in 18 months.
if it works out then its massive job and house loss to FI in under 5 years...

Oh - and I don't earn a 6 figure salary.  The debts I do carry are from the house (no mortgage - too much of a financial risk apparently) and that's it. its just time to turn off the financially suicidal commercial cascade of consumerism.

Oh and my son is 17 and in his last year at high school.  I haven't seen anything spark his interest like this in a couple of years...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: etoken on August 28, 2014, 08:32:50 PM
Hello all;

Eric here - 50 and FI but seemingly don't have the kahunas to live like it so... still working... perhaps I'll find them out here at MMM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on August 29, 2014, 06:13:04 AM


its just time to turn off the financially suicidal commercial cascade of consumerism.

This sentence brought to you by the letter C and badassity. Glad to have you here.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kriegsspiel on August 29, 2014, 01:50:31 PM
Hello new forumites. I love you.









Carry on.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dios.del.sol on August 29, 2014, 07:17:38 PM
Hi everyone. I've been lurking for about a month here and will probably lurk for a while longer before posting anything else. I was raised in the early early days of Usenet (rec.music.industrial anyone?) and know that it's important to get a hang of the culture before chiming in.  However, I'm having a 22 of Imperial IPA homebrew, so my walls are down and I'll at least post my intro now to get it out of the way.

I'm (holy shit! (MMM has a potty mouth, so whatever)) middle aged, married with a 9 month old. I've never been in debt. My folks always preached paying off the full balance on a card - using it only for convenience. I'll admit that many years ago I once had to carry a balance and I went into EMERGENCY mode until I figured out how to pay it off as soon as possible and how the heck I had let it happen. I've usually saved a double-digit percentage of my income. I've done plenty of bike commuting (but since I used to race bikes I never felt like I was being frugal... just enjoying time on my bike). I've often remarked how I make more money than most Americans, yet they have so much more (and nicer) stuff than me. I've always hated consumerism, including the house horniness that drives people to make poor financial decisions when buying a house in a stupidly overpriced market (So Cal). Moreover, in the words of Yul Brynner, "Etc., etc., etc." All great stuff, right?

And yet... finding MMM's blog and this forum has blown my mind. I was falling into the abyss of consumerism, referencing my spending to my income, slowly but surely wondering how it had gotten so tough to make it all come together financially. I was wondering how in the world I was stressed when I was living on so much more than 6 years ago. I have, to put it simply, become full of shit, and reading this forum daily is slowly setting me on the right track again. I am energized and delighted to have so much to learn from people who have done things better than I have ever done. I'm a small fish in a big pond...

...and I can take a face punch.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fatSquirrel on August 30, 2014, 01:11:25 PM
Hello All!

This is my first post so just wanted to introduce myself!!!
Name: Sue
Age: 33
Location: USA
Career: Work from home IT/medical software

Goals: Financial Independence (need to do math on this still so I have a target date :) ; live more frugally, not fall into trap of lifestyle inflation; world travel

Debts: DEBT FREE as of a few years ago, when I paid off my last student loan!
I am currently supporting my partner through Medical school (a 4th year hoping to get into ER residency)
Partner's loans will be 200K+  Yikes!

My Networth: 206 K
401k, 403b, 457 = 90K
Company Pension = 38K
Rollover IRA = 6K
Roth IRA = 72 K
Other:  Car paid for, currently no property

Happy to be here to share and learn more! 



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: canalstreet on August 30, 2014, 06:11:10 PM
Hello! I've been following this site for the last 2 years and found it interesting how I was already on my way to being a Mustachian without knowing it.

I've been living for several years without any debt, always pay off the credit cards every month and have been investing in the stock market since the 90's (though I didn't touch the brokerage account for about 5-7 years following the end of the tech bubble). The last two years, I've been maxing out my 401k and IRA accounts (probably one of the only people at my job that put 100% of the paycheck until I hit the limit).

I'm single, 47 and work as a web developer in NJ.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cgsealk on August 30, 2014, 07:32:08 PM
Hello,
 I am a 33 year old male who loves this finance type of knowledge and chatter.  I hope to learn and help where I can.  I am engaged to the most wonderful lady that I am lucky to have.  This is an exciting and challenging time.  Looking forward to it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: workingpoor on August 31, 2014, 09:03:53 PM
Hi there. My name is Jimmy & I'm new to MMM. I've read the entire blog & now tackling the forum.

Little background. Married with 3 kids. Spent 15 years in a horrible career that paid very well because I thought chasing the almighty dollar was the right thing to do. Bought too much house right before the crash, lost my job & burned up what I had left trying to save the house, lost it anyway.

Tried reinventing myself & starting my own business. Needless to say, bad habits are hard to break. Kept spending to grow the business instead of saving for a downturn.

I found MMM & now I have a stress-free regular job with predictable pay. Sold the giant SuperDuty, bought a dented, stick-shift Subaru hatchback & started slashing bills.

Looking forward to being free. Thanks, MMM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheTokenGirl on September 01, 2014, 09:24:18 AM
Pre-MMM blog, I've been on a personal quest to keep my lifestyle frugal and pay off my student loans as fast as possible. (with the help of my husband) we killed ~80K in the last 3 years. I was raised with the 'work for your money and become self reliant' attitude and just discovered this community of people with my philosophy! I'm so used to being considered crazy for shopping at thrift stores and driving a 10 year old car when I make ~180K/year, but I want to shop my values and that doesn't include trendy clothing.

I'm pregnant with my first child and reading through these blog posts brings tears to my eyes. I really can instill these values in my kid and give them the same shot I had that so many of my friends/roommates/classmates never learned. I have NO desire to retire early because I think I have the coolest job on the planet and can't imagine not getting to do it every day. But I can use these principles to live my values and teach them to my baby.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fox85 on September 01, 2014, 08:31:26 PM
Hi everyone. I found the MMM site a few months ago and was intrigued right away. I've been lurking around the forum for a couple days and decided to say hi, even if I keep lurking.

For a quick background: My husband and I are both 29 year old engineers in the Midwest, with a 22 month old and another on the way in March. Our only debt is the mortgage and our mode of operation has been buy what we want when we want, but that hasn't caused problems, per se, since we don't have elaborate wants. On the other hand, we need to figure out the end game/big picture/the type of life we want as we go forward beyond the next few years. With a more defined goal, we can make some big changes to put us even more ahead of the game. Put another way: my husband is fantastic at tracking all of our receipts and expenses in Quicken but we aren't doing anything with the information.

Adding another daycare attendee next year also gives us some motivation!

Maybe I'll add a case study some day with more details but for now I'm just glad to be here and excited to read and learn :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: janiesuper on September 02, 2014, 11:07:45 AM
My name is Juanita and I'm third generation penny pincher and first generation bicycle commuter. Joining MMM showed me I was not going all the way. Looking forward to more freedom and fun and this place will definitely help.

About me:

Unmarried no kids ( which gets expensive)
 1 dog healthy and on Pet plan
2 pets passed away with health problems, one was not on pet plan.
Mortgage on house renting it out. Profit $230/ mo
 31k income soon to increase as I am starting a new job next week
29 K credit card debt. Yeah I know
 15K in retirement savings
$500 emergency savings
1400 brokerage
900 tenants deposit
Paid off Honda civic 133k miles single owner needs tires, tuneup ac and leaks oil.
200 rent to my mom which is flexible. No lease
Almost paid off popup camper ;)
No cell phone contract pay as you go.
No cable contract, netflix
Credit score 715
Using budget software, auto bill pay
Switched hairdressers' now 15/ cut or I do it myself


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Penny Lane on September 02, 2014, 02:26:26 PM
Glad to be among all the frugal folks.  I have a few*ahem* years on MMM, am FI on the far north coast of the US, enjoying an Exploding Volcano of blessings.  I have 2 Emerging Adult children who reside on their own and are mostly self-sufficient, thanks to all the frugal lessons they absorbed from their mum.  My DH and I are figuring out our new freedom after long professional careers.  I love to garden and preserve food; I spend way more time on my investments than MMM.  I think crafting a life within one's means is an enjoyable and satisfying pursuit.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jopiquant on September 02, 2014, 05:05:03 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm Brandi. My husband Mike and I are just getting acquainted with the Mustachian way, although we were much more frugal in our younger days, and we saved like mad before we immigrated to Canada (Vancouver area). We put that money down on a house (which we're still paying off) and saved anew, which we used to pay cash for grad school. Aside from the mortgage, we don't carry any debt, but we're not saving as much as we can/should.

Mike recently started a boutique web hosting firm and is on the verge of hiring his first employee, and he takes a salary about half what he would earn if he was working for the man.

We find the hardest thing about being frugal where we live is that many people do live downtown, and us being in the burbs makes it hard to attract people to our house, and them living in shoeboxes in the sky makes them less inclined to entertain. Add $6 beers and $14 burgers, and oh boy, it adds up. That's my first area to tackle.

This is my first forum, so I'm hoping I'll get less rambly eventually. Anyway - glad to be here!

Brandi
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: firewalker on September 03, 2014, 10:56:40 AM
Hi ... Call me firewalker. Hope to FIRE one day, but it'll be a long walk.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Basment Dweller on September 03, 2014, 02:47:27 PM
Hi all, Basement Dweller here, I work in Software development and also have real estate investments and do landlording in my spare time. I'm living and working in South Africa.

I found this site from that famous article how to retire, love the content around here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BosoxNelly on September 03, 2014, 05:39:46 PM
Hello,
I'm just starting to embrace the MMM culture (though will forever be lagging in a couple areas).  I'm married with three kids 2-7 years old.  We live in the Phoenix area.  My wife and I both work but we're really focusing on retiring (we're both in our early 40's; I'm hoping to be done in 10-15 years, my wife much sooner). 
Happy to have found this community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: givemesunshine on September 03, 2014, 11:37:46 PM
Hi all,

I'm a 37 year old from Brisbane, Australia. Single, no kids , finally earning decent money after a few years of student induced thriftiness and a few years of being underpaid!

I am currently debt free (student loans paid off in April 2014) and saving hard for a house deposit. I am saving 32.8% of my wage at the moment and will be looking to increase my income and percentage saved over the coming months. I pay extra into my Superannuation Fund (pension) and have in the last month hit the $100K net worth barrier (up 43K in the last 12 months).

I feel like I'm a late starter after a long time studying and paying down student loans/car loan but am motivated to be FI well before retirement age. Buying a house is my next hurdle and I hope to save a good size deposit over the next 2-3 years to reduce the required mortgage payments and loan term.

Great to be a part of a forum with so many people doing inspiring things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: popsy13 on September 04, 2014, 04:29:21 AM
Hii Every one.. I am new to this and looking for some good fun and adventure..
Cheers !!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: falcondisruptor on September 04, 2014, 11:34:22 AM
Hi, I've been reading this blog for a while but just joined today.  We're a family of three trying to pay off our only debt (our mortgage).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Draggon on September 04, 2014, 03:54:53 PM
Greetings, MMM'ers.  I've hit this site in a touch-n-go fashion for the last few years, usually through a link to a blog post from another site I was reading, but it's never "stuck".  After poking around semi-randomly for the last few days, I think I'll change that.

I'm a very recent (last month) 49 yo (next month) empty nester.  My wife and I have been driving toward FIRE for many years, but not to the degree that our hero, MMM has (obviously).  But, it wasn't so fashionable "back in the day", so there wasn't a lot of useful knowledge like there is today...  :)

Anyway, I'm chomping at the bit to cut loose the reins, but (there's always a but) I just don't have the cahones to do so yet.  Hopefully hanging around here some more will help with that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Boshtet on September 04, 2014, 05:45:26 PM
Hey all. I'm not usually the type to register for a forum (chronic forum lurker), but the community here seems very welcoming and knowledgeable, and I think registering will keep me focused. I'm Curt, 26 from the Midwest USA. Single, with student loan debt quickly on the way out the window, thanks to the wakeup I had after reading through the MMM blog. I always kind of wondered where all the money went, after each paycheck my bank account seemed to dwindle. A $300 grocery bill for one person, some shopping at Target here or there, expensive hobbies, and more all led to me not really having control over my finances. I'm happy to report that I've reigned in the spending drastically over the last 2 months. Here are some of the changes I've made:


I feel very fortunate to have my monthly expenses be so low, and if all goes according to plan, I will have my $12,000 student loan total gone in a little over a year. Then the real saving and investing can begin. My biggest problem at the moment is my commute. At 15 miles each way to school, and 14 miles each way to work (each in opposite directions), it's definitely a source of frustration. But these are things I am working to change!

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MA_Mom on September 05, 2014, 04:35:57 PM
Hi all-

I'm a single 42 year-old mom of a 1st grader, living in a Boston suburb. I've always worked in non-profits, so my theory has been that I need to be smarter with the money I have than my friends with larger incomes. Actually, I'm fortunate that I now make a decent income, but it's helpful to have a 403(b) with $300k already growing. No debt, other than a $280k mortgage on a $420k house. As a solo parent, I won't be able to move as quickly as some folks toward FIRE, but like my earlier theory, that just means I need to be more deliberate about the financial choices I make. Happy to be learning from this community!

Best!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lindy on September 06, 2014, 01:57:02 AM
Hello!
I've been a reader of the blog from almost the beginning, although a more recent reader of the forums and have just decided to make the plunge and introduce myself.

Age-34
Location-MN
Occupation-QC Lab Tech
I'm single, but cohabitate with my naturally frugal boyfriend and furry feline.
I recently paid off my debts and have been 'staching as much as possible for the future.
My retirement date is 10+ years away and I can't wait for that day!

I look forward to future conversations with y'all!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Napalok1 on September 06, 2014, 07:23:42 AM
Hi I'm Kevin in New Jersey.
    Recently started reading MMM and Early Retirement extreme.  Came out of the cave late in life.  I have a defined benefit pension as a state employee.  I have an annuity,  Roth IRA  I max out, and a brokerage account and savings account.
    I moved into a boarding house two blocks from my job, sold my car and I now save close to 60 percent of my pay.  I earn in the low to mid 60,000 dollars depending on overtime.  Debt free now since I sold the car yesterday thanks Jacob and MMM.
    I plan on keeping this up for 12 years which will give me full pension and medical and also be eligible for early ss if I choose it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dondarrion on September 06, 2014, 08:40:55 PM
Hey!

Long time reader of the blog but just now signing up on the forum. Life is about to take a major change and I figured I could post here for support!

My wife and I are 26, no kids. I am an officer in the USMC and my wife is a school tutor/substitute (full time gig until Christmas!). I am currently deployed and after this deployment, I am getting out of the Corps.

Our financial stats: (ynab junkies 2 years running)

Income: ~5k per month
Roth IRA: 10k
Cash: 8k

Honda Civic Auto Loan: 12k
Federal Student Loan: 30k

We have credit cards but 0 cc debt and we use our rewards to pay for flights and hotel rooms! YNAB has allowed us to keep all of our spending under control and we have flown free for 2 years straight at no cost whatsoever.

Unfortunately, our debt payoff plan is at a standstill. Since I am deployed, we have a bunch of other expenses and I am not able to make the major payments on our debt that I want to. I am also hording cash so that when I get out of the Corps, we have money for a few months if my job offer falls through.

I really want to get rid of the student loan and once I return from deployment, I have a plan to knock it out in 2-3 years. The Honda civic loan is at 2% and I am going to pay it off next but for the time being, the student loan is my main obstacle.





Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: missksaves on September 06, 2014, 10:00:34 PM
Hi

I am in NY with a husband that knows I read MMM but isn't buying into the idea of FIRE. I have humongous student loan debt that I am working on paying down now. I also have a goal of becoming a home owner and would also like to be FIRE. I have 1 child, my DH and I would like another when we are more financially stable.

I have been lurking for a while before I finally posted.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalFreddyFingers on September 07, 2014, 03:45:15 AM
Hello,
New reader but I have been on the path to independence since I joined the Navy after reading The "Total Money Makeover."  I turn 30 this year, married with 2 little girls, have a job I love, and can easily be FIRE in the next 10 years. We have came a long way financially in the last four years; had 50k in student loans/car debt, to now having a 6-figure NW. There is still so much to learn.   Excellent articles and forum posts, look forward to learning and sharing my own experiences.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugal_Red on September 07, 2014, 04:12:16 PM
Hello everyone! My nickname is Red.

I've been perusing this site for a couple of years after finding a link for it on ERE. I enjoy reading all the comments and tips about improving one's life and financial situation, some of which I've added to my repertoire.  I've been a pretty frugal fellow starting in my college years when I was first out on my own.  I've been a proponent of financial independence through 'artificial scarcity.' Basically if you don't need it, don't buy it.  If you can't make it or get it for free, then buy the cheapest (well made) one you can!

I currently live in NYC which can be a frustrating place to be frugal, especially with rent being what it is.  Luckily NYC also pays better than anywhere else I've lived so I have actually managed to increase my saving rate. Yay! I am lucky to have a wonderful guy in my life, the reason I move to NYC in the first place.  I have slowly managed to persuade him into a more frugal lifestyle and he is starting to enjoy reaping the rewards!

My favorite motivational book is 'The Millionaire Next Door' which I have as an audio tape and listen to periodically. I finally decided to make a profile and join this web forum because there is just so much wonderful information and motivational stories from people on here!  I love the easy going attitude of the community. I hope to be able to contribute!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Proud Foot on September 08, 2014, 09:50:18 AM
Hi everyone,

I have been a long time lurker and finally decided to take the plunge and sign up! I have always felt like I was pretty frugal until I started reading this site. Currently my goal for FI is not to RE but to be able to take a job where I do not have to worry about how much I am making. I enjoy reading about investing and money management as well as learning how to diy.

Looking forward to continuing to learn from everyone and hopefully contribute to the discussions!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on September 08, 2014, 12:36:21 PM
Just wanted to say a big welcome to all the new folks.  It will be great to have some new perspectives.  I'm sure you all have some great stuff to share!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KBlynx on September 08, 2014, 12:40:08 PM
Hi!

I've been ready MMM articles for a few weeks now and I'm ready to hop on board! I feel like I'm sitting on the curb compared to some of you fine folks though. I feel poor, not just frugal- poor in a bad way :/

I'm a 32 YO single mom, sharing an apartment with my SO. We both make around 40-45k a year and live in Renton, WA. Rents have been eating any and more of the wage increases we've received so every year we've seemed to fall further behind. Rent on a very modest (read: tiny) apartment takes the majority of our incomes each month. We are ending that this month!!!! I bought a very modest house that will be about the same monthly as rent has been.

I have very little in my 401k (I took 6k out to fund the house, as I had no savings) I am very good in some ways and have been bad in others, that is changing now!

Good things I have been doing:
No Cable
No daily coffee/cig/ habbits
Paid off cheap small car w/good gas mileage
I'm very frugal with grooming costs, I get my haircut every 6 months at hair masters and don't get any other spa/grooming things done
Paid off all student debts, and have no to very low monthly debt
Just bought a house in a growing community!!

The Bad:
Live way too far from work (rents /house prices are literally double if not more where I work so it isn't an option on our incomes).
I splurge on cheap clothes I don't need that last 1 or 2 wears then look like crud. Granted they are cheap, but I don't need them!
Buy stuff online I don't NEED because it's a good deal
My SO owes lots of child support and has debt (so much so that I've had to fund the house alone)
Get down on myself because I'm the "poor" person at work. I can't afford vacations or nice handbags or fill-in-the-blank and the ladies just leave me out of the conversation because they know this. So I get left out socially because I just can't relate to that lifestyle.

I need to take my finances by the neck and OWN my life rather than feel bad about not being able to afford X that everyone else can.

I am here to learn :)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crapula on September 08, 2014, 06:55:27 PM
Hi facial hair folks!

You know the story: long time lurker, first time poster.  I'm still working my first year of "real" work and am at the start of my journey to financial independence, but I think I'm headed in the right direction.  That is, of course, thanks to a healthy dose of inspiration from the people in this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: peabody58 on September 09, 2014, 09:15:37 AM
Hello all!  MMM is now included in our retirement tool bag!!

Planning on retiring in at age 57 in 13 months to a 55+ community south of Atlanta.  We just purchased our retirement home and are renting it out for a year.  Financially we could retire now, but padding the fund just makes such a big difference in the long term.

We'll be firing our FA by the end of the year.  Can't stomach paying someone 1 - 1.5% of my accounts for the rest of my life.  Plus I'm out performing his performance 3 to 1.  Vanguard has been very good for us.

Currently downsizing like crazy and padding our accounts as much as possible.

Looking forward to receiving and contributing to this great site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jellyfish on September 09, 2014, 11:00:26 AM
Hello all! I'm a 42 year old single mom to a 9yo boy.  Just discovered MMM.  I am excited to have a community to support my FIRE plan since no one else I know (other than parents) are anything other than consumer-driven and paycheck to paycheck.  Hope to start a Journal and use it to get serious about my plan.  Think with some attention I could reach FIRE by 48 or 50. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Travisthetruth on September 09, 2014, 11:45:37 AM
Hi, i'm Travis and i like $$$$
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HopefulMustache on September 09, 2014, 01:55:03 PM
Hello mustachians! Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. As my handle suggests, I'm hoping to engage with some of the principles on this site and achieve financial independence sooner than I would have with my current haphazard, if frugal, financial planning. I will admit I am by turns both inspired and intimidated by this blog, but it's more often the former. Looking forward to taking it all in.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kapitalust on September 09, 2014, 05:49:12 PM
Howdy, I'm Steve and I geek out on everything investing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pat on September 09, 2014, 07:42:23 PM
Hey there, Pat here. I'm no 'Consumer Sucka,' but am interested in improving my Mustachian ways and have found MMM's blogs and readers' comments very useful. I look forward to sharing ideas and learning more here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stachetastic on September 10, 2014, 08:16:50 AM
Hello all, I'm Julie. I've been lurking for months and am just now jumping in. I've always been pretty frugal (realtive to the "norm"), but am now looking to up my game. Luckily, my husband is very much the same, although he has not yet ventured onto this site. We have two young children and are trying to instill some financial common sense in them as we go.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cavewoman on September 10, 2014, 11:26:19 AM
Hi!  I'm Maria, I've been reading from the beginning for a few weeks, and I'm currently on posts from October 2013.

My family consists of myself and my partner Daniel.  Currently we're living on just my salary (net 1430/month) but in a few short months when Daniel graduates from his welding program we stand to jump into a much higher bracket.  I've already paid off my 2,000 ish credit card (woohoo!) and I've just checked out 2 recommended books:  Naked Economics, Your Money or Your life, and The Intelligent Asset Allocator.  I am very excited to take our life forward with Mustachian Principles!

Thanks to Mr MM, Mrs MM (and junior Stash) as well as all the commentors, I've already learned so much!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: swallowtail on September 10, 2014, 12:00:57 PM
Greetings Mustachioed Masses,

I started reading the MMM blog a few months ago and devoured the whole thing.  Since reading it I have begun biking to work and bringing my own lunch, switched my housing situation to reduce costs (moved in with my partner of 3 years - we basically lived together anyway), cut down on restaurant spending, and invested some money that was just sitting in a bank account.  I am 32 now, but hellbent on retiring as soon as possible!  I would also like to start my own craft-business in the next year.  Once I get a little more organized I will post a journal. 

I am excited to join this community!

ST


Title: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: want2flyy on September 11, 2014, 03:54:37 AM
Hello everyone.
I am in Northern Virginia. I retired back in January.  Anyone else in NoVa?
Good luck to all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: retired? on September 12, 2014, 07:43:21 AM
Hi.  I'm Ken.  45, married with 12-year old and a 10 year old.  Quit my corp job in June and am considering my options.  Good deal of savings and retirement.  Trying to figure out how to "bridge the gap" b/n now and 59.5.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zapatista on September 13, 2014, 11:12:42 AM
Hey my name is Mike from Denver, CO.

I had the opportunity to go to the CO get together last Saturday and had a great time meeting Mr. & Mrs. Money Mustache. Thanks again for hosting the event! I started reading the site about 2-3 months ago and have genuinely been inspired by the use less/spend less philosophy related on the blog!

My situation:
I'm 44 and employed in a pretty well paying but rather boring job and I live 4 miles from my wonderful cubicle in Downtown Denver (where 80%+ of my current work activity takes place). I usually drive 2 miles, park and then walk the rest of the way (another 2 miles). Yes, I've re-discovered biking...making my 1st round trip biking yesterday to the cubicle and 1st time in roughly 15 years!!

I'm recently married to a wonderful woman from Colombia who brought along her (now our!) 15 year old son in November 2013. Lots of life changes recently-with definite impact to our finances

My financial situation:

Assets:
- 865 sq. ft 2bd. 1ba. house in NE Park Hill, Denver, CO valued at a little more than $200k based on recent comps.
-$150k in retirement accounts
-$4-5k in cash

Liabilities:
-$84k in mortgage debt
-$75k in student loans
-$16k in car loan
-$16k in 401k/403b type loan-financed a 24'x24' detached garage in the backyard of the house.

Income:
-Roughly $110k per year salary and side job

Tackling the Debt 1st:
This is as close as I get to doing a budget--even though I'm an accountant by profession. Since starting reading MMM, I've sold a 2013 Ford Focus and bought a 1995 Mazda Miata for cash The remaining car loan is for a 2013 Kia Soul which we are going to keep. We make pretty decent money for our debt overhead and my emphasis is to attack the outstanding debt by paying off the 401k type loan first and then the car loan. I'm currently paying $2k a month on the 401k loan as well as maintaining the $360 a month car payment (3% note) and $669 a month mortgage (3.125% note with 13.5 years to go). After the car loan is paid off in roughly 1.5 years, I'll move on to accelerating payment on the mortgage.

Student loan and pay as you earn for older student loans:

The student loan is currently in deferred status (no payment required/bears interest at 5.325%) until November of 2015 due to being furloughed last October (I'm a federal govt' employee) and I've decided to wait until then to enter repayment. In December of 2015, my student loans will be eligible for a Pay as You Earn payment plan and I'll have about 7 years left to pay on them until the public service loan forgiveness (tax-free) kicks in. The payment will be based on the difference between the federal poverty level for 3 people and Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and figured at 10% of that level to get to an annual payment. My payment will likely be between $550-$600 a month. The remaining prinicipal balance in 2022 or thereabouts will be somewhere between $40k-$50k.

I'm very open to feedback/criticism on my base thoughts for knocking out the debt.

Investments:
On the investing side, I put away about $30k a year right now into retirement type assets- 401k type plan with passive stock investments and Roth IRA lending club account. I do not plan on doing accelerating the investment savings until the 401k loan and car are paid off.

Thanks very much for reading and I look forward to contributing.

As an opening, I though some of the folks here might get a kick out of this web link on commuting:
https://screen.yahoo.com/videos-for-you/virginia-man-commutes-220-miles-035058533.html?vp=1


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GardenFun on September 14, 2014, 07:16:23 AM
Hi Mustachian Family! 

Been reading MMM since April and preaching its praises to anyone who will listen.  Love the simplicity of the posts and the ability to pick and choose initial topics to read - gets people on board much faster.  Read enough posts to feel comfortable posting information that will (hopefully) be helpful. 

Background:  Married SAHM with two crazy/hyper boys, husband is an engineer, I am a former engineer who now serves sloppy joes in the elementary cafeteria - and I wouldn't have it any other way.  As others have stated, we have been a fairly frugal family but kicked it up some notches since reading MMM. 

Most surprising activity started since reading MMM?  I know the location of, and how to read, our electric/natural gas/water meters.  These bill levels are monitored and controlled vs. being a uncontrolled, surprise amount each month.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: demuth.20 on September 14, 2014, 08:00:16 AM
Hi I'm Eric and live in Ohio.  I'm under 30 and am trying to set myself up for a life of Financial Independence.  Looking for some interesting topics, advice, people, ect...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kosmic on September 14, 2014, 10:18:18 AM
Howdy everyone!
I am 52 and live in Texas. Google brought me to MMM, when I searched for "how to retire early".
My goal is to integrate the Mustachian philosophy into my life by starting small and integrating Mustache behavior into my core belief system.
I have debt, in the form of a motorcycle payment, which is being paid in much larger payments than the minimum required.
My wife does not know it, but she is a closet Mustachian and I look up to her! Now its time for me to step up to the Mustache.

We built modest shop/art studio in a small rural town where property taxes are $600/yr compared to $8,000/yr for our home in Austin.
We are contemplating selling our home and purchasing five years of service in order to retire in two years, which is the soonest I am eligible for.
My motorcycling habit is in its 35th year - which includes restoring antique motorcycles, and I am struggling with justifying my expensive hobby.

(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm178/ninaudp/DellCityHouseProject/carport_010_zps1adb14b2.jpg)

(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm178/ninaudp/DellCityHouseProject/carport_009_zps47aad1d2.jpg)

(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm178/ninaudp/duo_glide_010_zps59747b71.jpg)

Thank you for listening!
Cheers, Kosmic.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mstar2007 on September 14, 2014, 03:40:13 PM
Hi!

I'm so happy to have found a community like this! I am 29 years young and my goal is to retire early (would like to work part-time hours later on in life but I do not want to depend on corporate America anymore for my entire living)

I live in Atlanta and work for a big tech corporation right now in Sales. I'm studying to be a computer programmer so I can be able to work freelance, work from home, and be able to live anywhere I want. I also am aiming to start my own blog one day to also generate income.

I've been a "mustachian" for 5 years now but didn't even realize it! People just called me frugal. I come from a poor background and I fell pray to trying to keeping up with other people's rich lifestyles after I graduated college. Needless to say I fell in debt, my credit was wrecked and I was unemployed during the recession. I'm back on my feet and can proudly say I'm debt free, my credit is beautiful, and I built up an emergency's savings account and started retirement funds 2 years ago

I want to learn as much as possible and connect with other mustachians. Living in Atlanta has been great in terms of cost of living but not so great for my esteem. I am constantly disrespected at my job for taking public transportation and this is a BIG car city. I'm tired of the jokes and disrespect. I'm tired of people thinking I don't drive because I'm broke or something is wrong with me. My manager made a joke about me not having a car in front of a new, younger employee and it made me livid. I also get jokes because I prefer to cook my own lunch/dinner instead of eating out. I'll eat out when it's important but I don't like doing it every day like my coworkers......I'm so happy to be around people who share my goals and hopefully I won't feel so alone any more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GardenFun on September 14, 2014, 05:31:13 PM
Hi!

I'm so happy to have found a community like this! I am 29 years young and my goal is to retire early (would like to work part-time hours later on in life but I do not want to depend on corporate America anymore for my entire living)

I live in Atlanta and work for a big tech corporation right now in Sales. I'm studying to be a computer programmer so I can be able to work freelance, work from home, and be able to live anywhere I want. I also am aiming to start my own blog one day to also generate income.

I've been a "mustachian" for 5 years now but didn't even realize it! People just called me frugal. I come from a poor background and I fell pray to trying to keeping up with other people's rich lifestyles after I graduated college. Needless to say I fell in debt, my credit was wrecked and I was unemployed during the recession. I'm back on my feet and can proudly say I'm debt free, my credit is beautiful, and I built up an emergency's savings account and started retirement funds 2 years ago

I want to learn as much as possible and connect with other mustachians. Living in Atlanta has been great in terms of cost of living but not so great for my esteem. I am constantly disrespected at my job for taking public transportation and this is a BIG car city. I'm tired of the jokes and disrespect. I'm tired of people thinking I don't drive because I'm broke or something is wrong with me. My manager made a joke about me not having a car in front of a new, younger employee and it made me livid. I also get jokes because I prefer to cook my own lunch/dinner instead of eating out. I'll eat out when it's important but I don't like doing it every day like my coworkers......I'm so happy to be around people who share my goals and hopefully I won't feel so alone any more.

Awesome turnaround in your life!  Andy don't worry, you are still young.  You will continue to get laughed at until around the age of 35-40.  That's when real life facepunches the general population (mortgage, kids, overspending).  Hopefully a few coworkers watch and learn from your actions. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: $$$Manager on September 14, 2014, 11:01:46 PM
Hi All!  I've been interested in saving money for a very long time, but found this site quite by accident.  Had no idea MMM existed.  Wow, I love this site!  This evening I read with great interest the blog about making and changing habits.  I'm the person who goes to Walmart all the time as shown in the "Drive Somewhere, Buy Something Habit Loop."  I earn 37K and -as a result of this website - am dedicating a total of 54% of my take-home pay to savings and debt elimination:  25% to paying off the credit card, 18% to savings for ongoing medical expenses (I have two chronic illnesses), and 11% to my 401K.  Due to the amount of money I need for medical expenses I have felt hopeless about my finances for a very long time.  I started using my credit card to pay those expenses so I could continue to spend my income on dumb stuff.  Now, I feel like I might have a chance.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: damize on September 15, 2014, 04:41:24 PM
Hi, I'm Dave. I'm a DoD Civilian and Air Force retiree. Recently divorced and moved back to the USA after living overseas for nearly 20 years.  I've adopted the simple life and am working my way out of a mountain of debt.  I found MMM via GRS and I love the idea and practice of the Mustachian life.  While I'm in my debt emergency, I'm living on about 25% of my total income, which means really good things once I get to positive net worth.  Since I've finished the blog archives, I'm eager to join the forum and the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jeepo on September 16, 2014, 02:54:13 AM
Hi Folks,

I am new here though have used the website to help with my debt for a few months now! Moving it to the next level soon!

UK based, Northern Ireland to be exact! Male, unmarried, 28! Just popping in to say hello, and thanks for all the help you have given me so far without even realising it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: charms on September 16, 2014, 04:09:01 AM
Hey fellow mustachians! Thanks for the introductions, it's lovely to 'meet' some like-minded folks :)

I'm single, female, live in Australia, aged 36. I have no debt but don't own anything either. I have an emergency fund saved and another small 'stache ready to begin plugging in to some investment funds. I am almost mentally ready for it but have a bit more learning to do first. I am coming at this with limited knowledge about investing and finance but have been reading blogs and books for a little while now and by nature I would describe myself as frugal and have always directed my money to where I want it to go. I have accumulated and let go of huge sums of money in my life, and used it for travelling, studying, learning, volunteering, etc... I have no regrets but 40 is suddenly not so far away and it's now time to see my goals for the future more vividly and make them happen. And that means learning how to direct my money differently and with that there is a mental shift needing to take place within the psyche...

My main goals include: paying cash for some land and designing and building (with my hands) my own small self-sufficient house, and retiring from working full time in my profession in 10 years time.

It was wonderful to come across MMM. It has been the tipping point for me because it made me realise that my dreams of early retirement are not only possible, but there are people already doing it. Ignoring the naysayers and complainypants takes courage and energy but it's much easier to do knowing there are like-minded souls out there doing the same.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pioneerw2b on September 16, 2014, 08:53:16 AM
Hello All,

I am trying to get the family into a more streamlined way of living. It has its ups and downs though.

I do not see an early retirement but more of a scaling back in the work load and rat race. I left a nice paying stressful job with a hefty commute for something closer to home for a lot less money and less stress. Foolishly purchased a brand new car when I had the higher paying job (1.99% interest for 5 years). I claim that I am frugal and I am 95% of the time. I am working on being so 100% of the time. It is so true that emotions play a big part in purchases and decisions. Had I been Spock-like for the past 5 years or so..... I just live and learn and look for ways to move forward and learn from it. Hindsight is always 20/20.

I am curious to know how everyone manages their healthcare expenses ? I have several issues arising and three family members so far that have chronic health issues that need to be managed with doctor care and medicines. We have insurance but it does not cover 100% until we meet a deductible.

I Look forward to learning more about frugality and meeting like minded people here.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on September 16, 2014, 12:37:10 PM
Hey fellow mustachians! Thanks for the introductions, it's lovely to 'meet' some like-minded folks :)

I'm single, female, live in Australia, aged 36. I have no debt but don't own anything either. I have an emergency fund saved and another small 'stache ready to begin plugging in to some investment funds. I am almost mentally ready for it but have a bit more learning to do first. I am coming at this with limited knowledge about investing and finance but have been reading blogs and books for a little while now and by nature I would describe myself as frugal and have always directed my money to where I want it to go. I have accumulated and let go of huge sums of money in my life, and used it for travelling, studying, learning, volunteering, etc... I have no regrets but 40 is suddenly not so far away and it's now time to see my goals for the future more vividly and make them happen. And that means learning how to direct my money differently and with that there is a mental shift needing to take place within the psyche...

My main goals include: paying cash for some land and designing and building (with my hands) my own small self-sufficient house, and retiring from working full time in my profession in 10 years time.

It was wonderful to come across MMM. It has been the tipping point for me because it made me realise that my dreams of early retirement are not only possible, but there are people already doing it. Ignoring the naysayers and complainypants takes courage and energy but it's much easier to do knowing there are like-minded souls out there doing the same.

Welcome to the forum.  I see that you are from Australia and are interested in learning about investing, so I thought you might be interested in this thread:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/australian-investing-thread/

There are lots of other Aussies on the forum.

Good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Starter on September 17, 2014, 04:55:40 PM
Hello my fellow Mustachians!
 
I am very excited to have found MMM. I wish this site had existed when my husband and I were DINKS and had tons of disposable income.  Ah well.  I'm looking forward to all the wonderful lessons/tips/suggestions put forth in this forum.

Myself: SAHM to 3 kids (5 and under).  University educated.  Married to a genius who wants FI but loves his job too much to retire.  Live in Northern Canada.  Am already viewed by many friends as badass but look like a sucka compared to MMM fam.  Am striving every day to be more badass ( and impressing my husband at the same time).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wasdramer on September 17, 2014, 11:44:12 PM
Hello everyone! I'm just now starting to work my way towards eliminating my college debt. I've started using YNAB for managing my funds and I do my banking through Simple (an amazing bank) and a local credit union. I'm trying to save up my money with a part time income of $7.85 an hour. I'm hoping to be able to do it, though I'm still getting a lot of things established at first, especially my budget.

Hope to make some really epic choices for my future soon!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dok33 on September 19, 2014, 01:56:01 PM
Been lurking here for about a year after running across the forum/blog searching for info on MVNO cell plans, figured it was time for an intro/progress update!

My wife and I are 30 somethings raising 3 kids on a single engineer salary that hasn't grown much over the past few years.  We actually started working on getting our financial house in order a couple years ago after finding out she was pregnant with twins and realizing that we were spending about 110% of our dual income (you'd think for an engineer I'd be a little better with numbers) but have really turned up the heat over the past year thanks to the great info on this site.  In that time we've gone up 2 kids, down 1 salary and are significantly more financially stable thanks to a 28% reduction in living expenses.  We still have a rather large student loan and a couple of other smaller loans to pay off but should be debt free in the not too distant future thanks to our newfound badassity, a term I use loosely as compared to others on this forum!

A few of the many wins this year:
-Cell phone bill from $202 to $46 thanks to Ting
-$260/month average fuel savings from combo of trading our Toyota Sequoia for a Prius and me bike commuting ~80mi/week
-30lbs off my still overweight frame thanks to said bike commuting
-$500 (not an extra zero there) less per month spent on food compared to 2yrs ago despite buying more fresh produce and lean protein and having a 6' tall 14yr old in the house who eats everything he sees
-Opened a Mint account and stopped spending multiple hours a week entering things into my budget spreadsheet (continued frugality muscle workouts will take this even farther)
-Spent less time perusing the auto section of Craigslist (I'm a bit of a gearhead) and started posting on my blog for the first time in about a year and a half.  (Probably also saved $ not buying crap I don't need here too but I haven't been tracking that)

My wife thought I was a little crazy at first but taking MMM's approach of setting the example and practicing what I preach has really helped bring her around on (most) things, not spending hundreds per month on parts for my car projects and my death warmed over look after biking 11mi home from work at 5PM on a 105 degree day are probably key contributors. We'll have one loan paid off next month and the others (hopefully) by Jan'16 with the next target being killing the student loan which will leave us debt free aside from our mortgage which has ~$120k left on it and will be next on the list!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsWillow on September 20, 2014, 08:48:18 AM
Hi,
I am excited to finally start commenting after reading voraciously all summer. I am married with 2 kids. We have started the MM lifestyle, the timing couldn't have been better. My SO has recently been given a lay off notice, so we will be budgeting out of necessity. I am looking forward to great advice as I continue to check in....daily.
MsW
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustacheNorway on September 20, 2014, 01:26:36 PM
Hi everybody...

I am Ronnie, I am 33 years old , live in Norway with my lovely girlfriend with no kids but with  4 cats and a dog , in a really nice part of our own (very expensive) peice of heaven.. :)

I have a HUGE amount of debt, for several unimportant reasons. Totally $387.000 , my part of the house is worth $315.000 (Yeah, Norwegian houseprices is redicolous) , so some of it are "covered" , but we have no plans of moving so the debt will remain.

I have a well paying job, with overtime and some travel it totals to $94.500 a year.

I am VERY glad i found MMM , and in the two month's I've been reading it from beginning to end I have already started to have a very significant change in attitude and how I handle money.

Before I found the MMM Blog I never had enough money each month, and always had to work overtime to get the ends to meet.
Now, after only two months, I can actually not work any overtime, and still be able to save about $150, but I always work a lot , so I save (or actually pay on my depts) substansially.

My next move is to sell the, "stupid" way too expensive car, that will make my debt go down about $25.000 and I can use the money I am paying down the car mortage with, against one of my other mortages. I will instead buy a cheaper car that I own myself , without any debt.

At the moment I do a lot of payments ($3800 regular payment + all overtime income) to get dept free as soon as possible.
My plan is to be debt free in 7 years and use another 5-6 to get FI.

This would never been been even close to realistic without getting the input I have gotten from MMM. So thank you in opening my eyes.
If I had been able to do one thing over,  it would be to kick my 25 year old self repeatadly in the face, and tell him to grow up.....  :)  But I am finally on the right track. :)

Otherwise I love to travel, reading books, build things (redecorating the house , doing add ons etc). So I generally enjoy life.
I would also like to take the opportunity to say that you can get FI even with a redicolous amount of debt if you just have the right attitude.

An off topic question , are there any country based threads \ sections?  Would be cool to have a Norwegian Corner, where we could trade services, goods etc , the frugal way.

- Ronnie

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ViragoStache on September 20, 2014, 08:30:38 PM
Hey, ViragoStache here.  Located in the Midwest (Milwaukee WI area) I'm in my 40s, married with two young boys.  Found MMM early this year and read it from first to last post.  Love the idea and trying to sell it to the hubby.

Really glad to have the forum as anyone you tell you are "retiring early" looks at you like you are crazy.  They are all scared and stuck (perhaps with debt, but at least with consumerism).  Or they laugh and think I'm joking.  Won't that retirement party be a surprise :)

It's great to have like minded people here and love the possibility of meeting up with local Mustachians!

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coin on September 21, 2014, 09:19:39 AM
Hi!  I'm coin, I'm 24 and live in Perth, Western Australia.  I have a partner who is more 'mustachian' in some ways (e.g. he has a higher savings rate than me) but less so in others (he's not all that interested in early retirement/financial independence while I am all over this stuff).

I've been reading the blog for a while now, but only recently gotten into it.  I've mostly been focusing on substituting my more spendy habits with some more frugal ones.  The idea of bikes has really caught on with me, to the point where I packed a lunch and cycled from Morley to Fremantle (~33kms) yesterday.  I didn't think it was something I could do, because I'm unfit and asthmatic, but I did it!  Sure, maybe I'm not the fastest, but that packed lunch tasted like victory (take that, asthma!).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustacheNorway on September 21, 2014, 11:06:47 AM
Hi!  I'm coin, I'm 24 and live in Perth, Western Australia.  I have a partner who is more 'mustachian' in some ways (e.g. he has a higher savings rate than me) but less so in others (he's not all that interested in early retirement/financial independence while I am all over this stuff).

I've been reading the blog for a while now, but only recently gotten into it.  I've mostly been focusing on substituting my more spendy habits with some more frugal ones.  The idea of bikes has really caught on with me, to the point where I packed a lunch and cycled from Morley to Fremantle (~33kms) yesterday.  I didn't think it was something I could do, because I'm unfit and asthmatic, but I did it!  Sure, maybe I'm not the fastest, but that packed lunch tasted like victory (take that, asthma!).

Kudos to you!!    Impressive!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Monkey Uncle on September 21, 2014, 12:39:40 PM
Hi,

I'm 46, married with a son in college, and live in WV, USA.  My wife and I have always prided ourselves on being frugal, but somehow our passively expanding spending always seems to keep pace with my slowly expanding salary.  I've always maxed out the employer match on my 401k, but beyond that we've found long-term saving to be difficult.  Recently we've redoubled (quadrupled?) our efforts, with a goal of retiring by the time I hit 55 (or sooner, if possible).

I'm enjoying all the great tips on the blog and in the forum and looking forward to trading advice with you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FreeWheel on September 21, 2014, 04:08:50 PM
Hi everybody! My long time wife and I never had a budget, never really looked at or tracked the dollars going in or out. We just always spent less than we made as a matter of course.

We had an extremely low cost wedding, saved double the down payment necessary for a home before we married. Kept other loans to a minimum, would never allow ourselves to pay any interest on credit cards. We always thought paying anything monthly for TV was way too silly to ever sign up for.

I've had a passion for bicycles my entire life, always repairing/restoring and riding them. Many bikes that were trash finds, donations, or bought at low cost, have been sold for profit, or given to people in need. When I finish a bike it is 100% ready to go, and looks good too. I've been cycling to work for over 8 years.

We kept our cars for 10-15 years (spent way more years without a car loan than with) and paid off the home mortgage early. Started putting 12-14% into our 401k's early on, and ended up saving outside of that every month because we never spent it all. Today, at 54 and 52, we figure we are on track for a very comfortable retirement at the normal age.

After reading MMM for many months, I now see that we could have easily been retired a while ago!  Even so, we're in great financial shape, so I don't feel I need to punch myself (or my wife!) in the face too hard.

I've recently started dropping hints with my wife that with a few changes, one or even both of us could retire earlier than we planned. I'm taking it slow, but don't expect it to be too hard of a sell!

It's great to join up with a group of like minded people. I look forward to shooting the breeze with all of you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Unkempt Stash on September 21, 2014, 04:52:48 PM
Hello Community :)

My name is Jake and I live in the Midwest. I'm in my early 30s and have a long way until FIRE.

I enjoy my career in software, but I would love to be able to either donate my skills to good causes or to start small businesses for myself.

Alternatively, being able to donate a large portion of my working income would be a good place to be...

I was raised poor and I love the idea of reaching FI and working because I *want* to, but with no fear.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ImCheap on September 22, 2014, 07:36:47 AM
Hello all,

After reading this site for over a year now I thought what the heck, might as well join up.

I'm mid 40's and have been mostly doing the MMM thing as far as I can remember, looking forward to some good conversations.

We LYBM and index our investments.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Knapptyme on September 22, 2014, 10:14:40 AM
Hi, I'm Steve. My wife, son (2.5), and I live in the Jacksonville, FL area, bike to work, and love life. While my wife may continue to teach even after we reach FI, I will be retired in about nine years' time at age 42.

We have a lot to learn, and love doing so, but financially we are in a great place ready to buy our first rental property.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Luke Warm on September 22, 2014, 12:38:52 PM
Howdy. Carl from Pensacola, FL. I've been lurking for a while, trying to absorb some of this knowledge. I don't have much money knowledge but I'm good at not spending it. I make decent money for being relatively uneducated. My GF and I do all our retirement stuff through a financial planner and he says we're doing alright. I don't mind working but I'm not a career type person. I commute by bike, eat a lot of vegetables, say my prayers, all the good things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moby32 on September 22, 2014, 10:09:25 PM
Hello all,

Lurking for a bit over a month now, first post.  I work for a team of financial advisors at a large brokerage firm, and am excited to start tracking my journey to FI.  I am not a full blooded mustachian (I actually fly to another state for work), but I am gaining quite a bit of perspective from reading this forum.  Unfortunately working in my chosen career has severely skewed my perspective of reality and needs vs. wants.  I am trying to rediscover what is truly important, and how much passive income I need to be happy.  I am married, with two awesome dogs.

I hope to add some value to the forum and look forward to sharing/learning from you all.  I am extremely VALUE focused, not in the investment sense, but in the consumer sense.

Best,

Moby32
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Olive Branch on September 23, 2014, 03:35:20 PM
Hey folks, I'm Marcelo, currently living in Montreal, Canada. I'm a teacher by trade and in my mid-twenties. I've been reading the MMM blog for about a year and I've already spread the word of Mustachianism to my immediate family!

I decided to join the forum community because I'm sure that I can get great advice from other Mustachians as well as remind myself that early retirement is possible, and achievable to even a low earner like me! I've taken my first steps to early retirement by investing a bunch of my checking account money on Questrade and am prepared to retire Canadian Couch Potato style.

But even so, there's more I could do to get that freedom earlier, and I'll be scouring the forums and participating in discussions to discover those things I could be doing! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: manonfire1007 on September 25, 2014, 10:32:40 PM
Ok, here goes.
37, high income with high student loans and higher than wise spending, though improving. Now on an actual budget. Happily married to one less interested in mustachinism than I, though she has her frugal points. Achievements in moving more in that direction come via negotiation.
Stats: 37 yo making 250k/ year. The income is recent as school took a while and I've moved up in my position in the last 3 years. Started 401k (maxed) and matched deferred comp plan when money came in 3 years ago. Have 280k in student loans and 238k mortgage on 15 year fixed. Average percentage is 5%. Take home pay after taxes and 401k is 14600/ mo. Live on 6k plus 2k mortgage. Pay 2700 in debt and accelerate with an extra 2k per month as the debt snowball. It would be more but that was what was negotiated. It puts me on track to be debt free in 8 years. The plan is then to half the difference between what I earn (14.6k) and budget to spend (6k) and save half and play/help others with the other half. All told it puts me at 1.7 mil at age 55.
I eat out more than I should. I drive an sub, as does she. I could bike but can't arrive at work sweating like a pig, which is what would happen. My suv is the luxury I allow myself and am unashamed. I love it and will drive it until it dies in 20 years. It is also very safe and my income goes away if I get hurt. No bikes on roads, no motorcycles or minicars. The house is very efficient and energy costs are low. No drinking and kids are well cared for. Wife could produce 80k a year but elects to stay home as a full time mom which I am thrilled to support.
Am working on whittling down the budget and am picking the low hanging fruit. I am not full on mustachian, but have adopted some principles to my betterment.
 Thoughts?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 9ofPentacles on September 26, 2014, 06:44:24 AM
Hey there Mustachians,

It's about time I introduced myself. I'm Denise, and I'm pretty obsessed with this site. I'm a 51-year-old widowed single mom of four kids--three grown and gone and a 12-year-old still at home. I've been working as a waitress since I was a teenager.

I wish I could say I've been a financial badass all this time, but it's only since my husband died four years ago that I was able to pay off our debt (except the mortgage) with the life insurance money. We were HORRIBLE with money together. Turns out that I'm pretty good with money on my own though. Pretty good, but not yet badass! I've got some challenges coming up in the next few years, so I'm heading off to "Ask a Mustachian" section to pick all your very smart brains.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bytowner on September 26, 2014, 08:44:27 AM
Hey all,
I'm an almost 31 year old from Ottawa, Canada. I have a wife, a 2 year old daughter, and another on the way. I have a too-big mortgage and a horrendous commute, but otherwise I feel like things are okay. First goal: paying off that mortgage. Low interest rate, but peace of mind is important to me and my job isn't exactly a sure-thing long term.
Nice to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ferrisbueller on September 27, 2014, 02:39:34 PM
Hi all
Found mmm from another website forum and its been a revelation !

I'm 43 married with 3 small kids.  Every day I feel blessed with the family I have. I'm a financial consultant and earn around 150kpa wife is a 4 day working mom and earns around 80kpa

Background (lot of face punches here) I used (!) to love the finer things in life I suppose part of me still does so the spending part of my nature is not mustachian - I am NOT frugal by nature (sadly) and a am reforming luxury car addict. In my 30s drove a Porsche, expensive watch, lots of luxury holidays, great wine, Michelin star restaurants etc etc you get the picture. I lost around 50k on the Porsche and a bad financial investment which are probably the biggest non lifestyle fuckups I've made. Interestingly I was always into voluntary discomfort (marathon runner, gave up meat for periods of time) as a way of making life taste that bit sweeter and I've always been stoical in recognising how blessed I've been in my life. I also maxed my pension contributions in my 20s, never had credit card debt, and drove a crappy cheap car until my 30s, maybe there IS some mustachian in my DNA ??

Our house is worth around $1M and our equity is about 500k, my pension investments are around 280k and we have around 40k in savings. Wife has a government pension to look forward to. I inherited around 80k when my mother died last year and I paid off the two small car loans, dumped a chunk off the mortgage and had some work done on the house and kept the rest (did buy myself a pair of $300 cuff links) in the bank.

Then I found mmm around 6 months ago

Wife and I bought bikes, I'm selling my BMW (my family and friends are amazed/worried) in favour of bike/public transport, I've increased my pension and investment contributions to $3250pm ($800pm from employer on top), no big ticket luxury items bought, started reducing grocery spend, started a spending diary, took a cheap 3 week holiday with family (we all had our bikes too - brilliant time!). Wife a natural frugal/ mustachian. We still have iPads, iPhones, epic speed broadband and to be honest we're keeping them (I'm never gonna rotate bike tyres or buy a years supply of rolled oats to save $5 - it ain't me)

Still spend a lot each month
Mortgage 2.5k
Child care 2.1k (ouch)
Food 1.5k
Utilities 400
Cable 100
Insurance 250
Lots more I haven't yet a handle on

On balance I feel we're many years from FI because of the ages of our kids and the cost of childcare and education and my nature (love what I work at and enjoy working with the people i work with)but I'm working on my nature and enjoying this new way of living and thinking more than I ever thought I would. Wife buying in too (I think she secretly thought mmm was my latest fad until I put the BMW up for sale)

Thanks mmm for everything
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TooOld on September 28, 2014, 06:16:34 PM
I just signed up  today, 62 and still working thats why my handle is TooOld. I own my home, car,truckand collector car. still owe on small travel trailer. Have loaned both kids money still awaiting pay back on one. would like to retire in 2-3 years, dont have enough in investments to retire yet. trying to decide if I should pay off trailer with investment money
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr Dorothy Dollar on September 29, 2014, 07:42:25 PM
Hello, I am late 20's. Spouse is early 30's. So far we have: Paid off our modest student debt; bought a modest home less than 1 times our yearly salary; my workday commute is from the bedroom to the basement; Next stop is maxing Roth and then 401K/TSP.

I don't know if I would ever want to fully retire yet I would like the option. I like being busy.

Where are all my fellow young people.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oinkette on September 30, 2014, 08:49:50 AM
Hello,

I've been posting for a while so I guess I should officially introduce myself!

OINKette: One Income, No Kids...female. 36 years old.  Too old for ERE but hopefully ER.

I live in Houston, TX (this may change as I'm looking for a new job elsewhere, though I do love it here). Originally from Los Angeles. 

Income: ~$60,000
Expenses: ~$24,000
FIRE Goal: $600,000 with the house paid off (if I'm still in Houston).
Timeline: 10 years



 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: startsomewhere on September 30, 2014, 10:20:42 AM
Hi, Im Nichole. im a single mom with a 9 year old trying to figure out how to stay afloat.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on September 30, 2014, 10:57:52 AM
Hello, I am late 20's. Spouse is early 30's. So far we have: Paid off our modest student debt; bought a modest home less than 1 times our yearly salary; my workday commute is from the bedroom to the basement; Next stop is maxing Roth and then 401K/TSP.

I don't know if I would ever want to fully retire yet I would like the option. I like being busy.

Where are all my fellow young people.

We're around. :-) Way to go with your accomplishments, and welcome!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shortbus on October 01, 2014, 11:44:27 AM
Hi all,

I'm 36 & married with a toddler. Just took a big leap and moved from our big house far away from work to a rented townhouse less than half the size on an island close to nowhere but work. Fortunately I love my career and really don't care much about retiring early. I'm here mainly for inspiration on saving, dropping out of the consumeristic lifestyle and simplifying my life so my wife and I can spend more time with the little one while she's still little. Been reading for a few months, figured it was time to say hello!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gaiusbaltar on October 02, 2014, 11:47:22 AM
Hi Everyone,

My wife and I are PhD students. We somehow stumbled onto MMM three years ago when we were starting our programs. I think maybe it was the True Cost of Commuting article that first brought us to the blog, but once we started reading we loved the philosophy and the goal of ER. At that time we had a student loan debt, but now it's long paid off and we're sitting on a hefty sum in vanguard investments.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2Birds1Stone on October 02, 2014, 08:07:28 PM
Hi there! Fairly new to the community, have been reading like a madman the past couple of days.

Have been working full time for about 4 years, always had a knack for saving and despite a mediocre income and living in one of the most expensive places in the US I have been lucky enough to maintain a 40-50% savings rate.

Looking forward to increasing that and learning as much as possible. Goal to full FIRE is 13 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EvenKeeled on October 02, 2014, 10:21:36 PM
Hi everyone.

I found MMM a few weeks ago, read through (almost) all the posts and some comments (too many to read!), and now I'm reading the forums for ideas, inspiration, and eventually support.

I'm a 55 year old single man with no kids. Currently self-employed but studying online for a new career to make more money. I started this before I found MMM.

I'm naturally pretty frugal...with certain occasional expensive exceptions. Between saving and investing over the years and a recent inheritance I have a pretty nice stash.

I just started tracking my expenses yesterday with YNAB. I'm very curious to see how much I spend in a month! Might be able to retire in about five years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PeanutUtd on October 03, 2014, 10:19:31 PM
Have been reading both the forum and the MMM blog for a while. Am a 35 year old Australian living in Singapore. My wife is from the USA and is currently finishing her PhD.

My wife has been frugal the whole time I've known her. So I guess the biggest changes from reading MMM have been mine (taking lunch to work, switching to coffee at home, taking the train to work during the times it is free etc)

We've come to Singapore because of my job and are really enjoying our time here. Saving rate is up from about 5% to around 50%, looking forward to further improvements on that front.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lost In Space on October 06, 2014, 04:31:41 PM
 Hi Guys,
 My name is Jeff From Northeast Ohio.
 Ready set GO!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nyold on October 07, 2014, 10:04:12 AM
Hello,

I'm Henry from Boston. I found your blog recently (a month ago or so) and have been reading the forums, but only started creating an account now because I had a question.

As for investing, I've been investing a little bit but I found the forums here to be a treasure trove of information that I'd have to digest slowly.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kimchi Bleu on October 07, 2014, 03:58:11 PM
Hi, I'm Jacqueline from Indiana.  Married with 3 teens, looking to retire in 10 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mlinquist on October 07, 2014, 04:09:03 PM
Hey, my name is Mike,
I'm new to this forum but excited about all I can learn here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stachdownunder on October 07, 2014, 10:38:44 PM
Hi my name is Ash,

Im a recent convert- my husband and I had a small personal loan and a mortgage but had been haemorrhaging money for the last 5 years or so- nothing major, just not really getting ahead and accumulating a house full of stuff we don't need.

Since reading MMM we have reassessed where we are at and have some goals in place, looking forward to learning more and creating a better future.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thatbrowncat on October 08, 2014, 02:40:06 AM
Hi! My name's Nurj, and I'm from the Philippines.

I've been inconsistently following MMM, and I thought how "nice"  articles were.
I really liked the philosophy---even if it seemed hardcore to me.
However, I thought his articles weren't applicable to my situation since I don't live in the United States.
Until I re-read his "Get rich with Bikes" numerous times.


It wasn't until I realized that I wanted to be in a community who were  committed to apply mustachianism in their lives,  did I have the guts to post here.

I wanted to talk with people who wouldn't ridicule me when I tell them "I want to bike to work"
I wanted to talk with people who cared for their financial independence.

...and so here I am :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ze-french-architecte on October 08, 2014, 01:26:54 PM
Hello moustachians,

I was happily along my plan to a better simpler life when !pow! I lost my job a week ago.

So now I NEED to get badass and frugal to a whole new level real quick 'cause I'm gonna have to rely on 1200 euros per month from now on.
This is why I joined the forum, to get very very concrete advice right from the best bunch.
I could just read and leech info, but it is more polite to say hi...  and I will share on subjects if I have anything useful to add ;)

So I'm not the Architect from the Matrix, nope, sorry to disappoint...
I'm 28, Canadian-American (but haven't spent more that 6 months combined in the USA since my birth, unfortunately) living in France since '06.
Mother of one, step-mother of one, so I have truly made my nest here in La Rochelle (France, west coast style!).

Sounds fun, eh? It is ! We are dirt poor in a very bad economy, but this is a nice place to be just that.

I am an architect, got the papers to proove it and all, got my B.Sc at ULaval, Québec, my Masters in Nantes, France. Have been working in architectural practices for 5 years.
My husband used to be an accountant/external auditor but now owns and works in a restaurant.
We love reading and commenting science magasines, reading in general, history, and politics. Politics are funny/depressing here in France, and is the topic of 50% of intelligent TV shows here (non-intelligent is reality TV, games and stale TV series from the States of course!) so we have endless entertainment right there.
I must say we are the sedentary type, more enclined to eat and drink with friends and take a short walk on the shore, than paddle on the beautiful ocean we have here. This should change because I would love to be a hardcore outdoors girl.

We love our almost 2-year old daugter, love-hate our 15 year old adolescent boy who wants nothing but money from us (it's a phase... he is a good boy somewhere inside that teenager's body of course), and we have a cat, who is just a cat, you know, completely indifferent to us and nowhere near Youtube standards for funny/cute cats.

Voilà! any French expats here ? or expats IN France? Someone who would like advice on travelling ?
anything goes to break the ice !

Cordialement, Emily ze french architecte
Title: Re: hello from beautiful Tennessee!
Post by: iOWNthisBEARD on October 09, 2014, 09:13:15 PM
Hey everyone ... Stumbled upon MMM via Reddit, and very thankful I did.  We've gotten a bit reckless over the past few years with our spending habits and finding this forum has really helped me refocus over the past few weeks of lurking.

About Me & My Fam:
I'm 30, my wife is 28.  I'm a high school drop out, started a business about 6 years ago with my wife & I's, life savings of $9,500.  We were "millionaire's" by 26.  We have 2 beautiful children, live in a beautiful part of the country, and are hoping to "retire" early.  We carry no debt outside of a 15 yr note on a rental of ours.  However ~ Spending close to 6 figures a year on "necessities" I would count as reckless.  Its time to button down the hatches!

Can't wait to dive deeper in to MMM! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ze-french-architecte on October 10, 2014, 03:03:28 AM
Hi Ze-french-architecte, I could write this post in French but it's more polite to do it in English for everyone else.

How low are how into Mustachianism? For me, It’s been 13 months and I can tell you, even if I was pretty much Mustachian by myself before I known that THING, we are now full throttle.

I went to U.L. myself as an Agronomist and I just realized I can live with the same expenses from those student years but we bring home 2 average salaries. Nobody from neighbors or friends could even know about this.

Comment est le climat à La Rochelle comparativement à Québec ?

Avez-vous la possibilité d'offrir de l'hébergement pour les touristes, ça pourrait apporter un revenu d’appoint.

Just keep up reading a lot of the MMM blogpost, biking, training, cooking and investing are the keys.

An alumni !
I have had a friend in UL that was studying agronomy.
Yes indeed keeping the student simple life witha growup paycheck is the best way to never feel pain and loss of puchasing power !
Good for you !
Living in Europe means there is already less waste as in NOrth America so it is challenging to cut back. I have found a house closer to work (10 km less, so 3-4km now for 200 euros more on rent per month, higher taxes too but I think this will still balance to a good move) and I use my car only 4days a week and will reduce that some more if I find daucare closer to our new location.
I will absolutely rent a room, what a good idea ! We don't need the extra bedroom to be empty while we wait for the next addition to the family !
I've only been reading the blog and forum for a month now. I have lots to learn and change in my life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Future Lazy on October 10, 2014, 07:42:43 AM
Hello!

My name is Kayla - I came across MMM from someone on the Bigger Pockets forums, and I'm super grateful that I did. There's a lot of information overload out there, but the MMM blog is a great crash course to get a little information and start into a lot of different things. I found this blog back in July, and I've read the entire thing (mostly while at work, hehe). I'm grateful it's here, since it keeps me from going bonkers day to day thinking I'm alone in the world. It also kept me from spending my emergency fund on a trip to Mexico based on "spend it while you've got it" philosophy. Yay!

About me: I'm 22 and married, I'm going on two years in my first paycheck earning job. I spent the first year paying down debts and acclimating to proper adulthood, but this year I've spent saving as much as I could and taking care of a lot of financial loose ends. I have no debt now, and I've saved up a 6 month emergency fund, and started my own blog to help keep myself on track. Definitely excited to get involved here in the forum and get some answers and more resources!

Thanks for reading, see you out there!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Architect on October 10, 2014, 05:36:41 PM
So I'm not the Architect from the Matrix, nope, sorry to disappoint...
I'm 28, Canadian-American (but haven't spent more that 6 months combined in the USA since my birth, unfortunately) living in France since '06.
Mother of one, step-mother of one, so I have truly made my nest here in La Rochelle (France, west coast style!). ... Have been working in architectural practices for 5 years.

LOL! I'm a 28 year old  American (US) architect who lives near Canada and has 5 years of experience but do not have my license, and yet, I am The Architect!

Anyway, found this site on accident. Discovered it'd fit well with our current, already pretty frugal (but not by the standards here), lifestyle. Working on re-gearing my family's financial life to see if we can make it work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NatureKnight on October 11, 2014, 11:42:33 AM
Hello,

I've been reading some MMM for a few months. Finally starting to get serious with saving for retirement and for a house. My husband and I are low- to mid-20s. First kid on the way. I'll stay home with him/her and whatever others we have. Not sure what I will do when they start school.

We're almost done paying off our debt, and almost done with our emergency fund. Then, we'll start trying to get our 20% down payment saved up for, because I hate sharing walls with people.

Still pretty confused on what all we should be doing to save for retirement. My husband likes what he does, so we aren't necessarily shooting for early retirement. That's about it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: flamingo25 on October 11, 2014, 08:42:50 PM
Hello!

I am a late-twenties woman from the PNW. Been married to my husband for just over 5 years. No kids due to unfortunate fertility issues but considering possibly adopting one day.

We have always been pretty frugal and followed Dave Ramsey's plan since we were dating. We have a decent amount in savings/retirement and we have no debt except a reasonable mortgage.

Goals: Pay off our mortgage within the next 5 years, retire early (not sure of exact date for that yet, still new to this).

I'm a frugal person but still struggle with loving shopping and buying things. I'm realizing that although I tend to buy inexpensive things I still shop too much and buy loads of useless crap. My husband is much better about this. My new thing is going to library when I have the urge to shop. It soothes the craving for "stuff" and everything is free!

I'm just dusting off my bike and am going to try to bike/walk more as much as possible. I don't think I'm going to tackle bike commuting just yet, but my husband might in the semi-near future.

Nice to "meet" all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cookie on October 11, 2014, 11:47:48 PM
Hello everyone!

My husband and I are in our early 20s and while we were both decently frugal our whole lives, we are excited to start learning about how to be even more frugal and start investing our savings! We have no debt and are saving for a down payment on a house when we move back to the States in two years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Greenroller on October 13, 2014, 12:30:14 AM
Hello,
Long time lurker coming out of the shadows. Love this site and the sense of community you all have going on around here. Although I feel pretty mustachian I have found myself not being on top of my frugal ways lately. This coupled with my husband hating his job has re-inspired me to try to get us to FIRE sooner. I am 36, DH is 33, and we have 2 kiddos. We live in the suburbs of Denver Colorado. We both have about $200K each saved in 401k, a Roth IRA, and some mutual funds totalling $50K, and  college fund for the kids totalling 200k.  Our focuse has been to get our $300,000.00 home paid down and I am happy to say we have less than $40,000 left on our mortage. No credit card debt and are about $6,000.00 away from having my car paid off. Our annual income is $120,000.00.  I really want to stay motivated but often feel I come down with 'frugal fatigue' and loose the drive to be so frugal. My husband doesnt get exhausted by it all like I do, then again- I am the one who manages all financial aspects of our lives. Anyhow~ I am officially joining in hopes to get more motivation and inspiration.  :P
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mancityfan on October 14, 2014, 10:28:11 AM
Hi there, I have been reading for several months, but have just started to post. About me:

51 male. Born in the UK but moved over to the US around 26 years ago. I was a nurse at the time. I moved into teaching in the late 90s and now have 15 years in my local school system. I am teaching at a good school.

I am married with 3 children. Ages 15, 17, and 20. The oldest is in college.

Financial goals regarding retirement: I am hoping to retire around 60. My wife is 5 years older and I hope she can retire around 60 also. We make a combined $110-120k a year. We save around 15% of our net income - not very mustachian I know :-). We have had 2 recent windfalls that have significantly helped our NW as a result of inheritances - yes, we are certainly "lucky" as per another current thread. We used this money to pay off our mortgage and invest more. Current NW including house value is around 1.3M.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: noexcuses227 on October 14, 2014, 04:27:02 PM
Hi all,

Long time lurker on the "overheard at work" posts. 

37 married to a wonderful lady, we both have mini mustaches due to our frugal lives and Dave Ramsey. Have 3 little mustachians in training.  We thought we were hardcore with having NO Debt (including mortgage) until we found Mr. Money Mustache. 

We both dream of FIRE, I know I will always be doing something to stay active just not digging the work scene.  Have a good paying job now, not a huge fan of going into work for a variety of reasons.

Columbus Ohio
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: arielcole on October 14, 2014, 06:02:57 PM
Hello!

I'm 23, living at my parents house, attempting to pay off my 30k of student debt ASAP.

Love this blog, and this community. It's really inspiring, especially because I come from a family of consumer suckas and car clowns, trying to change that in them too.

-Portland Oregon
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AgileTurtle on October 16, 2014, 07:13:13 AM
Hi
Been reading for a while and decided to jump in and become friends.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Annie_B on October 18, 2014, 10:33:05 AM
Hi!

I'm 29 and from the UK. FI was a foreign concept to me until a few months ago when I stumbled accross the MMM blog. The more I read the more I realised that I have already been applying many mustachian principles for years... with a bit more work could I just maybe achieve FI one day? Eureka moment!

I still have a lot to learn so my current focus is to gain knowledge about investing so that I can get my savings working harder.

Enjoying the wealth of infomation I'm finding on the blog and forum - thanks to all!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: One Day on October 19, 2014, 07:49:22 AM
Hi!

Another LTL.

33, married with a preschooler and a baby. Been supporting my family for years, with a good job, while my husband finishes his doctorate and training.

MMM has been my nursing and late night reading for months. Thought I was frugal but pale in comparison to many here. I have learned a lot - thanks!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cdnpink on October 19, 2014, 01:07:51 PM
Hi all,

I am a recent grad in my mid 20's and I have just landed myself my first salaried job! I don't remember how I found MMM but as I start my working life I am very glad that I did! I have been in and out of credit card debt cycles twice in my credit owning history and have vowed that I will never go back there. I am hoping to figure out ways to be a Mustachian career woman, so I joined the forum and hope to learn a whole lot more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lion9rock on October 20, 2014, 10:45:58 AM
Hello,

I 'm Adam Tran, I come from Singapore. Now I am a marketer about social media. I submit MMM via reddit.
I have a tool that can help people find facebook ID. If you want it, you can find them at my website (on Signature)
Nice to meet all of you :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: powersuitrecall on October 20, 2014, 01:22:02 PM
Hi there Mustachians,

I'm Graham, half of a happy couple (me early-40s her mid-30s) with a couple of adorable kids. We live in the frosty North - Ottawa, Canada.

Our goals:  Pay off the mortgage, get our non-RE net worth up enough to check out of the rat race (while enjoying ourselves as much as humanly possible).

Nice to be here!

Cheers!
Graham
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sandersmc on October 20, 2014, 08:06:25 PM
Hello,

I'm an attorney in Madison, WI.  My wife and I are relatively frugal, but a long ways from mustachian.   We've been saving for years but with no real plan.  I found this site in January and have been lurking and learning ever since.  Great information.  Seemed like a good time to join.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: senecando on October 21, 2014, 09:06:54 AM
Hello,

I'm an attorney in Madison, WI.  My wife and I are relatively frugal, but a long ways from mustachian.   We've been saving for years but with no real plan.  I found this site in January and have been lurking and learning ever since.  Great information.  Seemed like a good time to join.

Heck yes it was a good time to join: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/madison-wi-november-meetup/msg429582/#msg429582
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GoodStash BadStache on October 21, 2014, 11:32:13 AM
Hello all,

I'm Paul, a West Michigan resident.  I'm in my mid-30's, married, and currently have one youngster at home.  After reading up on MMM articles and lurking on the message board for a couple of months I'm finally getting registered to get and give some feedback.

My wife and I have lived a pretty frugal lifestyle and with both of us in technical careers had amassed a pretty significant nest egg.  I hadn't really considered ER until coming across MMM (and some other ER Bloggers) and am looking at ways we might be able to get out of the rat-race sooner.  We don't have a timeline laid out yet, but I think we're moving in the right direction!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: subassy on October 21, 2014, 08:16:51 PM
I just found this website/forum via an extensive money-saving guide for cell phone and other media expenditures (a thread by "I.P. Daily," not sure the section of the forum). Guess I'm doing it a bit backwards since I've read very little of the actual blog as of yet.

I keep getting my hours cut back so I didn't have much choice but to learn to live really frugally/cheaply. I started a spreadsheet to track income versus expenditures, also track via YNAB and just for good measure I take pics receipts (only for things purchased with credit cards) with my phone so I can save/tag in Evernote (pay stubs as well). I think I felt better back before I knew just how much I over-spent.

I am single and I don't have any debt, just a modest savings. The house I rent is cheap for the region/square footage and I'm driving a car from 1997. My work is actually only about 1/3 of a mile from where I live and I own a bicycle but I usually end up driving anyway (for reasons I can explain if someone were really interested).

My main goals right now is to get a secondary job or a new job and to keep living cheaply. I have to say I'm definitely looking forward to exploring the blog/forum and learning what it's all about. That and quitting my Starbucks habit. I don't drink, smoke or have any other vices. Just daily Starbucks. That can add up after a while.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FoundPeace on October 24, 2014, 05:03:48 AM
Hi everyone,

My name is Curtis. I have a wife and 2 kids (toddler and a baby). I'm an entry level mechanical engineer and my wife is a SAHM. I want to save up enough money that I can work part time, open my own business with my wife, or become a SAHD while my wife works. I love this philosophy because I no longer have to worry about money and I can see the endless possibilities that this freedom brings.

I've been reading MMM for a few months now and I'm loving it. I've already made a few posts in the forum, but decided it was time to introduce myself.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs. Pomodoro on October 24, 2014, 06:53:04 PM
Hi there! Another long time reader and first time poster here. I'm in my early 40's, still working full-time; hubby's in his late 30's and have stopped working for over a year now to take care of our now 2-year-old while working towards his dream of becoming a teacher. I guess he can be considered FIRE'd since our stash is generating more than his share of the expenses. Oh, we also have 2 dogs and 3 cats, making us a big (and mostly) happy family of 8.

We're both brought up by frugal parents so we're pretty good with money in general, always living within our means. I stumbled upon YMOYL, ERE and consequently MMM a few years ago when I was deeply unsatisfied with my previous job. Since then we've worked out that we are able to live on one income and can probably FIRE in a different part of the world right now. My current job is still mildly interesting and quite flexible so I don't mind working a little longer while sorting out the details. Our goal is to FIRE completely in the next 3 or 4 years so we can both pursuit whatever takes our fancy and attempt to homeschool the kiddo.

I'd like to participate in this community more to connect with like-minded people. We are very grateful for the situation we're in, but living in the least remodeled house on the block, (proudly) driving possibly the cheapest car in the company parking lot and turning down family and friends' invitations to fancy vacations do make us wonder if we're doing the right thing from time to time. We're very inspired by what people here have achieved and are motivated to get our act together to make FIRE happen. We've already learned tons from the blog and the forum and look forward to discussing and contributing more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Renaissance man on October 26, 2014, 05:35:48 AM
Hi,

My name's Jaako, from Sweden but living in London, UK. I'm very new to the idea of living through a frugal approach. Being a 38 year old alcoholic (yes, I share absolutely everything about myself) I've literally messed up the most tasks and people not to speak about my finances so far in life so obviously don't have any savings but instead pointless debts. Since being introduced to AA some 2.5 years ago and having been sober since I've gotten a new life and a whole bunch of awesome changes with the bonus of a great new life and future. Still dealing with the aftermath of the carnage left behind me I've now gotten the answers to my financial problems here at MMM's blog. Just like with my alcoholic condition it was just a matter of acquiring a new perspective on money and my relationship with it, and the key to that change happened here.

Recently started the attack on my credit cards. Have about £5K to clear and then I'm debt free at least. Waiting for an old loan repayment to finish next month (was set up 3 years ago jointly with my ex to clear a £9K credit card debt) in December, so just one more month to go and then I have an extra £150/month going to the last CC.

I'm originally from Sweden but have been living and working in London the past 14 years. Recently divorced with one brilliant 7 year old son (brilliant ex as well I must add). Me and my ex had to live with together for about 3 years after our separation as I was unable to afford another accommodation with my salary at the time. It wasn't so much that I couldn't afford it really, I just spent the money I got non-frugally and couldn't stomach/dare move in to a house share. As I changed out of IT to become a personal trainer some 11 years ago (thinking my work was the problem at the time and hoping it would help me curb my drinking) and then lost most of my established business in the credit crunch 2009 with a two year old son and expensive childcare I decided to get back in to IT for some more stable salary. Needless to stay I had to start at the bottom bracket salary wise but now some 4 years later managed to move in to a slightly better paid job. Also  having shed most of the fears I had been carrying all my life I also found myself just ok with the idea of moving in to a house share and give my ex and myself some well needed space.

So, now with this awesome tool of frugal living I'm more enthusiastic about life and the future than ever. I can actually see myself having the power to stash away a pension and maybe even retire early, without having to rely on whatever government is in force can provide me. My older brother who has a massive mustache, introduced me to the idea of "tiny living" some time ago. Maybe that was actually what started this all for me and led me to MMM's blog, but either way that is my long term plan. I've always dreamed of building my own cottage in the woods and living off the grid, but the tiny house might be just the right transition for me.  Not to speak of that it will cut the cost of living immensely and make whatever pension I've saved work better. Anyway, that's the retirement plan.

The plan I'm trying to carry out for the near future (3-5 years) is to:
- Get rid of existing debts
- Save up enough money to put a down payment for a flat in Sweden (close to my parents and brother, niece and nephews)
- Move to Sweden, stay at my parents until I get a job.
- With the new job and savings get a mortgage for a flat for me and my son
- My son will move to Sweden with me and we'll start yet a new chapter there (ex still doesn't know what she wants to do, she's looking in to possibility of moving to Holland or Canada or somewhere?)

What I've done so far to cut down spending levels and acquire extra cash :

- Renting a room in a house share instead of own flat (£350 all inclusive instead of £700+ incl for a studio or 1 bed flat)

- Started commuting on the bike (20 miles/day) instead of motorbiking - wasn't very frugal with this buy* but cutting down £120/month in petrol + £36/month in insurance + any maintenance £500/year.

- Instead of a gym membership on top of my climbing center membership I started working out in the park for free. Currently 3+ times a week, saving at least £50/month on that.

- Cooking all my food myself now - slow cooker, eggs and frozen fish rules! Dropped food expenses from £250+ to £120
per month or so.

- Bought a little thermos to bring my own coffee and snacks to climbing center instead of buying their coffee. Suggesting walks in parks where i bring coffee and snacks instead of meeting friends in Cafe's. Been a success on all fronts. Saw my friends wife's creations posted on Facebook, out of the chestnuts he ended picking up for her during our walk last time.

- Bought a sewing machine (1901 hand driven Singer, pure beauty) for £30 buying cheap shirts and taking them in myself as well as started making my own Bike rain cape the way I like it as well as learning a new skill which I can hopefully be able to pass on to my son.

- Put my Suzuki Sv1000s 2003 on sale yesterday. Money (£1300+) will go to pay off CC.

- Selling other stuff like motorbike clothes and tools (£300+)

I might have been hasty dropping my Sunday work as Personal Trainer that I kept up after I quit it full time. That was about £200-£300/month extra for just a few hours work every Sunday afternoon, but new IT salary at new job more than makes up for that and not having to stress so much about getting things done during the weekends and feeling bad that I don't give my son enough of myself more and having to drag him to the gym to wait while I train my clients, is more worth it than I can explain. Plus side is that I have an extra skill I can make really good money from on top of regular employed work, whenever I find that i have the extra free time (like when my son gets older and more independent).

Have also started doing Salsa lessons (got a good deal on Groupon though, 11 lessons for £19 instead of £8 per class, saving £69), which might add some new expenses. But having been single for 3+ years it's about time I get out and actually meet some women and I've always wanted to be able to dance properly. Will most likely cancel/freeze my £50/month Climbing center membership for as long as I'm taking lessons. When I get to a club standard I'll just have to pay whatever entrance fees they charge at the Salsa clubs, so can carry on climbing again then. As I don't drink alcohol anymore anyway I only spend about 50p-£1 per lime and soda drink anyway, so when friends want to have a drink they can do the rounds and I pay for my own :) 

There you go. You should at least know who I am now pretty well. I'm now off for a workout in the park doing my standard workout of 5x5-8 Handstand pushups, super setted with 5x3+ Muscleups, followed by 2x10 Hanging leg raises super setted with 2x20 hanging upside down shrugs supersetted with 2x15 dips. And after that I'll go and pick up my son and his best friend take them to the local swimming pool and after that me and my son will take the 4 mile ride home to mine on our bikes. What a brilliant day and it's not even raining!

Oh, and a great thanks to Mr. MMM for all the great posts. I realise it's a bit of a cult thing this place but I figure I'm now of sound enough mind to see it's a good thing for me and I allow it to be what it is and take what I'm comfortable with and leave the rest alone until it makes more sense to me or I can rightfully discard it :)

* Not a very frugal bike purchase. I got stood up when going to buy a second hand bike off ads on our local "Gumtree", second time standing out in the freezing cold with my son for 45 min before giving it up. Got pissed off and decided to build my own "fixie", i.e purchased things on an emotional basis. Bought an old 70's Reynolds 356 frame, had it sand blasted and powder coated and then bought all bike parts separately and built the wheels etc myself. It was an awesome and fun experience but only afterwards did I realise that instead of having acquired a £100-£150 bike I had blown £500-600 on this one and on the credit card of course! Still an awesome bike that takes me well quick to work and anywhere else in London. Roughly 20 miles on the bike on the week days.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wanttolivethedream on October 26, 2014, 11:19:49 AM
Hi all, long time lurker but finally decided to join in. I found this site through Dave Ramsey site.A little about us. I'm 47 dw is 44.
Mortgage 110000.00
cc debt   500.00
We have no car pmts and never have. We only make about 60-70k yr combined. we have 45k in retirement and 3k in cash. The reason for joining is we're tired of having nothing for working all week.                   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fodder on October 26, 2014, 11:30:26 AM
Hi!  I'm Fodder.  I have two kids (6 and 2) and am married.  Both husband and I have full-time jobs and we live just outside Ottawa, Canada.

I probably deserve to be punched in the face, given income, commute and spending habits.

I'm working on changing that.

One area where I am quite mustachian is cars.  We have a 2005 Toyota Matrix, for which we paid cash in 2008.  It has 250 000 km on it, and I'm hoping to get another 100 000 km out of it.  I watch my friends who own multiple clown cars and laugh.  It's a great vehicle and suits all our needs.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: E_Ransom on October 26, 2014, 03:08:50 PM
Hello!

I'm E_Ransom and I'm wandering over from LessWrong. At 25, I'm the director of a small public library in an extremely poor part of the United States.

I'm not FI, but I'm finished with my schooling with a total lack of debt and around 10K of a nest egg, plus some very good habits. I've got the start of a Roth IRA through Vanguard (2k in a Targeted Retirement Fund, only a month or two old), and once I'm moved out I plan to start investing in stock index funds through the same company. At the moment, I pull in 26k before taxes and the biggest drain on my resources is a moderate case of Crohn's and my fee for the local Rotary club which social pressures make me nervous about leaving.

I've recently taken to minimalism life habits and have been strip-mining the material goods my family accumulated for me through youth, disposing of them for the sake of a healthy, free mental and physical surrounding. I currently live with my family, which is good because otherwise I'd have zero to put back. Hopefully, my next leap will be up into 60k at a university somewhere (I don't plan to step down on the totem pole, and library admin jobs at universities aren't like a bankrupt ghost town's admin jobs).

I've already been exposed to a lot of the central dogma of financial independence and how to obtain it, but I'm glad to find a vibrant, fun community based around helping each other. So, hope to see you all around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MySweets on October 26, 2014, 03:59:22 PM
Hello! I just spent the last few weeks reading the blog from the beginning. I'm all caught up now and ready to work my way through some of these forum threads. Lots of interesting stuff! Thank you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ender on October 27, 2014, 11:25:10 AM
Lots of new faces :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Indy007 on October 27, 2014, 01:56:34 PM
Hey everyone! Long time reader, first time poster here. Been following the blog and forum for about a year now and finally decided to sign up.

My name is Chris and I'm from Indianapolis. This site has already been really helpful in my life. This time last year I had over $18k in student loan debt, and I'm on track to pay that off in December thanks to a lot of tips and tricks I've learned here. I'm looking forward to continuing to learn and to contribute whenever possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chuckaluck on October 27, 2014, 05:18:29 PM
Hi everyone! This is a wonderful site and now I am proud to be associated with it.. Our story:  I retired about 2 years ago at age of 58 (I know, old by Mustachian standards!!) and my wife will retire in about 14 months.  I only wish this site existed 10 to 20 years ago so that I may have retired even earlier.  My wife and I have two sons in private colleges in the Cambridge and Boston area.  Because we have been living like Mustachians (unknowingly of course) since we've been married, we have not had to take out any loans for their educations. We also have always paid cash for cars, furniture, extensive home improvements, and most recently, dream vacations.  This is definitely the way to live life.   For those who have not yet reached financial independence, we can honestly tell you ---- It is worth it!  No worries --- we can do anything we want.       
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NM_Texan on October 29, 2014, 08:14:20 PM
Hi everyone!  I'm Austen.  I found the MMM blog a few months ago and have just recently started reading the forums in the last couple of days.  I'd never given any thought to FIRE before reading MMM, but I'm starting to fall in love with the idea.  I'm originally from Dallas but have moved out to the Bay Area for a job.  I recently finished paying off my student loans, and now I'm ready to start seriously saving for my future!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: greenleaf on October 31, 2014, 11:54:17 AM
Hi
I'm a 30something living in the northeast US with a husband and two young kids.  To our neighbors (and some family) we've always been "those crazy people" who bike and take the bus.  That plus several STEM degrees each has made us theoretically FI.  I hadn't seriously considered the RE part too much until recently, but I'll be leaving my job soon due to a policy change and that has me thinking about what to do next.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Alchemilla on November 01, 2014, 11:36:09 AM
Hello I'm Alchemilla. My family comprises two schoolteachers, three children and two pets.

I live in rural England and am very much a beginner at this. Loving the way you swear on this blog/forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: unemployedj on November 01, 2014, 02:28:28 PM
Hi.

Life story time!

Im J. I'm just about to be 26 and as of this week I'm unemployed. Got canned from my job with no warning and no reason. "It wasn't a good fit." Escorted out of the building. So my current income is zero! It was a corporate job and I was the lowest of the low on the ladder there. I never want to work a corporate job again. I'd almost rather go back to my retail but union job I had way back in the day. I dislike money and the make a profit at all costs mentality. I also am not the kind of person to lose sleep over that kind of bullsh*t and work late hours for it in order to "get ahead", missing out on my family, my friends, and other emotionally and physically fulfilling activities (like volunteering) so that I can work a god damned cubicle "making money." Any extra hours I spend working needs to be for myself. I know that much! Rat race, not for me. I'd rather live a modest living working for myself than make a lot of money working for someone else.

I have no savings, only one year of college completed (in music no less, completely worthless.) Not a whole lot of experience in anything other than retail and basic office assistance, reception, data entry type of work. I like to make things and have a small bit of creative talent I never fostered after dropping out of college. One of those smart, "lots of potential" type of people, but never utilized. A few thousand in debt as a result of being a complete idiot in my earlier 20's. I live with my boyfriend, who as of now is going to have to support me as well, he makes about 38k a year, but after he takes care of child support and other things for his daughter from a previous relationship, its about 27k left for himself, and now me as well.

I've got that cliche mid 20s crisis thing going on ya feel? Old enough to possibly be able to jump on that "no degree needed" revolution sweeping the country but just young enough to not have built up the "experience needed" to circumvent that degree, at least its unlikely at this very moment. Whatever I end up doing in the near future, I can bet its going to be on the less than 25k a year side of things, for sure. Actually, even when employed full time, my history has me averaged at about 22k a year.

No idea what the hell to do right now, but clearly living a frugal life and not letting myself fall into the pit needs to be on my to-do list.

And on the upside of things, being unemployed does put me in the position to do whatever the hell I want, I guess. I will probably end up going back to school for at least my associates in web and graphic design. Im really interested in other students who are working part or full time while practicing the MMM lifestyle.

Life story complete.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: roadtofreedom on November 02, 2014, 09:22:34 AM
Hi there, new in this site. I've been reading for last weeks.

I found this forum and MMM's history by chance. I am really excited by finding it because, in my own way I have been seeking for a long time the way to reach RE (I have a different understanding of the meaning of FI). I'am glad by finding a bunch of fellows with the same targets and motivations.

I'm 41 and my DW is 40. I consider myself as a medium mustachian, my DW is not mustachian at all but I do not consider her as a heavy spender.

We have high incomes and our Savings Ratio overcame to 80% last year and it is expected to reach to 82% this ytd. I could choose a rat race way of living but what makes me happy is to reach the financial freedom, get my own time and enjoy my family & friends instead of facing business travels around the world, daily workloads of 14 hours, .....

There is only one life and you have to enjoy it as much as you can.

I hope to write a lot and reach RE in less than 2 years. I work hard and steadily for that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shallow pockets on November 02, 2014, 08:22:12 PM
Greetings,  my name is David.
I have been dialing back my lifestyle for some time now and hope to gain a few more tips here. 
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Britache Guy Chris on November 03, 2014, 05:09:26 AM
Greetings

I'm Chris, a guy, from Britain (cleverly reflected in my username).

Discovered MMM a while ago after reading loads of stuff online about passive investing and DIY financial planning. Have always spent sensibly but am now going for it - to give myself as many future options as possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Skipper on November 03, 2014, 11:55:25 AM
Hi, I'm Skipper. I'm paying off consumer and student debt and looking forward to having money with which to explore investing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Million2000 on November 04, 2014, 06:58:07 AM
Hello, my name is Tim and I've been a lurker for a while here, both the blog and this forum. For the past few months I've been reading many of the blog posts but one in particular that gave me inspiration: "News Flash: Your Debt is an Emergency!!". For the past few years since I graduated from college and moved away from home I've been very budget oriented and frugal with my money.

But even with this self confidence in frugality I managed to not only have student loan debt but to add to it with a new car when I got my first "real" job and moved across the country. By this summer I had 35K in debt between these two, not too heavy a burden with my salary but still something triggered in my mind that I had to change. I loved investing and had contributed to an IRA years before from my then meager salary. I finally figured out I couldn't contribute that much more to that or my 401k until I eliminated this unnecessary debt. After running across MMM (again as it turns out, I had read a few articles years before), I threw everything I had at it and I can proudly say as of last night that my last debt has been paid off after 5 months of accelerated payment. I read that blog post almost once a day to remind myself to have a laser focus on eliminating this debt. I'm happy to be joining many of you in the "more relaxed" stage of getting to financial independence.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: peabody58 on November 04, 2014, 12:58:38 PM
First off, this site should be required reading in every HS and College across the world.  It awakens the MMM deep inside most people, and plants seeds which hopefully take root.  So many financial missteps I've made over the years could have been avoided.  Fortunately I intuitively did more things right than wrong.

Anyhow, after 38 years in the nuclear industry (Navy Subs and Commercial Power), wife and I will axhieve FIRE at age 57 next Oct.   We've been baby fledgling MMM's for several years, but only realized our true calling once we found this web site earlier this year. 

Retiring to a 55+ community near Atlanta.  House is bought and rented out.  That's probable the only reason I haven't retired yet, no where to move to until the renter's lease is up, so I'm just padding the retirement funds right now.  Downsizing and garage sale'ing our 3200 sf house possessions like crazy.  Firing our Financial Adviser (1.5% commission) in a few weeks.  My Vanguard accounts are out pacing his efforts 10 to 1 right now. 

Our budget spread sheet complete with conservative fudge factors and inflation factors built in is showing a great life ahead.

This site is a blessing, and is continuing to save us money and time.  We just shaved $125 off our budget by changing to Republic Wireless.
Title: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Andy_in_Aus on November 05, 2014, 01:31:06 AM
Hi there, I'm Andy (I realise this is a bit late).

As you can see from my username, another bloody Australian! That's right, we're coming in numbers to take over this place.

I have always been described as "cheap", but it turns out after reading this forum, I have actually always tried to live frugally.  I particularly identify with the stoicism mindset.

During my 40 revolutions of the sun, I've seen a whole bunch of get rich quick schemes come and go (betting on the horses for a living anyone?).

But about 6 months ago, a very good friend, whom I greatly respect suggested I take a look at MMM, after reading his blog from start to finish I was hooked. Then I came to the forums - line and sinker followed.

I've already learnt a whole bunch of stuff (and saved money in the process), and the overall feel I get is that this is a very vibrant, positive and helpful community.

Early next year, I will be relocating states, divorcing, getting a cash injection of around 100k and be debt free.  At that point I may start a journal, but I will definitely be looking for some advice.

In the meantime, I'll continue to pick "all y'all" (that's for you Americans) brains, and chip in where I'm able.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: detroit_johnny on November 05, 2014, 05:02:43 PM
Hi I'm John and living in the suburbs of the once great city of Detroit.  The area still is great outside the city proper and is scattered with lots of excellent lakes and parks.  Many McMansions but at age 42 I'm still living in my first house (small brick ranch built in the 1960's) I mortgaged about 16 years ago and will have it paid off next year.  I'm very excited and I want to retire early. 

I've been saving in a 401k but I realize a problem and that is 401k is meant for people retiring at the "expected" age.  I'm here to learn and hopefully contribute my own ideas and plans to create a two prong approach of funds to live on pre and post retirement.  I am an engineer so I have some understanding of finance but am excited to learn much more here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gatorNic on November 07, 2014, 03:00:19 PM
Hi, I am Nic.  My wife and now live in the SF bay area after living in LA for 8 years.  Always tried to live with in our means, but it good to find new ideas about how to live frugally but happy.  Not always easy when you live in one of the most expensive cities in the country.

When both of us are working we do really well, in fact this past month we saved about 45% of our take home (or paid student loan debt), which is exciting.  However its not always that way.  there has been a lot of only one of us working either due to the last recession or the company I worked for going bankrupt.  So during those tough times we stayed afloat without touching savings, but unfortunately there was no money left to save or go towards retirement (or at least very minimally).  Although still managed to pay off a 70K student loan in about 6 years so that was a big achievement.  However I still have another 50K student loan to go.  :(

So we're not in a terrible area, no credit card debt, a student loan with super low 1.75% interest, 7 month emergency fund.  Problem is we're at the age where if we want kids it needs to be pretty soon, but my job is so inconsistent it makes things difficult.  For now just keep on, keepin on and looking forward to learning some new things from this forum! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ludwigtone on November 07, 2014, 06:11:22 PM
Hi everyone - long time lurker here!  My lovely wife discovered MMM last year and got me hooked.  We are currently saving 45% of our income (with a newborn baby, no less!) and hope to ramp it up even further in the next few years.  We wish this was part of our education growing up, whether by our boomer/spender parents or at school - we'd be retired already! 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsCoolCat on November 09, 2014, 03:00:11 PM
Hi, I'm Lucy. At my first job back when I was 23 during a 401k meeting I said I wanted to retire twice! Pretty much once to take a break and the 2nd for if I go back to work out of boredom. I currently work for a great company but for a neurotic boss (she said it herself). Earlier this year I actually wasn't working for 3 months and it was one of the best three months of my life! I recently got married and well, I've been working since I was 14 and the corporate world is really not how I want to "die" or work until I'm half dead. I refuse to work for gaudy toys or to keep up with the Kardashians/Joneses. I'd rather work smart than work hard. Thank you. :-) Excuse my sarcastic dark humor. That's just me! HELLO!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: woodworks on November 09, 2014, 07:15:59 PM
Greetings, all! I'm in my early thirties, and living in the midwest.

I've greatly appreciated the tools I picked up through this site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: telbij on November 11, 2014, 05:35:08 AM
Hey everyone,

I'm a long-time fan of the blog, but have a bad habit of living in the most expensive cities (San Francisco and London). I'm married with a 5-yo daughter, and no debt, but also not a great deal of savings. I figured it was time to surround myself with some good influences; I beseech you seasoned Mustachians to be my counter-balance to the shame of jumping on the Tube for the morning commute to find myself the only professional not wearing £400 Italian leather shoes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VegemiteMess on November 11, 2014, 01:01:15 PM
Hi! I am a longtime reader/lurker of the Mr. Money Mustache blog and forum ...and today decided to take the jump and actually register. I'm 35 with an 18-month-old daughter. I am in the early stages of an unexpected divorce and am struggling to know how to move forward financially. I have always been frugal but spent the past six years as the only one working and used all my savings ($150K) to try to pay off some of my ex-husband's educational debt. When my daughter was born, my ex-husband finally got a job during my maternity leave, so we decided for me to be a stay-at-home mom for the first few years of my daughter's life (this was very important to me). My world has fallen a part recently, and I can't think of anywhere better to turn for solid financial advice :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on November 11, 2014, 01:59:22 PM
VegemiteMess - I just cant stop myself from asking: whats the story behind your forum name?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VegemiteMess on November 11, 2014, 02:05:11 PM
lemanfan - ha, ha - I have Australian ties (both parents are from Australia and my entire extended family lives in Perth, Western Australia) ...the "Mess" part is because my 18-month-old always talks about the Vegemite mess on her face. I'm doing my best to raise an Aussie kid :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on November 11, 2014, 02:33:17 PM
Poor kid. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Smokeydave on November 11, 2014, 07:56:54 PM
I'm a long time reader.  Just signed up to the forum.  I'm debt free except for a 15 year mortgage at 2.62%.  I'm 39 and want to retire before 60.  Maybe sooner if it works.  Thanks to all who have contributed to help with life hacks and the like.  I'm constantly working to reducce the financial footprint of my family of four!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: only_mustache_I_know on November 12, 2014, 04:43:18 PM
Hi, I'm 34, single and am an engineer. Should I pay off my 25k student loan debt on 1.75% APR or use the same money and put that in S&P500 index fund? Not everyone can follow MMM teachings word for word. I for one own a fancy sports car and I really enjoy it. I also indulge eating out couple times a month but I'm cutting back because I noticed the quality of the food makes me feel ill 25% of the time.

I own a home the Bay Area. I'm doing my calculations and seems like I can retire at 37 if I downsize the home but I probably wont. I'm still too stupid to put everything in index funds as I'm still fiddling with a handful of individual stocks. I'm slowly learning and seeing if I can get a stream of dividends coming in. My current savings rate is somewhere around 65%! I attribute this to being able to fix most things myself. Also buying high quality things that never break is really awesome.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KodeBlue on November 13, 2014, 03:35:55 AM
Greetings from the Old Dominion! I'm a 54 y/o guy living in VA, used to be clueless about saving, debt, retirement, started to wake up about it about 4 years ago. I've "graduated" from the Dave Ramsey-Suze Orman type financial guidence shows.
I've been a nurse for 35 years. I live in VA with my partner (soon to be spouse) of 20 years and our 3 doggies. We plan to marry in August*.
I have a 401k that I've been contributing to since 1991, no credit card or auto loan debt, and our mortgage balance is just under $27,000. My partner plans to retire in June. Hoping to learn a little, share a little.

* same-sex marriage became legal in our state 6 weeks ago.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SMCx3 on November 13, 2014, 06:03:52 AM
Hello from Georgia!

We are a family of three with the same initials "SMC" hence my board name.  My friends in the N. Georgia hills call me SC.

I have been lurking the last few weeks on the forum and decided to jump in head first.  My wife introduced me to MMS Blog about one month ago.  My views of our finances has changed considerably thanks to the information I have learned from all of you.  I look forward to bouncing questions off of the group while continuing to learn.

I have so much work to do, but with focussed changes to our budget we are on our way to a secure future.

FIRE has a whole new meaning!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: livewire516 on November 13, 2014, 09:42:53 AM
Hi!

I'm a (relatively) recent grad working for a non-profit and living in Philadelphia.  I'm so lucky to have a father that made me save towards college growing up, then covered the difference, allowing me to graduate debt-free.  This allowed me to appreciate that autonomy is worth more than any gizmo, or living the 'right' part of town.  I sold the gas guzzling hot rods I bought as a teen.  Reading "Your Money or Your Life" and "Voluntary Simplicity" also influenced me.

I'm currently trying to save towards grad school. My undergrad was in nutrition, and I prioritize my food quality as a worthwhile expense.  I enjoy homesteading activities so I do a lot of home fermenting and rendering to also save on money.  I plan to hunt for the first time this season!  I plan to pursue FI so that I can exercise my values, esp. regarding the environment and labor.  That also means my path to FI may be a little slow at times as I donate or make purchasing that align with values other than frugality.

I'm looking forward to conversions with you all on the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fabalv on November 13, 2014, 04:52:30 PM
Hi! I'm a 30 year-old man, software engineer, currently working as an EFL Teacher at highschool and college levels. Whenever I have the chance, I do some freelance web development. I used to work as a photographer, too.

My wife, who is 22, and I have been married for 2 years. She is pregnant, so we are expecting our first baby to be born in late March or early April. She was studying a major in human nutrition, but after a few semesters, she realized she didn't like that career, so she is planing to study to become a nurse in a few years. She doesn't have a job right now.

I was born and raised in Mexico, and my wife was born in the US, from a Mexican mother and a Dane father, but she was raised here in Mexico.

We live in a small city in the southwest of the state of Jalisco, in a very little apartment borrowed from my family, where we don't pay rent, but we are trying to move as soon as possible to place of our own. We need to save around $40,000 to buy a decent house. Rent for a house on that price is around $200 a month.

We already have all the appliances and furniture we need. I have a 2006 Peugeot 206 which I bought used in 2011. I try to use my bike as much as I can. One advantage here is that everything is in biking distance. Most people go everywhere on cars, though.

Currently, our main source of income is my salary of less than $11,000 a year, and the rest comes from the ocassional project I take as a software engineer, around $2,000 a year. We have a debt of around $4,000. This is considered middle class around here.

As my wife is a US citizen, we've been thinking about moving to the US, but this is only a B plan, because most of our family and friends live here. I've been in the US before, but only while I was studying a TOEFL course on a scholarship, so I didn't have to work and I lived on campus. I don't really know much about a normal life with jobs and regular chores. My wife only lived there for a few months when she was a baby. Then her parents divorced and her mother brought her to Mexico.

Sincerely, I think my life is pretty good, and I don't think I need anything else in the material aspect. But to be honest, when we find out about the baby, I was frightened, because I felt I didn't have anything to offer. We don't have any savings and we were struggling to make ends meet. I'm working around 60 hours a week, so taking a second job is not an option. After doing some research about how to fix my financial status, I discovered this website. And I can say for sure that all this principles apply here as well as in the US, mostly because we spend a lot of money on things we don't really need. I know many people with a salary lower than mine who buy brand new cars.

Now, I consider myself a mustachian, I feel more confident, and I'm happier than ever because I feel I'm on charge of my financial situation for the first time in a while. I'm so excited about this, that I'm planning to start my own blog in Spanish, about financial freedom and early retirement. It is going to be in Spanish because many people here need it, and you already have this one. :)

Even though my monthly salary is around $900, we've reduced our debt in around $800 in less than two months. And I think we're going to be debt free in less than six months, hopefully before the baby arrives.

Thank you Mr. Money Mustache, and thank you fellow mustachians.

A grateful mexican mustachian.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JackofAll on November 14, 2014, 07:51:22 AM
Hi!

I suppose I fall into the millennial category being a 32 y/o male, but I don't think I share the same values ANYMORE... 

I am in a government job currently, but have been working in construction since I could hold a hammer(my dad cut the handle of a regular hammer in half when I was ~4).  My dad was a framing contractor and my background is mostly with flooring, but I have done framing and trim work, drywall, painting, electrical, plumbing, roofing, cabinetry, and even worked on a few cars over the years.

I had an emergency in February of this year when it looked like funding for my program was going to disappear and had to take a long hard look at myself and what I truly wanted out of life(funding came through and I still have a job, thankfully).  I first started reading early retirement extreme then found MMM and it was all over from there.  I have tried to look at other blogs since, but I keep coming back here.  I realized that I was spending 95% of what I brought home on STUPID things!  I have since changed that by downsizing my car, increasing my IRA contributions, canceling cable, getting a prepaid cellphone, bringing my lunch to work everyday, almost never eating out, and doing things that make my family and I happy without spending a ton of money.

One of the most helpful things to me has been calculating the long term effects of purchases.  I realized that my 2013 F150 FX4 supercrew getting ~18mpg was costing me almost $13,000 a year to mostly transport me and 1 child 25 miles 1 way!  I used to look at things on a monthly basis and had plenty of money to pay for them, but that would set me up for failure if anything ever happened to my job and wasn't really providing me any more happiness.  I really enjoy working with my hands and miss the days of owning my own business, but money was never consistent.  My goal is to save enough and retire from my gov job and be able to go back into the thing I truly have a passion for.

Prior to MMM(9 months ago), I was saving 5% of my take home pay.  Today, I  have no CC debt, a few lingering mistakes from the past, and I currently save 33% of my take home pay.  Thanks MMM and the Mustache community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tanzee on November 15, 2014, 01:35:25 PM
Hi All,

I'm Matt and I'll be completing my Master's degree and kicking off my career.  I really enjoy this website and forum and I'm looking to get out from under some student loans.  I'm an avid biker and public transportation devotee.  Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gilead1986 on November 15, 2014, 01:46:12 PM
Hi.  My name is Frank and I'm a 28 year old living in MD.  I've always had an interest in personal finance since I had my eyes opened drastically in an Intro to Business class in high school.  I don't make much money, and I spend even less of it.  I'm still fairly career-less; I have a job, it's been stable but it's not very rewarding or stable.  I live a fairly Spartan life style.  I'm a DIY-er and try to maximize costs to the point of obsession.

  I don't have any debt, and contribute to a 401k and a few IRA's (one is at my credit union, I mostly keep it open for the lower interest rates).  I'm starting to have my eyes opened more and more about missed opportunities and wasted money.  I definitely hamstrung myself when I was younger by pursuing a college degree (Associates)in a field I have no interest in any longer. 

Mostly what I'm here for is a fine tuning of my life.  I've really enjoyed lurking the forums, and hope to learn a lot more. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Maya on November 16, 2014, 08:29:25 AM
I'm almost 34 with two kids under 3.5 and looking to gain FI within 15 years. Working on bringing my husband more on board and I think we could get it down to 10.

We have strong equity in our house and rental property. Our retirement funds are growing slowly. Wish I'd discovered this blog about 10 years ago, as we could be really close to it now I think. Oh well onwards and upwards now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself (I'm OldmanDex
Post by: oldmandex on November 16, 2014, 01:23:21 PM
Hello all!

I'm John, and I like to learn as much as I can! I first heard about MMM from a podcast and I have been hooked every since!

I have a car loan as my only debt, and want to get rid of it! I love cycling and would like to gain more confidence to ride the 40mi round trip commute to work. I'm just worried about being able to do all the walking at work I do after getting there, and the dark ride home (2nd shift).

I cannot wait to learn more here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jviska89 on November 17, 2014, 01:03:38 AM
Hi,

I discovered MMM in July this year.  My wife and had jjustquit our jobs, were about to married, and were leaving on a year long round the world trip a week after. We lived a very anti mustachian lifestyle in Chicago as 25 year olds with our first real jobs post college (combined income was 91,000). We left for our somewhat unmustachian trip with 20k in a TSP, 15k in stocks, and $7500 in a savings account (none of which will be used for the trip). We had another 20k for the trip and lots of airline miles. We were and are debt free thanks to overly generous family members paying for university. We  are currently working for a few months on a farm in Australia.  Our combined take home pay is $2800 vs the nearly $5000 we were used too. The odd thing is we are spending far less. Only about $800 a month (housing is included). We are saving the rest for the traveling,  enjoying work for the first time ever, and not missing the spendy city life at all. To boot we think total expenses for the year of travel will only be about 30k for the two of us. A mustachian jet set lifestyle in my opinion. Thanks to MMM and you forum posters I think we have decided to search out the more rewarding and less cushy life.

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sammyjnr on November 17, 2014, 01:31:49 AM
Hi all,

Melbourne based Aussie (22M). Just started full time work about 3 months ago, earning about ~$75k p.a.

Thankfully found MMM prior to starting, so my spending rate is currently about 5% (excluding mortgage). Currently have a 200k mortgage on an investment property I purchased two years ago (rental income is offsetting interest). Putting a solid 80% of my salary into an offset account every month (currently at 20k).

Will have significant capital saved in about 6 months, and completely confused about what my next move should be.

Have been fortunate to have parents who were always quite frugal, and that's been 'passed down' to me.

I have been reading MMM and ERE religiously - aiming to achieve FI in 8 years (before I'm 30).

Sam :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Goldrarz on November 17, 2014, 11:27:55 PM
Hello everyone.  I'm Brian, 30yrs old. i'm from Saskatchewan Canada.  hoping to find some good info on financial situations that i am currently in right now.   didnt get a chance to look over the whole forum fully, but i do like reading and look forward to doing some research :)   

Cheers :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spindle on November 18, 2014, 07:42:19 PM
Hello my name is Jeff. I am 54 years old single dad of 3 young adults.

I am brand new to this site but living this life style for most of my life. I am divorced putting two children through college, yes it's killing me lol. But i always retain a positive outlook and attitude towards life.

I am hoping to go off the grid, for the most part in the next five years and hopefully retire at 60. Any insight I can gain from this web site will be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,

Jeff
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Inkedup on November 18, 2014, 08:24:24 PM
Hi, folks.

I'm 33, east coast-based, and a longtime reader of frugal living blogs (including this one). After devoting the majority of my 20's to studenthood, I landed a job where I now have been working for a few years. Although I do not earn very much money, my expenses are minimal and I bank a significant % of my pay. That said, there is a lot of room for improvement, so I am here.

To clarify, handle refers to my preferred but anti-mustachian writing tool of choice, the fountain pen. I have no tattoos to speak of :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: csr on November 18, 2014, 09:05:43 PM
Hey! I'm from Toronto and trying to save up a stash. Not to buy a house, because they're insanely overpriced, but to travel the world off my stash. Halfway there for me and my lifestyle expenses!
Title: Hi! (warning, contains profanity)
Post by: driftwood on November 19, 2014, 01:49:11 PM
Hi, I'm James, I'm in the military (8 years down, plan on doing 12 more).  Married with two kids (one four weeks old).  Here's how I meandered here:

1.  Historical interest in Badassity:  Already into many outdoor pursuits, adventure races, long runs (24 hr runs), walking hella uphill for days on end, jumping into glacier lakes, etc

2.  Financial irresponsibility:  Paid for lots of gear with CCs, also convinced I need a 4x4 pickup to carry gear and drive to places to play (never use the 4-wheel drive)

3.  Fucking (I'm assuming profanity is ok here, because its in the blog) tired of:  daily grind, rat race mentality, constant fucking advertising in my face all the time (if I ever meet the guy from the Jared's diamonds radio commercial I may commit an unspecified act of violence), having too much stuff I don't have time to use anyways, cutting grass (what kind of fucktard thinks we should spend hours of our life growing and cutting a plant we can't eat?), products designed to fail so I want more products, taking time after a long day of work to exercise (because another fucktard thought we should invent things/jobs that involve no physical labor, so now we have to add physical labor to our non-existent free time just to not be fatasses), being told I need to prepare to be rich at 65, when I'm too old and don't have the balls to do anything fun with the money anyways, not being in control of my own life, wanting to 'live my dreams' when those dreams cost more money than I have.

4.  So after surfing around websites as I tried to deal with the above frustrations I cruised through dave ramsey, manvsdebt, the minimilasts, backpacking light, tiny houses, I will teach you to be rich, the wisdom project blah blah blah I found Mr. Money Moustache!  I was already well on the way to paying off debt/reducing what I have/what I do to maximize time with my family, but this site gave me more info/inspiration/tools/motivation.

Ok, I'm done with the numbered list and ready to move on with my day.  Happy to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vulgar_girl on November 19, 2014, 03:56:57 PM
Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking around the MMM site and forum for a few months now.  I have some hair-on-fire debt, and a small savings, but my FI plan is underway and I am in the process of growing my lady-stache.  I want to say thanks to all those who are regular posters here on the forum.  I have gained a lot of knowledge from you all.

About me: I live in San Francisco right by the ocean which is AWESOME, and only 5 miles from work!  I am married to a wonderful husband and have a young son.  I like knitting, crocheting, and doing all things crafty.  I love the outdoors and spend most of my weekends walking through the woods in Golden Gate Park (sometimes I even forget I am in the city when I am there).  I love to cook and bake (especially anything chocolate).  I love video games.  Some of my favorites are COD, Skyrim, and Sims; just to give you an idea of the genres I like.  I am playing less these days though.  BTW vulgar_girl is a username that originated in the gaming world.  Also, I do have a tendency to be vulgar...

Finances: I am up shit creek, but I do have a paddle, and am chipping away at the debts my past-self left my present-self to deal with.  I have done a lot of the things that you all talk about on the Mustachian Wall of Shame and Comedy including, but not limited to: cashing out a 401K after leaving a job, taking a loan from my 403b, taking out personal loans, financing a new car (at least it is a Honda Civic...), et cetera.  I finally became completely fed up with my own irresponsibility and was tired of living paycheck to paycheck.   First I built myself a Total Money Makeover snowball spreadsheet ala Dave Ramsey.  Then I started scouring the interwebs to find more information, which is when I found this lovely MMM community and forum.

So that is me in a nutshell.  I am excited about my stubble and about being a part of the community.

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: soontoberichteacher on November 20, 2014, 09:32:12 PM
Hey everyone! I have been a lurker of this forum for a while, and started a journal a while back that I haven't updated. But I hope to become more involved.

I have always been interested in living frugally and managing my money well. Even when I was a little kid, my mom would comment on how much I cared about maintaining my "stuff" (like clothes) so it wouldn't need replacing or how much I liked to save my money. I guess Mustachianism came naturally to me.

That being said, I have (lots of) work to do when it comes to my own financial success. At the end of my student teaching practicum, I will be ~$18k in debt. It is worth it to me because it has always been my dream and mission to become a public school teacher. But I hope to pay that debt fairly quickly, and I already have some good job prospects lined up for when I graduate. I am also in the "read read read" phase, and I am trying to soak up books/forums/websites to learn as much as I can.

I look forward to being more involved on this forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: maisee on November 21, 2014, 09:17:09 AM
Hello there from Connecticut.

Kind of a lurker for a while. Recently made a username for myself. I'm a 26-year-old still trying to figure out what it is I want to do with life. I'm currently in a stable job, but itching to leave for a new one. I got bored with the 9-5 so easily and I know it's NOT what I want to do forever. So now my new preoccupation is to figure out ways for me and the boyfriend to save money now so we can do fun stuff later, like travel a lot.

I agree 100 percent with what other people have said, that MMM should be required reading. It's insane how people can get through high school and college (in the states at least) and have not the tiniest clue about managing finances, paying off credits cards, avoiding hundreds of ks of student loan debt and the like.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marketingnurse on November 21, 2014, 03:45:49 PM
Hi I'm Rosa, alias The Marketing Nurse,

Been reading the website for over a year now, didn't realize there was a forum until I looked around for the article about Ting when I was ready to switch phone companies. So here I am all registered and stuff! I look forward to learning from you all,

Rosa
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Allie on November 21, 2014, 05:36:20 PM
Hello!

I'm Allie.  A little about me...

- I dislike buying something when I can cobble together a better version from random things found on Craigslist and a Youtube video. 
- I love to rip things up and DIY them back together.
- I have a tendency to hoard, which is nicely balanced by my husband's love of purging. 
- I have a weakness for "new and improved" snack foods.  I don't eat a large quantity of processed foods, but love to try the newest version.  I was told by a friend who worked in management and marketing for food producers that makes me an "innovator".  Knowing this makes me hate myself, just a little.
- I have a background in counseling and working with people in crisis.  Part of the bonus of this is that it is impossible to offend me.

I live with my husband and two kids in beautiful Alaska.  I've been around off an on the forum over the years but never properly introduced myself.  Until recently, we had been working on paying off all of our debt and saving lots of money but never really had a concrete plan for the future.  I left my full time job in April to stay at home with our kids and have more time to focus on planning, finances, and household management.  When I ran the numbers recently, I was pretty surprised by our projected savings.  I'm working to balance my desire to live a life of simplicity in a much warmer location with my husband's love of adventure, his job, and lots of toys.  Even though I like to think I am right all the time, I know the only right way is when we are both satisfied with our life. 

I'm hoping this community will be a good place to come for advice, support, and ideas.  In the next couple months I plan to do a little mini energy audit of our home, continue to scale back the consumables bill, make plans to increase our non-grocery store food sources next year, dip my toe into credit card rewards, and navigate the holidays with two outrageously unthrify families. 

Hope to see everyone around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: josstache on November 22, 2014, 07:36:40 AM
They call me josstache.  I only recently discovered this site, but my tendency was always to save 50%+ of my take home, even when I was making less than $30k, so I knew I'd found kindred souls when I stumbled upon the articles here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: benjenn on November 22, 2014, 11:10:44 AM
Hi, everyone.  Jennifer here.  Ben is hubby so that's why we're Benjenn.  (NOT Bennifer!).  We are new to MMM (thank you, sweet SIL, for introducing us to it!) but we've been working toward early retirement for awhile now.  We currently live in Oklahoma but will be moving to the Gulf Coast when we retire the end of 2015.  Can't wait!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: searles on November 22, 2014, 07:24:05 PM
Hello everyone. Started reading the blog around a month ago and thought it was time that I finally register. At almost 35 I have a ways to go and know I'm definitely far behind the pack in terms of being able to tell my boss to shove it. That won't stop me from dreaming about it daily and working towards the ultimate goal.

I'm currently firing paychecks at the last of my credit card debt and since February I've knocked off $10K, $6K left to go and I will finally be able to say that I'm free. From Citi anyway.  Trying to get on a frugal path and cut back on eating out. Other than that I live a pretty cheap life and don't need much these days. That's my introduction. See you around the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gaspony on November 22, 2014, 09:02:24 PM
Hello!

This blog is great, a real inspiration.  With a family of seven I don't have a goal to dip down into MMM levels, but I'm definitely inspired now to up my savings rate to 50% of take home and get FIRE quickly.  Currently 38 and getting a late start compared to many here, but I hope to catch up quickly. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RoostKing on November 23, 2014, 10:21:04 AM
Hello. I found this site as it was mentioned on a pinball hobbyist site. Very informative so far!! 44 years old, with dreams of paying off my house in a couple of months, although this site has me rethinking it. Would like to retire in 10 years, but I am unsure where to start. I have about $70,000 in 401k and not much else so I need to get moving on that big time. I do not have a wife, nor kids, so that makes it easier. Looking forward to learning!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: checkedoutat39 on November 23, 2014, 01:44:15 PM
Hi. I finally had enough of Chicago and decided to move to the Colorado mountains. That was 4½ years ago. I'm still here. Snowing today.

I do some consulting and am right around a 5% withdrawal rate.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cloudberry on November 23, 2014, 04:24:53 PM
Hello!

I'm Erica, 29 years old Italian living in Sweden.
I recently quit my safe job because I needed some challenge, and I have almost no idea about what to do next.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The_path_less_taken on November 24, 2014, 09:50:22 AM
Hi,

I only recently discovered MMM and am in the process of turning my life around.

Don't laugh, but I am sort of INFAMOUS for spending money like a drunken sailor. (sigh: braces for facepunch)

I intend to change that.

Ironically, I've "retired" in a way a couple of times. Managed to live within my investment return means. But only by considering it all an equation: work more/spend less.

Now, I'm thinking of doing both.

Thank you MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CongoKid on November 25, 2014, 05:54:39 AM
Hi All,

Looking forward to joining the forum.  I'm a 39yo American living/working in Africa.  I'm hoping to find other folks here also living the expatriate life, which has its own unique challenges and opportunities for growing the money mustache!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: amfal on November 25, 2014, 09:40:24 AM
Hi,

I'm Anthony.
Married - No kids. Want to retire and trying to see how to do that. Would probably still work something, or do entrepreneurial things. 

Feel I am starting late, but am in a pretty good position.
Currently only debt is a house, (we are currently looking to downsize and pay off quickly)
Have no other debt. Not a mustachian though, Still have cable and a clown car...etc.

trying to determine what is best for me. still wrangling with giving up cellphone/cable etc.

I have some big picture/long term trouble with some of the cut corners talk. I don't have a latte every day, but get some stuff now and then. Feel like we are pretty close to the bone as it is. Also wife is currently self employed, without steady income.
Trying to see the balance of enjoying life now and retiring early. 

Certainly would welcome any tips or comments!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cookie78 on November 25, 2014, 12:15:32 PM
Hi I am Cookie.

I just discovered this site a couple days ago and I'm very excited.

I've always been careful with money, but I'd like to do more. I have one rental property which is causing too much stress and making not enough money. Planning on selling that in the spring. The house I live in is also being partly paid (60% of mortgage taxes and utilities) by renting the basement.

I don't spend very much on 'things' at all, though I am currently going through a phase of purging all the things I have that I haven't used in a long time and it will take some time to get through them all!

What I do spend a lot of money on is travel, but I like to travel pretty cheaply. My boyfriend lives a 3 hour flight away and we fly back and forth a lot. We are looking to remedy this situation very shortly, but living in different countries makes that tricky.

Ultimately I'd like to be financially independent so that I can be location independent and spend lots of time travelling slowly around the world.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on November 25, 2014, 12:54:28 PM
Welcome to all the new people! We're glad to have you here. For those who want to know where to start, how to get going and the like, Mustachian kind of boils down to a single word: Mindfulness.

The lattes, the driving, the fast food; The only reason they are a big deal is because (it sucks, and) people have a tendency to do them mindlessly. Start tracking your spending. Find the leaks. Use some of the tools (like cfiresim, and firecalc) to figure out where you are, and where you would like to be. Then go check out what other people have done in the "Share your baddasity" section. Join in our challenges in "Throw Down The Gauntlet", and if you can't quite get locked in, "Ask a Mustachian".

Remember, we're all about figuring out what you value, and making you back up those decisions. Welcome, and have a great time!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mallerina on November 25, 2014, 06:02:01 PM
Hi y'all! I'm mallerina, long time lurker first time poster :) I'm a grad student, married to a coastie and a mom of 2 sweet girls. We're getting ready to move next summer and I'm trying to dial down my spending habits to get more in line with a mustachian and minimalist lifestyle. I'm excited to finally start participating in the conversation!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LiveUnfettered on November 25, 2014, 08:34:42 PM
Hi, I am Rich (not wealthy) brought to this site buy a coworker after a pre-Thanksgiving talk at work about finances. I've had a go look around at the blogs here. I'm mainly pretty surprised that many of the logics used on MMM are some that I have recently come by myself in my recent endeavor to become FI.

My path leads down a somewhat different path but I am excited to be a part of this community.

Thanks for having me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: beachkat on November 26, 2014, 04:40:47 AM

Wife to a hardworking man, SAHM to some pretty awesome kids, living at the beach and dreaming of the day that my dh can enjoy his days at home with us.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lielec11 on November 26, 2014, 11:03:30 AM
Rookie Mustachian Electrical Engineer trying to absorb as much from all you intelligent people here.. with an argument or two thrown in.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanardRoti on November 27, 2014, 10:49:29 AM
1st time poster.

32 years old, no debt, 50 k a year salary.
Here to learn more about you guys.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DancingStina on November 28, 2014, 12:53:14 PM
Hi I'm Christina!

I'm 24, and just recently started reading MMM a couple months ago after hearing about him on a podcast. I have now read every post, and agree wholeheartedly with everything about Mustachianism. I was living pretty simply before, but now I better understand the benefits of saving and having goals. I've paid down my student loans significantly and appropriately kicked myself about buying a practically new car and using a Savings account to save because I didn't know anything about investing. I've decided since I don't care for my current job, to take a mini-retirement next year to travel and explore the world a bit before finding a job that I'll actually enjoy. Then I can set my FI plan in motion!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AsianStash on November 29, 2014, 03:05:47 AM
20 year old fresh out of college and working his first job here! Have been reading MMM's posts for the last few weeks, and I'm so glad that I found it this early on in my career/life. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone here! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zarya on November 29, 2014, 06:33:39 AM
Hi All,

I just stumbled across the MMM blog recently and have been devoting my bedtime reading to plowing through all the back posts. I'm in my mid-40s and I handle the finances for my family of five (spouse of 24 years and three fabulous kids ranging from tot to teen). I've reached two conclusions so far, which are:

1. We were already pretty Mustachian, but we simply weren't aware of it yet. Some of our most Mustachian attributes include: bike commuting (including a trailer for tots, who graduate to a trail-a-bike before gaining two-wheeled independence), living debt-free except for our mortgage, being TV-free since 1994 and cable-free forever, living close to work and school (enabling bike commuting for all), using Nature for fun and recreation, and saving more than we spend.

2. We could be even more Mustachian and achieve FI according to a plan, rather than blindly hoping for the best (which has been my main strategy to date).

The other thing that sets us apart is that we're American expats who've been living in Europe for 14 years now, but not as business reps or diplomats. It was our own choice to settle here and we've made lives for ourselves by getting citizenship/residency, finding local jobs, and starting our own business. This makes finances a bit different for us in several respects (we benefit from national health care but have much lower salaries than we would in the U.S., for example) but Mustachianism can be applied in pretty much any economic context.

I look forward to gleaning tips and inspiration from other like-minded people.

-Z
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirreling Away on November 29, 2014, 11:34:59 PM
Howdy folks,

Been a 'stachian for years, never had a term for it.. I called it minimal debt free living at the time, or common sense... :)

Started a business 3 years ago, in the black now with excess capital from last year's work and looking to get back into focusing on finances. My work is helping folks assess and design their land to be of highest value from a productivity stand point and resale. Living in interior BC makes for a beautiful setting and the right area for my work.

Looking to explore the Financial Independent methods and applications folks have tried here, with a focus on the Canadian approach.

Looking forward to diving into the posts and chatting with folks. Be Fruitful and Mulch Apply - j
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Marianne on November 30, 2014, 02:05:48 PM
Hallo to all,

I´m 31, married, 1 kid and live in Germany (sorry for my English, but I´ll give my best:-)

I have been pretty frugal since ever, I was raised in that way. 6 months ago I found your site and your forum and since then it has been my addiction:-) I was really surprised to find out that so many people think in the same way as I do and are frugal by choice. I always had the impression that peple are only frugal because they have to. Actually, Mustachianism became something like a religion to me. I do not believe in God and when somebody asked me what I believed in, I used to say in nothing. I say it now, too, but the difference is that now I actually believe in something... in the frugal way of life, frugality by choice, mustachian philosophy.

I have one big wish... I would like to meet some Mustachians personally, I would like to have mustachian friends. I have no idea how to find such people here in Germany, but I want so much to fill my life with people like this.

Love your forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on November 30, 2014, 02:18:42 PM
Welcome to the MMM forum!

You might want to jump in on this thread--it seems fairly active.  (I have no idea what they have been discussing, since I forget 99% of the German I learned in middle school!)

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachianism-around-the-web/mustachianism-applied-to-german-way-of-life-deutsche-mmm-ratschlage/msg466641/#msg466641
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VegasStache on December 02, 2014, 10:14:39 AM
Hello.  I found MMM in October of 2013 right after I purchased a $60k AWD Luxury SUV.  It's a decision I kick myself for almost daily.  I'm almost-not-upside-down in the Lexus and am looking fondly toward the time (Feb 2015 or so) when I can get out of it without it costing me more than keeping it until then.  Meanwhile the wife and I have made choices about "little" expenses in our lives that have been saving us money every month.  Cable, home phone, alarm system...all gone.  We've focused more on paying down our mortgage and are currently refinancing to a 15 year which we'll pay off in approximately 12 with bi weekly payments.  My 5 year old daughter is the light of our lives and we're working toward the time when we can be with her more than we are.  Having said that, my wife takes her to and from Kindergarten every day...and still manages to be a productive attorney.  I'm an engineer and a consultant, so getting rid of my car is going to cause enough of a hole that I will need to fill it with something.  I'll try hard not to buy another albatross.  Anyway, I'm happy to be here and welcome any questions, or requests for clarification on anything I post.  I look forward to every MMM article and have even started to comment on the forum.  Here's to the community and hoping for many productive exchanges!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kananas on December 02, 2014, 11:03:44 AM
Here we go!

Greetings from Finland! And sorry for my bad English in advance.

I'm 29, have a wife who is 35 weeks pregnant with our first child, so it's really exciting. Started reading Finnish personal finance blogs a few months ago and found my way here. I've been pretty frugal for many years, but during these past months have found some areas where I can improve. The only debt we have is mortgage. I started investing monthly to index funds earlier this year. Now that I got our e-fund built up, I can start investing a lot more and maybe also make extra payments to our mortgage.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OutBy40 on December 04, 2014, 09:04:58 AM
Hi all,

I'm Steve, long time reader of MMM but first time poster.  I'm 33 and plan to retire by 40.

...short and sweet, just like the remainder of my working life.

- Steve
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chowtime on December 04, 2014, 12:38:46 PM
Hi,

New mustachian here in Los Angeles.  I've been reading the blog and forum for a couple weeks.  35 years old and have been fairly frugal with most expenses but tend to get excited and spend too much whenever I get into a new hobby. I'm working on changing that asap.  Recently bought a bike to commute to work and started 403b and 457 accounts.  Looking forward to learning from you all and sharing my own experiences.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on December 04, 2014, 02:10:10 PM
Hi,

New mustachian here in Los Angeles.  I've been reading the blog and forum for a couple weeks.  35 years old and have been fairly frugal with most expenses but tend to get excited and spend too much whenever I get into a new hobby. I'm working on changing that asap.  Recently bought a bike to commute to work and started 403b and 457 accounts.  Looking forward to learning from you all and sharing my own experiences.

Once you realize you go overboard when digging into a new hobby or interest, exercise and saving and investing are not the worst tings to go overboard on...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Annie-Blake on December 05, 2014, 03:05:06 AM
Hi, my name is Annie-Blake and my husband and I are excited to be on the FI journey in order to gain a more meaningful life by focusing on things that we value most.  We are at the beginning of our journey and so far have gone from spending 100% of our income (+ sometimes taking from the savings) to now saving 67%.  We have also paid off our car.  We have a goal of paying off our house within 6 years, then saving to invest.  FI to us means choices and therefore freedom.  We want to live a life filled with purpose, and that's why we're here.  To learn, to be inspired and to be encouraged.  Thank you MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on December 05, 2014, 06:17:12 AM
Hi, my name is Annie-Blake and my husband and I are excited to be on the FI journey in order to gain a more meaningful life by focusing on things that we value most.  We are at the beginning of our journey and so far have gone from spending 100% of our income (+ sometimes taking from the savings) to now saving 67%.  We have also paid off our car.  We have a goal of paying off our house within 6 years, then saving to invest.  FI to us means choices and therefore freedom.  We want to live a life filled with purpose, and that's why we're here.  To learn, to be inspired and to be encouraged.  Thank you MMM.

Wow--that is a huge change!!  Welcome to the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StubbledCPA on December 05, 2014, 08:29:21 AM
Hello, my name is Mark and I just recently found this site and have been really enjoying the articles and thought it might be time to start spending a little time on the forums!  My loving GF and I have made some BFM concerning student loans (about 90k in total) but are really focusing on sticking with our budget (which may still become more frugal as we find a place together in the spring and cut some more expenses).  I'm looking forward to learning even more from the community here :)

For fun (as I'm a tax accountant), I have also created a lovely spreadsheet to compare grocery prices between up to 6 different stores and compare each based on unit price, showing the price per unit and % difference between the top two stores.  I'm not sure if there is a place to share this with others, but if there is, I would kindly like to be pointed the way so others may be able to take advantage of this work (if not already listed here on the site). 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TootTootBeepBeep on December 05, 2014, 08:42:19 PM
Hi everyone,

6 month lurker, but a history of moderate frugality. I've obsessively read the blogs, and now i frequent the fourms for your great advice.

I am hoping to get a hold of some spreadsheets/tools from those who are wiser than I to use to actually calculate an more formal FIRE date (hopefully less than 10 years). 

Love being inspired by all your stories!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mullisjg2 on December 06, 2014, 04:19:57 PM
Hello, my name is Jeremy and I'm 21 and married. I have been lurking this site for the past week or so. Really enjoy everything I'm reading and the whole philosophy of it. I came here to get off to a right start in life as I start my career. I just finished Airframe and Powerplant school in Florida and will be moving to Palmdale/Victorville California late January.

Looking for guidance in all aspects of life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Noya on December 07, 2014, 05:31:06 AM
Hello, my name is Michael and I just ran across this site as I'm about to start using Ting!

The site seems great. I'm pretty frugal as is, but maybe I can get my sister and her husband to open their eyes and stop burning money (yet always bitching about money) on high-end cell phone plans, $250 Comcast bill, driving a 3-ton V8 SUV who's fuel bill is more than a payment would be on a 2010/2011 Prius, etc. etc.  I mean, at a glance they could easily eliminate $500 in monthly bills without "lowering" their quality of life. lol.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cheery on December 07, 2014, 06:49:26 PM
Hi!  I've been lurking for a couple of months and decided this is the place for me.  First goal to get out of debt:  credit card (what was I thinking???) and mortgage.  I think I can will do it by the end of 2015.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wendythehamster on December 08, 2014, 11:50:34 AM
Hi - another lurker coming in from the cold.  We (me, my husband and two kids  8 & 5) have been living a mostly MMM life for sometime (mortgage free, 401k maxed out and the start of a bushy 'stach) and I am so happy to have been reading through your website over the last few months - it has given us tips to take our fancy frugality to the next level - good to know we are not alone!  Empowerment through badassity!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wendythehamster on December 08, 2014, 11:51:20 AM
Hi - another lurker coming in from the cold.  We (me, my husband and two kids  8 & 5) have been living a mostly MMM life for sometime (mortgage free, 401k maxed out and the start of a bushy 'stach) and I am so happy to have been reading through your website over the last few months - it has given us tips to take our fancy frugality to the next level - good to know we are not alone!  Empowerment through badassity!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wendythehamster on December 08, 2014, 11:52:56 AM
sorry, no clue why it posted twice. whoops. oh well. what do you expect?  I am a hamster after all... 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kiblebuka on December 08, 2014, 01:40:23 PM
Lots of hellos to all! 26, female, ZERO BABIES forever.

I am paranoid about ending up living in a box under a bridge someday, so making it a 2015 goal to start investing, up the 401k contribution, and spend less on STUFF. Use my free time to play the video games I already have, or knit with the yarn piled in the bedroom instead of getting moremoremore. Been browsing the blog for a while now, but haven't wanted to jump in until now. Even then might just be in the wading end of the pool

Only debt on my back is my car loan, which has $9500 left at 3.0xx% interest (forget the exact number). Considering putting extra money in the payments to get that gone a bit faster.

Look forward to talking with everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: E16sean on December 08, 2014, 02:31:08 PM
Hi, I'm 33 and new to moustachianism... have been tracking my spending and despite saving 50% of take-home pay my spending is atrocious. That £2.40 daily coffee habit  is the first to go. Now making my own at work. It's a small start but there's much more to do.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: korn_man55 on December 09, 2014, 02:12:41 AM
Like many of you, I have been reading and lurking in the background for some time now.  I am 31 year old nurse who homesteads with my wife and 4 wonderful kids, and thought I was pretty frugal until reading all of the MMM blog.  What an inspiration!  We grow a large portion of our own food especially meat, and we have a decent garden that I want to increase production.  I love the concept of mustachianism mixed with sustainability.   I look forward to interacting more on this forum. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shamantha on December 09, 2014, 07:21:13 AM
After having spent two weekends on this website, one reading up the blogs and one on reading the forum, I am now ready to register and post.

I am Dutch, I am an aspiring mustachian but not completely there yet. Some mustachian stats to get to know me:
- second hand car, fully paid, but a bicycle as well (hey, I am Dutch, I should have two, but that is not mustachian I think...)
- 1/3 of the mortgage paid off in the last 3 years, hope to clear the mortgage in 4 or 5 more years
- Living on 60% of pay, currently all savings go to the mortgage. Working full time.
- Some shares as part of previous mortgage which included shares, which seemed like a good idea in 1998. They have only started to recover since last year. No active investment plans until mortgage is paid off.
- My house is way to big for me, but I love it and will not part with it, my home is truly my castle. No facepunches please :-) I can split it and rent out one half should this become required in the future, or as part of my early retirement planning.

I am happy to have found this blog and forum. Despite the fact that most of my friends and family are frugal and sensible with money, no-one is aspiring to stop working before the regular pension age. With current regulations I would have to work until I am almost 69, I want to stop working at 57, which is in 9 years time, earlier is not possible I think, which does not mean I will not try...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bardo on December 09, 2014, 10:20:44 AM
Hi, I’m a 57-year old guy from Texas.  I stumbled upon this site a few months ago and have been sporadically lurking since.  I was sort of forced into frugality 12 years ago after simultaneous job loss and divorce left me with literally a few hundred dollars in the bank, but now that I’m on the final glide path to retirement this site has inspired me to make a number of changes to take things to the next level. 

One positive change is that last week I opened a Vanguard account and started the process of moving funds from my existing investment accounts, and on Friday I had the great pleasure of getting calls from both my financial “advisor” and bank explaining why it was a huge mistake to not keep paying them large fees.  Cry me a river, guys, cry me a river.

Anyway, happy to be here and learn from the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Code7phil on December 09, 2014, 10:58:26 AM
Hi I'm Phil and new to this forum. I've been on a path to become debt free for awhile now and almost there except house and 1 car payment. My car will either be paid off by the end of 2015 or sold for a cheaper one. Still battling the wife as it's her car. This forum and blog interests me but I have not taken to riding my bike yet. I do have one and that's step one lol.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Captain PlanIt on December 09, 2014, 02:06:57 PM
Hi all, I'm a 23 year old instructional designer living in the Albany, NY region. I found my way to MMM recently and obsessively read through every post. Step one, paying off my student loans!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Money Badger on December 09, 2014, 07:44:25 PM
Hi all, After hitting a lucky link 2 weeks ago,  I just can't stop reading this site!    I'm a married guy with the whole mid-life shebang of wife, teenagers with college coming and 2.5 pets.    I've developed a case of baddassity for sure so we'll see how long it lasts...   So far in last 2 weeks, paid off an 8k car note, cancelled a tennis club membership we didnt need, dropped the cable package to net service only,  cancelled a term life policy that overlapped other employer coverage and upped the 401k to max.  This freed up $475 a month net that is now going to kill the mortgage beast and kids 529 plans.    Looking forward to helping where i can as well as my friends call me for help on haggling for cars/houses and on renegotiating utility bills (my personal fave to work deals to drop their monthly abuser fees).   This is going to be one heck of a ride!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: queenie on December 10, 2014, 03:56:07 PM
Hello all!

I'm 33, married with 4 kids, and a stay at home mom.  I dabble in photography and earn some spending money that way.  DH works with pumps and wells and after a long slog is now making $100k per year.

Historically, we are both shit with money.  DH grew up with no money to speak of, so once he got some money in his hot little hands he went crazy with it.  I grew up in a comfortable home with money savvy parents who paid their mortgage off in five years, saved for retirement, raised seven children, paid for our post-secondary ... and never talked to us about money.  I had no concept of managing money at all, and never felt much concern about it.

We're both still pretty dumb.  But we're trying now.

So here we are with 4 kids, a home, two vehicles, a motorcycle, a 60" flat screen TV, several gaming systems, expensive camera equipment ... and $30k+ consumer debt on top of our mortgage with no real savings to speak of.

Ready to switch gears now.  Well, I am.  DH, not as much.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: something_people_say on December 10, 2014, 09:56:59 PM
I am in my 30s and recently sold a small company. Over the past year I've slowly realized I'm wealthy with a 1.1M net worth. I haven't changed my lifestyle much. I do shop at a nicer grocery store, but I still drive around in my 12 year old car. At first glance, I think FI could really suit my personality.

Recently I've been reading about early retirement and obviously stumbled here. Early retirement/FI sounds almost too good to be true. My skeptical side is raising alarms saying these MMMers must be delusional! I think I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around FI since I don't know anyone who has achieved it personally. I've literally never heard of it until this week. I'll be curious to learn from other early retirees on this forum--10, 20, 30 years on, is everything going as planned?

Over the coming year I hope to make a plan for FI and go for it, but I suspect I have a lot to learn from this community first.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Milehigh on December 11, 2014, 12:51:34 PM
Hello!

I didn't realize that I was mustachian until I stumbled onto this site.  I have had a plan to retire at 47 for about 10 years, and recently was doing a health check on that goal (should happen by then if not sooner) and ran into this forum.  In fact, I think I am probably not being aggresive enough after reading this forums around how much I can live off of.  I already save 40% of the gross income, and was shooting for about 35x annual earnings. 

41/Male
married and No kids
Save 40% of our household gross income, and roughly 60% of our net income

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: babysnowbyrd on December 12, 2014, 08:57:32 AM
Hello,

I'm babysnowbyrd. New to MMM, and super excited to get debt-free and start growing a 'stache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Threedog on December 12, 2014, 01:41:48 PM
Hi, one of my buddies at work introduced me to this site, and I'm extremely excited to start buying myself back from my boss and the bank! I'm an active duty Staff Sergeant in the USAF (E5), married, no kids, and though I've got a long way to go, my job offers a number of unique opportunities not necessarily afforded by civilian employment. So, are there any other military Mustaches on here?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LackOfSense on December 12, 2014, 03:05:23 PM
Hi everyone,

Been viewing the MMM site and forums for a few months based on the recommendation of a coworker. I'm 29 and married, no kids. I've enjoyed MMM and have picked up a quite a few tips that I turned into practice. I'm far from "badassity" but am getting more and more frugal minded every day. Look forward to sharing ideas and achievements.

-Brian
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheCheeses on December 12, 2014, 05:39:46 PM
Hi Everyone!

Found MMM through the Dave Ramsey forums actually...Hubby and I are 23 and 24 and digging ourselves out of a mountain of SL debt (we are both Mechanical Engineers and went to private school...) Plan is to be debt free by 2017 and then start investing everything we had been paying on loans (at present, about 70% of our income). No kids yet, waiting for the debt to be gone first!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Katagal on December 12, 2014, 10:38:18 PM
Hi I'm Kerri

I've been reading post on Facebook from MMM for a fair while, I live in Brisbane Australia and I am 42 happily single no children and am a librarian by trade.  I seriously enjoy my work so consider myself very lucky really.  Just want to focus on finalising car debt and chew down the mortgage.  Do we have any other Aussie MMM's on here

Cheers Kerri
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nords on December 13, 2014, 06:58:01 PM
Hi, one of my buddies at work introduced me to this site, and I'm extremely excited to start buying myself back from my boss and the bank! I'm an active duty Staff Sergeant in the USAF (E5), married, no kids, and though I've got a long way to go, my job offers a number of unique opportunities not necessarily afforded by civilian employment. So, are there any other military Mustaches on here?
Seems like quite a few active duty and Reserve/National Guard, with even more veterans.

We should take a muster.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: catpartm3nt on December 14, 2014, 04:46:33 PM
Hello!

I have lurked here for a long time (mostly because I kept forgetting my password) and would like to be more involved in the forums as I amp up my financial goals in 2015.

No kids, no debt. Together my boyfriend and I have a savings rate of about 45%, but we didn't try very hard in 2014. I'd like to trim the fat, so to speak, and develop some better habits to get to at least 60% this year!

Cheers,
Catpartm3nt
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AvisJinx on December 15, 2014, 09:39:37 AM
Hello to the forum!

Another long time lurker, first time poster here. Someone at work had mentioned MMM a few months ago and I've been hooked ever since. It's been a pleasure learning new things from you all thus far! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: noisyninja on December 15, 2014, 01:57:55 PM
New guy. I'm 34, my name's Mark. I've been a professional audio engineer for about a decade now and have been extremely successful at it. The downside is I'm a workaholic, regularly doing insane hours (60-80 hour weeks for months at a time), and my health is in pretty bad shape. I recently realized I have a lot of cash piled up (in a 'Stash as you folks call it, I'll learn!), and I have enough to retire now if I set up investments properly, throttle down our expenses and change our way of life and way of thinking.

So my wife and I are now absorbing all of this, learning what it means to be Mustachian, and we're making a plan to land this crazy plane over the next year or so. I don't want to walk away from the job yet for two reasons:

01) I've got a pair of big paydays (project completion bonuses) coming in the next 15 months, and they're pretty sure things, as I've received quite a few of these in the last five years

02) I feel like we should start cutting our expenses and adapting now before I cut off the cash firehose, rather than cut it off, screw up and find ourselves in a bad place

So that's who I am. Happy to be here, excited to learn and shooting to retire at 35 :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on December 15, 2014, 04:36:28 PM
New guy. I'm 34, my name's Mark. I've been a professional audio engineer for about a decade now and have been extremely successful at it. The downside is I'm a workaholic, regularly doing insane hours (60-80 hour weeks for months at a time), and my health is in pretty bad shape. I recently realized I have a lot of cash piled up (in a 'Stash as you folks call it, I'll learn!), and I have enough to retire now if I set up investments properly, throttle down our expenses and change our way of life and way of thinking.

So my wife and I are now absorbing all of this, learning what it means to be Mustachian, and we're making a plan to land this crazy plane over the next year or so. I don't want to walk away from the job yet for two reasons:

01) I've got a pair of big paydays (project completion bonuses) coming in the next 15 months, and they're pretty sure things, as I've received quite a few of these in the last five years

02) I feel like we should start cutting our expenses and adapting now before I cut off the cash firehose, rather than cut it off, screw up and find ourselves in a bad place

So that's who I am. Happy to be here, excited to learn and shooting to retire at 35 :)

I'm glad you said that. I was going to point you at the username meaning thread since I immediately thought that ninjas shouldn't be noisy. What a great place to be, though. Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: llabruce4 on December 16, 2014, 06:00:18 AM
I am Laurence, and work in golf course construction.  I am 34 and spent the last eight years spending what I made, and am tired of that lifestyle.  Been creeping around here for a month or so and managed to save about $500 just in last month, so figured it is time to jump in 100%
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: awsmvodka on December 17, 2014, 02:26:18 AM
Hello, Yuriy, 26 from sunny San Diego, planning on moving from here to PA in 10 days don't know if it is a good idea. It is cheaper and my wife feels a bit happier there hence the move. I also have an Aveo with a malfunctioning transmission that I wanted to sell and get a wagon instead. I have been following the posts for over two years and just yesterday stumbled upon the forum. Looking forward to gleaning much wisdom and connecting with Mustachians.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RecoveringGearhead on December 17, 2014, 07:38:29 AM
Hello,
Been lurking the blog and recently the forums and decided to join up.  Been a victim of my past self's actions for a while now and have started making some strides in all areas to dig out and get ahead.  Plan to put together a Case Study in the next week or so to get some suggestions. 

Also want to say thanks for all the advice and knowledge here and via MMM on the blog.  Its pretty scary how easy it is to be clueless about the wool pulled over our eyes and its nice to get a big punch in the face to snap out of it and realize what is going on. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Roamer on December 17, 2014, 07:53:30 AM
So I found this site, but I'm about 30 years too late. I had my chances when I was younger, as my mom have me The Wealthy Barber. But I just spent more than I made. Now I'm 50 and I'm trying to save for my retirement.  I have way more bills than I should but I do manage to pay off my credit cards every month. I am putting 30% in my Roth at work and since I am 50, I am also doing the catchup.
But still I feel like a slave to my job and would quit today if I had the money.  My 401k is around 190k (we won't talk about the annuity that I bought).
So while I am doing some of the right things, I feel like I am doing more of the wrong things.  I hope to learn more about investing here.
My job is medical field service for a big company that actually still has a pension. So I imagine I will need to work at least 12 more years to do that FIRE thing. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on December 17, 2014, 08:01:51 AM
Hi Roamer--

Don't worry--you are not the only 50-something here.  I didn't find MMM until I was 52.  I have made several changes and am on my way to retirement in 3 - 4 years (fingers crossed).  You will learn a lot here, as folks are smart and friendly, for the most part.  Ask lots of questions!

Welcome!

94
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lastlaugh on December 17, 2014, 12:18:20 PM
Hi, my wife and I have been reading the blog for about 6-9 months now and just decided to register. We are both active-duty military stationed in San Antonio, TX. We think we have made huge strides since first opening our eyes about our finances, and what we wanted in life. We have eliminated over 100k$ in debt in the past nine months, and are now 95% debt free. We have many questions on how to proceed from here but I'm still earning the forum and what goes where. We will be posting more and asking for advice soon!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on December 17, 2014, 01:14:33 PM
Welcome!  Since you are military, you may want to know about this:  http://the-military-guide.com/

The author of that blog is a member here, but he may not see your post.  I know he has been very helpful to many posters here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Roamer on December 17, 2014, 03:00:07 PM
Wow, last laugh that is awesome!  (On the debt reduction) Thanks for your service. My son just went through basic so I got to visit San Antonio earlier this year (when it was 108 at 8pm!) We are new to the military family so we are just learning as we go.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lostamonkey on December 17, 2014, 03:44:42 PM
Hi everybody, I am 22 years old and living in Canada. I have always been fairly frugal and it's awesome to find a website devoted to the frugal lifestyle. One of my goals is retiring in my mid to late thirties. I have a $110Kish networth and no debt (thanks mom and dad and highly subsidized Canadian education). I know this isn't much but I think it's decent for my age and I am going for a 60% savings rate next year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Friar on December 17, 2014, 04:43:51 PM
Hey guys,

I'm 25 and living in the UK. I've been reading MMM for about a year now and trying to apply some of the principals to my life.

Nice to meet you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: No-stache on December 17, 2014, 10:29:55 PM
Hi, my name is Meredith.

I'm 33 and getting ready to move to Nashville, TN. My salary will be a little over $33k.

...I have over $75k in student loans and that is my only debt.

The last five years or so I've lived kind of frugally and following my modified take on the Dave Ramsey plan and haven't made much progress.

I have about $6k in a 401k and lost out on $28k in match as I was laid off 8 months before I was fully vested at my previous job.

I really want to find a way to get these student loans gone. I feel like I'll be paying them off until I die.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VeritasMurdoc on December 18, 2014, 09:29:27 AM
Hello! Brandon, 27, from Tucson, AZ. Just started following this blog/forum a couple weeks ago and decided to jump on in.  I've got quite a bit of student loan debt ($52K) and the dreaded car loan debt ($16K).  My first priority though is to wipe out my credit card debt of $3K.  I've greatly enjoyed reading all the wealth of information and ideas on this site and look forward to applying some of the ideas to my life and hopefully begin having a comfortable and financial worry free future!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DSKla on December 18, 2014, 12:42:18 PM
Hi,  I'm DSK. Age 29, just discovered this lifestyle. I was an unconsciously mustachian kid. Mowed the lawn for $5 a week, went to work at age 14, and had saved over $12k by college graduation while never earning more than $5.15-6/hr. Moved to L.A. For grad school, and promptly lost it all paying for school and living expenses. Had to go into cc debt to make ends meet.

Finished with $10k cc debt (no student loans thankfully, that was just bills/groceries/beer).

Just before finding the site I got it down to a little over $6k (11% apr) and am highly motivated to destroy it before the end of 2015. I'm cutting expenses like crazy and knocking off $500-600/month, which will only go up as i continue to dial in my spending.

Looking forward to freedom.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Flash445 on December 19, 2014, 05:36:32 PM
Howdy y'all! I'm 25 and graduated with a degree in biochemistry/biophysics, minor in global business, and currently work in upstream oil and gas. I previously worked in environmental testing and agriculture. My move to the oil and gas industry provided me with almost double the pay from my previous jobs and I knew I had to make the most out of the money I earned and stumbled across this website and blog.

Details:
NO DEBT! (Just paid off my auto loan after acquiring my latest job and discovering mustachianism through badassity, $3.5k in 3 months!)
Gross ~ $52k annually
Still living at home with parents - saves $$ on rent and allows me to save up for a down payment for a home
I plan on maxing out my 401k in 2015 with a 5% company match and also maxing out my traditional IRA.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sagebrushmama on December 19, 2014, 09:52:50 PM
Hubs and I were mustachians for years and didn't know it.  Because we were grad students/seasonal employees and had no money.  Up until 5 years ago we had no money.  But now we've been making money for the past 5 years and need to get serious about saving money and cutting expenses. 

We live in an expensive part of Utah (oil and gas industry), hubs teaches and I'm a federal biologist.  We have 2 kiddos, a 4-month-old and a 2-year-old.  I thought we made pretty good money, but the more I read here the more jealous I get of folks that make more than $60,000 per year, or teachers that make more than $40,000 (seriously, where does that happen????).

My plan is to read every blog post, which I have been working on every night as I lay next to the 4 month old, trying to get her to sleep.  I am wracked with guilt almost constantly for not planning better or choosing a better-paying profession so that I could have kids with stay-at-home parents. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: leenygal on December 20, 2014, 10:11:06 AM
NO DEBT! (Just paid off my auto loan after acquiring my latest job and discovering mustachianism through badassity, $3.5k in 3 months!)
Gross ~ $52k annually
Still living at home with parents - saves $$ on rent and allows me to save up for a down payment for a home
I plan on maxing out my 401k in 2015 with a 5% company match and also maxing out my traditional IRA.

You and are are in the same boat! Though I'm a little younger - 23 - and gross a little less, I work professionally and still live at home w the parents & younger brother. Way to go on the retirement maxing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheyCallMeWiz on December 20, 2014, 04:48:08 PM
Hi.

I'm the unlikely combination of an extroverted, teenage girl, hiker, future engineer mustachian.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stache(Formerly)InAsia on December 20, 2014, 09:52:49 PM
Hello, just joined the forum today. Discovered MMM earlier this year, though I've more or less always been mustachian to some degree, so MMM and Your Money or Your Life - which I read over four years ago - deeply resonated with me.

I'm from the States but have been working in a crazy Asian metropolis for several years. Not the most mustachian-friendly place to live but I manage all right, all things considered. :-)  Debt-free except for a (reasonable) mortgage.

I have been at a major fork in the road the last year or so - I estimate I could be 2.5-3 years from borderline FI, *IF* I stay in my current job which is in an industry I dislike greatly. I joined the forum to reply to a thread I saw from someone asking himself similar questions - the "painful" route to FI vs the "scenic" route, but I might as well hang around the forum more now that I'm here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moneyhair on December 21, 2014, 12:51:57 PM
My name is Jim and I am 33 years old. I live in the north eastern part of USA and recently started to focus on my lifestyle and retirement savings - that all started about 2 years ago.  I found this forum just yesterday and am excited to get started.  I welcome any suggestions and advice - even if I do not ask the questions. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustachianMD on December 21, 2014, 11:07:29 PM
Hi All, I am in Kansas City. I am in the medical field and have been a lifelong mustachian. Saved up money for college working a friday night job in high school, ended up with a scholarship so I let that money compound through college. Grad school was a combination of loans and scholarship, then while in training I made the in hindsight bad decision of buying a condo at the peak of the housing market, which then bottomed out. I am still renting it out now just barely covering cost.

On the upside, my wife and I are saving up a good amount of our income and just working to pay down mortgage and student loan debt. Our credit cards are paid off monthly. We max out our retirement accounts, and are putting in a hefty portion into investment accounts. We have considered buying rental properties but not sure if we want another "job" and we are not sure what our long term goals are in the area since both our families are not from KC.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DavidinNOLA on December 22, 2014, 11:11:57 AM
Hello, hello, hello y'all! 

I've been reading MMM for a few months after a coworker pal turned me on to it.  What a fantastic little corner of the web this is!  I'm in my early thirties, work as an auditor, call New Orleans my home, and generally live well on the cheap.

I was in grad school for most of my twenties and, whatever the subject matter was, what I really learned was how to prefer potlucks dinners and camping weekends to fancy restaurants and expensive sporting events.  Now the DW and I are a relatively high earning household, carry no debt, have no plans for kids, automate a high savings rate, and share a goal to be FIRE within the next few years. 

Regarding FIRE, reading this blog and forum over the past few months has really helped crystalize for me what had previously been just a fuzzy dream.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mrmoneycleanshaven on December 23, 2014, 02:05:49 PM
I've been part of many forums, and every last one was consumption driven. Despite being $$$ savy, I have been caught up with the e-joneses in all sorts of shit (can I say that here, I don't cuss much, but there is no better word for the thing's I bought needlessly), that I would have never even known about if it weren't for forums.

Glad to finally be a part of something that focuses on preservation, and boasting comes decreased spending.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Salim on December 23, 2014, 04:13:41 PM
Hi, I'm Mara. I am married, have two independent offspring, own a small business, and love art and nature. We have made great progress with our finances due to reading the MMM blog, beginning last summer; I am currently reading all the old posts. My heartfelt thanks to Mr. and Mrs. MM for your generosity with invaluable information on improving finances and the planet.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ShockingBuggy on December 23, 2014, 05:59:55 PM
Hello,

You can call me Buggy.  I found this community completely by accident.  I was actually thinking of investing in Lending Club and found Mr. Money Mustache's experiment with it, and after reading his research on it, I clicked and read more posts in the blog, and I was hooked.  My husband and I had gotten a scare last year from the IRS complete with penalties that wiped out our savings and along with some bad decisions such as an expensive engagement ring and a car loan with a pretty egregious interest rate, we were scraping by.  Both of us had grown up in financially turbulent households (funnily enough, my parents are still dealing with a huge IRS eff up that left me and my parents unable to pay for college so I ended up dropping out) and had vowed to be better, and it turns out we were really wrong.  It could have been worse, but it gave me PTSD-esque flashbacks of my parents' situation.  We made another vow to do it right this time, complete with a Scarlett O'Hara raise the first to sky declaration.

Mr. Money Mustache really crystallized the image I had in my head of why I wanted to do what we were doing.  Frugal living had become an instinct, and though we still aren't the best, I have been having a lot of fun figuring out how we can save more money on the stuff we use everyday without sacrificing certain qualities of life that I find important.  I am looking forward of learning even more of things we could do to cut our costs even more to propel us faster toward financial independence.  Nice to meet everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Elliot on December 23, 2014, 06:10:05 PM
Hello!

I'm a partnered 20something living in the USA mid South. Found these forums via the Almighty Google. I've got vague plans to retire early, but waiting until we get a few more of our ducks in a row before we can see how many dollars and working years will come into play. In the meantime, I'm just trying to walk a line between keeping expenses down and enjoying my years. In our free time, I enjoy taking classes through open course ware programs, spending time outdoors hiking and swimming, and spending time outdoors on the porch drinking wine that I bought in a box. The dog seems content to tag along either way.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crazylemon on December 24, 2014, 01:14:47 AM
Hello!

24, finally a final year medical student in london. Only found MMM this this summer but it has prompted me to make changes mainly cycling most of the time unless I will be drinking etc. I now seem to cycle more than my flatmate I previously thought was an avid cyclist! I found MMM through another forum I frequent and got hooked. Add in ERE and I have the 'master plan' now.

Only debt is the government student debt which doesn't work as debt. Assets are not particularly large at the moment but  start proper work this summer which is when the real saving can begin (~£11k). Worked out if I just spent as I do now I would be saving ~50-60% of my salary just living as I do, and there is probably room to bring that up even more (I won't have time to eat out with all my friends who seem to find this the only enjoyable activity and might be rent free for the first year). Eating out is the thing I still need to get ontop of, beginning to persuade friends there are other things you can do than sit down eat and chat.

Oh and SCUBA diving. Which isn't Mustachian. But I love it. If I become a fully qualified instructor (currently only an assistant) something to do in retirement.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Essie37 on December 27, 2014, 04:44:53 AM
Greetings- 62 years old, plan to "retire" in about 3-4 years. I need ideas on becoming more frugal, love the idea of living on $15k a year, and starting a small home-based business.
Thank you Mr. and Mrs. MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gaja on December 27, 2014, 06:03:41 AM
Good day!

Mid thirties woman from the far north in Europe, not quite as far north as the midnight sun and polar bears, but it is cold and dark enough. We will be moving 400 miles south in just a few weeks, and have of course been smart enough to buy a new house before we sold the old one. The new house is smaller and cheaper, and we should be able to be debt free in just a few years, as soon as we get the old house sold. But selling a house in this market is hard work; houses that look good sell for good prices in just a few days, while more run down properties can lay dormant for months and months. So we have a lot of painting to do.

I make decent money, and since we have two disabled children and DH stays at home to take care of them we recieve more aid from the government than we pay in taxes. He has a bit of passive income from selling stock photo, photage, and music.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DeltaBond on December 28, 2014, 06:09:03 AM
After several posts, I should probably introduce myself - I live in the US, 37, mother, wife, have a career - but I'm continuing to find ways to downsize and streamline my life.  Thankfully I'm not high maintenance, ha ha.  I found this community searching for how much carmax gives for a 10 month old car, and here I am.  Awesome forums!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Superchicken17 on December 28, 2014, 01:46:34 PM
Howdy, I'm originally from So. Cal and now reside in the Central Coast region of California. Wife, one child and desperately seeking to figure out how to live life before it's too late. I enjoy all things financial and look fwd to learning from everyone else's achievements ad / or pitfalls.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mommyof2 on December 28, 2014, 06:23:08 PM
Hi.  I'm a mom of two kids (9,10), live in Chicago and hoping to convince my spouse to leave the rat race, relocate somewhere a lot less expensive and enjoy our time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: C-note on December 29, 2014, 02:17:43 PM
Greetings!

I've been reading the MMM forums from the outside for about a year.  I decided it was time to get in the pool.

I'm a wife of 29 years to a wonderful man, mom of 3, and work in public education as an administrator in special education.  My husband is an engineer.  I'm also in a doctoral program and hope to finish, coursework and dissertation, in Fall 2016.  My PhD may lead to our retirement in a sleepy college town.  Maybe. 

We live a pretty simple life and take advantage of our surroundings for our entertainment.

I probably don't have much to contribute to MMM but hope to learn a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fresh on December 29, 2014, 08:06:37 PM
Hello!

Just noticed this section, registered a while back but never introduced myself. 

I'm a 20 something in central TX with a student loan and modest retirement savings.  I sold my house earlier this year and through some of the profits into savings and a bit of stocks which has motivated me to be a better saver.  I had been looking forward to buying a new laptop, nice coat, etc etc once I got the check from the house but I haven't been able to stomach the thought of spending any of it yet.  It is funny how when you actually get a bit of money you don't want to spend/touch it.

Anyways, I look forward to being a part of the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsPeacock on December 30, 2014, 08:44:39 AM
Howdy - found the forums yesterday and decided to jump in. I am hoping to make signfiicant financial changes this year and this seems like a good place for support and information.

Details - well things were rolling along fine until my divorce 4 years ago. Angry ex with a lot more financial resources means that I have been in court 3 out of the last 4 years. He has just filed for round 3 on challenging custody and child support. I have spent $210,000 in the past 4 years on legal fees. I don't know how much round three will cost. Round 2 just ended (3 weeks ago) and I currently owe about 50,000 (included in the 210,000) on credit cards due to paying the lawyers. So far I still have my retirement accounts (IRAs, TSP, and pension). I am 45 and single mom to two kids. I work * a lot* and haven't had a raise in 5 years. My lawyers have agreed to reduce their fees for round 3. There isn't anything much I can do to avoid the legal costs, which leaves me with tighening down as much as possible every where else.

Where to tighten - well, TV cable and landline phone are going soon. I need to set up VIOP because I don't have cell reception at my house. Sprint cellular is going when my contract is up (June). Back to couponing and less reliance on packaged food (I work a lot - makes cooking hard w/ limited time). I have no gym membership. I have no household help. I am going to do a no-spend for my own clothing and costmetics. The kids keep growing - but thrift as much as possible for them. I do like to travel but I am tigthening down on the money spent while traveling (e.g. making more meals in the hotel kitchenette; staying with friends when possible). Trying to decide what else to do (e.g. stop w/ college savings) to put more money on the credit card debit. I am afraid to tap any more out of my non-retirement savings because I don't know what emergency will happen next.

Thats it in a nutshell! Looking forward to financial revision in 2015!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: myhotrs on December 30, 2014, 11:50:59 AM
Hello all, found the site maybe four months ago and its been awesome to find like-minded people!! I'm 35, married with a baby girl. We live in LA. I've always been frugal and a saver and dreamed of early retirement when I was young. But over the years, began to believe the work to 65 myth and spending habits drifted. I live in a high COL area and work with a lot of typical high-earners/high-spenders. Just in the past month, three co-workers bought new silly cars.

Now I'm back on the early retirement path and if everything goes well, I figure we're three to four years away! All thanks to ERE and MMM and you all here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kbeth07 on December 30, 2014, 06:48:44 PM
Hi all! I'm a college student, almost 20 years old. Probably a little young here. My parents never taught me great money habits, and as a result I've gotten into the habit of spending too much money on Starbucks drinks, takeout food, and unnecessary purchases. (Like your average teenager.) I discovered MMM pretty recently and want to change my habits and become more frugal. I figured it would be more helpful to create an account than just lurking constantly. The earlier, the better, right? I'm going to community college right now, planning to start working full-time next month, and will be working part-time while finishing my last two years of university, starting in the fall. My goal right now is to graduate with as little student loan debt as possible. Financial independence is definitely a goal as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kstar on December 30, 2014, 09:39:02 PM
Hi!  I'm a 35 year old living in Vancouver, BC (for now).  This year was pretty big for me.  I finished my PhD in February and got married in September.  Being a graduate student and getting married are costly things.  Somehow I managed to rack up $9000 on my LOC after my wedding, even with financial help from both sets of parents.  I think moving from a moderately expensive city to a much more expensive city accounted for some of that debt.  I'm happy to report that I finally paid off that LOC yesterday, but only after talking myself into dipping in to my savings.   I discovered MMM through another local financial blog about a month ago, and am looking forward to working towards proper badassity over the next year!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Roadhog on December 31, 2014, 05:00:40 PM
Hi!  I have finallly joined the forum after discovering MMM a little less than a year ago.  I have read through all of the posts, start to finish and most of the comments.  I've been working my way through the forum.  I have learned a ton and have made big adjustments this past year.   I am 55 and through what I have impemented so far with my husband we are now less than 3 years away from retirement.  Not early, but it will be possible...which was in question at the start of the year.

We can do more, but so grateful for what I have learned.  It's been life changing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: morning owl on January 01, 2015, 01:19:51 PM
Hi everyone, and happy new year! I've been lurking on this site for ages, but would like to start participating. I think about FI all the time, but know very few people IRL to talk with about it. I'm interested in investing (particularly DGI), and the more philosophical subtleties of this journey.

I live in Canada with my husband and zero children. I'm in my early forties and though I've always been relatively frugal and debt-averse, I didnt really understand FIRE as an option until relatively recently. My husband is semi-on board. Most of our friends are quite spendy. It is great to have resources and the support of a community like this and I look forward to sharing more of my journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Drakmon on January 01, 2015, 05:06:13 PM
Hi folks,

I just started reading MMM today, thanks to my wife who turned me on to it (who heard of it on NPR). Wow, I never thought I could retire early unless I "hit it big", but now I really seem to have "hit it big" with MMM.

My wife (37) and I (34) are both high-earners (~$300k) living in an expensive city (NYC), but we're committed to reducing our expenses (from $150k/year to something more like $50k/year) and retiring early. Thankfully the only debt we have is an almost-nuked school loan. I'm excited about the journey, and what lies at the end. Now excuse me while I read some more MMM blog posts and get educated! ;D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on January 01, 2015, 05:51:07 PM
Welcome to all the new people! We're glad to have you. May 2015 be a greatly improved year for you all.

We've got all kinds of craziness going on around here, so jump on in.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: emmegebene on January 01, 2015, 07:39:34 PM
I've been working my way through the blog from the beginning and was holding off on joining the forums, but eh, why wait.

I'm extremely fortunate to live in Longmont, Colorado, right in MMM's neighborhood, which really is as great as he says it is. I didn't know this when I first found the blog though! My kids go / have gone to the same school as little MM and I'm sure we have crossed paths in the 'hood.

I'm mustachian by nature so everything here resonates with me. I read The Tightwad Gazette, YMOYL, Voluntary Simplicity, and other similar books years ago. My challenge is a husband who isn't inclined that way. He appreciates my thriftiness, but I suspect he sometimes uses it as justification for his own spending. Overall our savings rate is embarrassingly low, and I know we can do better.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rubyist on January 02, 2015, 12:58:13 AM
I'm a woman in my mid 20s, living in Southern California.

I discovered MMM a few weeks ago and devoured the entire blog archive. It's inspired me to change my financial habits significantly. I like my job quite a bit but I don't like that I'm dependent on its paycheck. It doesn't pay great so if I want a chance at becoming financially independent I can't afford to spend wastefully. I'm now committed to saving 30% of my income.

As you might be able to guess from my username, I own too much yarn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TTGS on January 02, 2015, 12:18:28 PM
Hi all.  32 year old female engineer here, been reading MMM on and off for a year or two but really got on board this past year.  I was previously a Dave Ramsey fan which helped me make some progress but things still moved slowly.  A year ago I got a big wakeup call when I found out I was losing my job and realized I was not even remotely prepared for that. 

Fast forward to now, I've been in my new (much better and higher paying!) job for a while and just calculated that I increased my net worth by 37% in 2014 due to pay increases and implementing Mustachian philosophies.  I finally cancelled cable last week and lived to tell the tale :) 

Happy to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LadyDriver on January 02, 2015, 01:10:30 PM
41 yr old female, married.

My story in a (large) nutshell

Before 25: Typical consumer who thought I had to do certain things and have certain things to be doing life right.
25ish: Epiphany! If I keep doing what I am doing, I will be stressed and broke forever.
25-30: Frugal and voluntarily simple. Paid off debt, maxed out retirement investments, saved a bunch of money.
30: Met the man I would marry.
30-now: Wandered on the fringes of the wilderness. Still pretty frugal and simple, but not hardcore. Changed jobs. Saving slowed, free time increased. Started a business that has contracted and expanded with the economy.
Now: Crossroads! We can expand our business, earning more money and spending more time or we can dial things back, earning less money and spending less time. We like the business, but working so much is a grind*. Thinking about what to do next (and a timely mention on MSN) brought me here and reminded me of how satisfied I was with my life in my late 20's.

*We are team truck drivers running under our own authority. We drive exclusively for Azure Standard, a bulk food company I see mentioned on these boards.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dKonstruct on January 02, 2015, 07:34:19 PM
Hi folks!

I'm 32 and fighting off 57K of debt (student loans and car).

I just recently stumbled upon MMM and the ERE communities.  Needless to say the information revolutionized how I think about money and life.  Before MMM and ERE, I thought that only entrepreneurs who managed to sell out or folks who ran micro businesses (aka "Muses" as explained by Tim Ferriss) where able to live the "time rich" lifestyle discussed in these communities. I'm just thankful that I  stumbled upon this philosophy before I got any older than I already am. 

I'm cutting down my debt and monthly spending the best I can. 

Thanks and glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Markds11 on January 03, 2015, 05:33:13 AM
Hello I found this forum and the blog earlier this week.  It's full of great information!  My wife and I have a spending problem we need to work on.  But it's been three days since we've spent anything.  Baby steps! (No Dave Ramsey)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Liggy on January 03, 2015, 12:04:00 PM
Hi all, just joined up after getting addicted to reading the blogs. I'm 26 and from the UK, myself and my girlfriend (still working on selling it fully) have been inspired by the ethos of this site.

Since reading on here we have declared our debt situation ($35,000) an emergency despite our net worth being around $57,000 hoping to have them all clear by spring 2016.

I have realised from this site just how much I've been sucked in by consumerism in the past 2-3 years and want to get back to my old ways which led to me to purchase (mortgage) and renovate my first house aged 23 which is quite rare here in the UK!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lynski on January 03, 2015, 05:44:53 PM
Figured it's time I introduced myself! I've been a lurker for about 6 months, posting here and there. I found MMM through a Facebook friend's link to an article, but didn't discover the forums until a few months later.

I grew up the daughter of a financial planner and, though no expert, always considered myself responsible with money. I remember reading financial books in high school cause they happened to be around the house. Despite that, reading the articles and forums here have been pretty eye opening, and I feel like I've got a much better handle on actually making a conscious plan toward my financial future, rather than leaving everything on autopilot like I had been.

I look forward to learning much more from the great community here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PencilThinMust on January 03, 2015, 09:51:18 PM
Hi,

Been reading for a few years, finally feel I should contribute.

-Dale
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fruchtwein on January 03, 2015, 11:40:35 PM
Hi MMM-Community,

I'm Martin, German citizen and currently living with my wife and daughter in Kathmandu, Nepal.
We will move in August this year to Rome, Italy for job reasons. I will turn 31 this year and still have a net worth around 0,- EUR. I started to invest money in September last year after I read a lot in the internet and found the MMM-Website.

I always wante to be rich, because I thought all my money problems will be gone. So I spent more money than I earned and took consumer loans to pay my bills and othe stuff. I thought I will get rich trough some random event, like an invention or a super business idea or whatever. After the birth of my daughter in 2013 I evaluated our financal situation and was shocked. Our net worth was around -20k EUR, I earned a low six figure EUR amount and spent every dime for things I even can't remember - how could I explain this to my daughter or even teach her anything about money and life? It took me around one more year to get my lazy ass up and start saving money.

I really got motivated through the idea of early retirement (The Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement) and have now a saving rate of ~45% of my net salary. We started to track our expenses, figured out how we can save more (6,- USD a day for coffee at the playground for example o.O) and I'm confident that we can reach a saving rate >50%. Also I try to back up the investments with some side business ideas (Amazon eBooks) and also my wife wants to put her share in and will restart her shirt printing company in Italy.

Hopefully you can understand my English, I'm sorry, it is not the best, but I promise I try my best. :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marshmallowaddict on January 05, 2015, 08:18:59 PM
Hi Fruchtwein!

I can understand your english just fine! I'm new as well. My goals this year are both to max out of my 401k retirement plan and take a trip from the US to New Zealand. I think it's possible, but I need to be mindful of my spending.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: andy.LtD on January 06, 2015, 01:52:59 AM
Hi,

I'm Andy, married with one boy starting university this Sept. I like motorcycling, travel  and adventure but work kind of  gets in the way.
Working towards FI really pleased to find Mr money mustache.

Big help so far , enjoying the site
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CAtoTX on January 07, 2015, 10:59:43 PM
Hi, I'm Carolyn.  I discovered MMM mid-2014 and I finally finished reading all of the MMM posts from the beginning of time.  I live in CA, am divorced and have a daughter in veterinary school and a son in college.  I am a former systems analyst/engineer & current CPA and love budgeting and finance (I know right?).  (I didn't iron $5 bills as a child but I did fill notebooks with hand-calculated mortgage amortization schedules.)
I was working on a case study tonight to submit but then I realized that yes, I can retire today if I want to & move to my place in Texas.
(...only I need to be married to sell my house and receive the maximum capital gains exclusion.  Where is the MMM matchmaking thread?)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyMeares on January 09, 2015, 08:20:21 AM
HI everyone!

We are a young-newly married couple from Southern California and are excited to be debt free and be able to have a great retirement with MMM advice! Excited to read all entries and better ourselves!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: perummm on January 09, 2015, 01:41:18 PM
Hi! My name is Rafael. and I'm from Perú! Long time reader, first time poster!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tortoise Banker on January 09, 2015, 09:22:53 PM
Aloha!

Fan of the site!  Definitely helped me drive down my expenses.  I'm Tortoise Banker.  : )

Married with one kid on the way.  Looking forward to enjoying more of the content on the site and forum posts!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RogueSqPewPew on January 10, 2015, 06:25:35 AM
Hello all. My husband and I are both AD military, with about 11-13 years to go, if we opt to stay in. We both hope to be financially independent upon military retirement.  No kids yet, but they're in the cards.

I feel we are well on our way, but still have much to learn, and much pressure to overcome in the coming years. That's why I'm here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 10, 2015, 07:03:47 AM
Welcome!

This thread might interest you:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/any-other-military-men-or-women-in-the-mmm-comunity/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TXBruiser on January 10, 2015, 04:15:07 PM
Hello MMM Community!!!  28yo from Houston, in the O&G industry, my wife and I have been living well below our means for a few years now, but its great there is this community of other like-minded folks that I can learn from, and hopefully give back.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kris on January 10, 2015, 06:18:22 PM
Hey, everyone:

I discovered MMM a little more than a month ago.  Blew through every single blog post and then suffered from withdrawal so came here to feed my habit.

I just turned 48 and my husband is 56.  We met about 8 1/2 years ago.  I helped him dig out of a mountain of debt and got us on a path to retire esrly in June 2020.  Since reading the blog, I realized I can shave that down to June 2018, when I'll be 51 and he'll be 60.  I'm looking forward to participating here and hopefully having the forum help me to further "mustache" our lifestyle.  Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to shave our retirement date down even further as a result? :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: newnewman on January 11, 2015, 07:51:57 AM
Hi,

My name is Michelle. I am a 30-year old married woman from the Georgian Bay area of Ontario, Canada. I am the mother of a busy almost-two-year old. I am only working part time and making next-to-nothing BUT I am glad I stumbled across MMM because I have learned that I shouldn't be focussing on the money I am making but rather the money I am spending. My husband and I owe about $15,000 on two lines of credit (from my husband's truck and closing costs of our second home purchase - eek) plus a mortgage of approximately $200,000.

Our main goal in 2015 is to eliminate our $15,000 debt on two lines of credit. I personally would also like to find a higher paying job too. I am also trying to motivate the hubby to get onboard as well.

Great to be here! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Glenn B on January 11, 2015, 11:19:47 AM
I found MMM about 2 years ago and love the overall approach to FI, great money saving ideas, and the MMM blog really provides lots of encouragement to reach FI. 

I was laid off from my job a few years ago, and that really put me in shock, as a good worker bee, you just think the gravy paycheck train will keep going on until you reach that magic place called retirement.  I was super lucky as I had a new job within a month, so no break in the gravy train, but it caused me to completely rethink savings, retirement, and financial independence.  As I realized when I was laid off that my monthly expenses could only be sustained for maybe 6 months before I would really be in trouble. So a new plan had to be put in place, both for retirement and FI.  Thus I found MMM.

I have been trying to be more Mustache like, and started easy by getting rid of my ridiculous monthly expenses like: 

Cable TV bill ($120) replaced by NetFlix ($9)  & Amazon Prime ($7.5);
Cell Phone ($120 for two) replaced by buying the next cell phones (no renty stuff) and using  GoSmartMobile ($75 for two, still expensive but we work via phone with unlimited minutes);
Home phone ($26) replaced by OOMA ($3.5);
all magazine subscriptions cancelled ($10 at least) replaced by  personal internet magazines (Zite and Flip are great to keep up with the latest news);
Internet Access ($80) replaced by Freedom Pop ($42 for 20 gig with two Freedom Pop modems as you need one per 10gig);
baking bread at home (love the breadmaker approach);
and lots more eating in and watching movies vs the expensive restaurants/movie theaters. 

And just 2 days ago, I got rid of my biggest crazy insane expense, a big fancy old motor yacht, that was costing me out the nose every month ($$$).  It was a hard decision for me, as this was my main hobby, repairing it and keeping it running, and I enjoyed boating every other weekend.  This is replaced by having friends with boats ($0 except for bringing the food and drinks).

So finally after two years of reducing my monthly expenses, increasing my savings and investments, I finally feel like I can reach FI in a few years thanks to MMM and the great writers and links to other sites that provide guidance to work towards FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CapLimited on January 11, 2015, 02:29:09 PM
Hi, I'm CapLimited, after the famous old Capitol Limited passenger train that ran between New York, Washington DC, and Chicago.  When I'm not admiring my growing net worth, I'm thinking about and planning for my next long-distance train trip. 

I came over from Early Retirement Extreme when Jacob passed the torch to MMM, and have been a long-time lurker on the forum.  I don't expect to have much to say here, but will chime in when I have something useful to add. 

My story -- changed careers in 2002, relocated, and got into around $50,000 of debt (student loans, credit cards, car loan -- the usual suspects).  Got back out of consumer debt while taking on condo and rental property mortgages, and started maxing out my retirement accounts in 2007.  It's a little too late for me to retire extremely early, but I'm planning to bail on the day job sometime between ages 57 and 60.  Could probably go sooner, but I'm willing to sacrifice a bit so I can stay in Washington DC (expensive, but lots of cultural opportunities) and take train trips.

Other stuff:  I'm a Briggs-Meyers INTP.  I haven't owned a car since 2008 and hope I never have to again, since I'm a menace behind the wheel.  I walk three blocks to work -- great commute!  Bike share is available here, but I usually prefer to walk, or take Metro if the weather is particularly nasty.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grodgersoz on January 11, 2015, 04:47:41 PM
Hi everyone, Im greg

I have been interested in FI since i was about 23 and im 37 now. I have done ok for myself so far, but after discovering this site, ERE and GRS im keen to speed things up a bit and thats where all of you come in!

I want to post my current financial position, current budget and situation, then get feed back from all moustachians about what they believe i could improve and what they would do differently and why.

Where should i post that?

thank you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on January 11, 2015, 04:53:14 PM
Hi everyone, Im greg

I have been interested in FI since i was about 23 and im 37 now. I have done ok for myself so far, but after discovering this site, ERE and GRS im keen to speed things up a bit and thats where all of you come in!

I want to post my current financial position, current budget and situation, then get feed back from all moustachians about what they believe i could improve and what they would do differently and why.

Where should i post that?

thank you!

Post it under the Ask A Mustachian (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/) section. And to get help faster, check out the sticky on that thread regarding the proper way to write a case study (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-write-a-'case-study'-topic/). Welcome to the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cork on January 11, 2015, 10:22:40 PM
Hi, I'm Zach.  I'm 24 and in love with my bicycles.  Excited to get involved in the forums after reading nearly all MMM's posts.
Still wrestling with the whole "what do I do with my life" thing.  Having an engineering job in the meantime helps :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: UKMatt on January 12, 2015, 08:09:45 AM
Hello, I'm Matt. I live in England with my wife, son and dog. I was recently introduced to MMM by a friend who recommended it on his blog and I'm hooked! Having given the matter a lot of thought over the last couple of weeks, I have realised that I am naturally quite mustachian. I have never had an expensive car with monthly payments (until last month!), always cut my own hair, never liked wasting money on expensive clothes or electrical goods (never bought a TV or mobile phone in my life, always had hand me downs) and just generally hate feeling like I'm being ripped off, so I always resist big spending. I have felt like this has been getting away from me a bit recently though, due to peer pressure (entirely imaginary) and my wife, who is a bit happier to splash the cash! Where I've always been a bit remiss is that I give very little thought to saving of any kind, or making sure my utility bills etc are as low as possible. I've taken the attitude that I don't spend money because I hate worrying about it so I don't actively waste but I don't actively save either.

This general frugality has allowed us to get by on a pretty meagre household wage between the two of us, but has seen some debt creeping up. I knew I had a couple of credit card balances but just ignored them. No more! I am committed to clearing all credit card debt urgently and to making sure I'm not wasting any money anywhere. I've paid off one card and am now completely in the know about what balances I have on what cards and the order I need to work on them. I have switched our supermarket and started stretching meals out further and trying to completely eliminate any food waste from our house. I've done a full review of our bills and switched electricity and gas supplier today, for a better deal. I cancelled my DVD postal account and netflix and have banned myself from buying coffee out (my one big indulgence!), looking out a thermos we already own and getting it nice and clean for days when I'm out all day and would normally buy coffee.

The one thing that I could do, but won't, is get rid of the new car. It's nothing massively expensive and is actually relatively economical fuel wise but it was probably much newer (3 years old) than it needed to be and (here comes the really bad bit!) bought on credit agreement. In all my 35 years, this is the first time I've signed up to one of these, having driven a succession of bangers, purchased with cash, for all my driving life. I was getting so sick of the state of the last one though (dents, rust, squealing fan belt that three garages have failed to fix, funny smell inside, wife refuses to drive it!) that I gave in and got something nice. In my defense, I plan to keep it for as long as I can (at least a decade) and it is more economical on fuel than the last one, which was really thirsty.

Apologies for the essay!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jaybone on January 12, 2015, 02:33:09 PM
Hi!
I have been lurking for about 6 months and like what I see.  I am 68, married for 46 years, and retired at 50.  Two daughters, married with grandchildren.  I guess I was born with a mustache as everything seems like common sense to me.  Spend less than you make.  I am one of the lucky ones with a pension and wife and I both receive SS.  Looking forward to the ride into the sunset.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: journey2financialfreedom on January 16, 2015, 01:13:31 AM
Hey everyone !

I'm 18 years old from Australia !

I love everything finance and investing, and am currently at University!

Looking forward to my road to financial freedom :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 11ducks on January 16, 2015, 02:53:31 AM
Hey everyone !

I'm 18 years old from Australia !

I love everything finance and investing, and am currently at University!

Looking forward to my road to financial freedom :D

Wow, good for you, getting started so early in life!!! I was useless with money at 18, and wish I had found a place like this! good luck with it. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on January 16, 2015, 10:19:18 AM
Hello!

I'm Melissa, I live in the DC area and in a few months I'll achieve real adult status by turning 30.

I have a good job working for the federal government and I'd say I enjoy it most of the time (but oh the bureaucracy!).  I discovered the whole idea of FI last year and have been pretty obsessed with it ever since.  Even though I don't hate my job, the older I get the more hobbies and outside interests I acquire and I think about all the other things I could do with my day outside my cubicle!  Plus, I'm still debating on the whole kids thing and the idea of staying home the first few years sounds nice, though I realize it will be its own full time job.

SCUBA diving is a passion of mine, and though I know I've spent a LOT of money on it in the past few years I do think it's worth it.  Thanks to MMM, I'm much more frugal in other areas than I used to be and am well on my way to FI - target date 2020.  Still have a lot to improve on though.  Combing assets with my SO would probably enable me to be FI sooner, but circumstances will likely prevent us from living together for another 3 or 4 years. Plus, I want to be able to do it myself!

Other interests include running, biking, swimming, hiking, vegan cooking, minimalism (except for all that SCUBA gear...sigh), personal development books and savings/investing (obviously).

Welcome. If you like biking, try joining in our challenges.

I absolutely love diving, but yeah...that stuff is bulky. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bobbyj on January 16, 2015, 05:46:07 PM
Hi, I'm Bob and I'm a lapsed Mustachian, was doing pretty well towards early retirement until we started having kids and now I want to get back on the wagon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PowerMustache on January 16, 2015, 06:49:29 PM
Hi, I've been around for a few months but haven't introduced myself yet.

30 years old, living in Seattle, work at a software company but trained in engineering. My job is just fine, no major complaints. Flexible, pay is good (not insanely high though, I'm in a slightly more stable/less high paying branch of the software industry).

Not married yet but one of my goals is FI before having kids. Just took the political test on another thread and came out Libertarian Left, as it seems most other mustachians are as well. I know there are a lot of INTJs here - I was an INTJ for sure 10 years ago, but may be settling in as more of an ENTJ.

My FI date is probably 3-4 years from now. I'm still not sure what I'll do at that point, but I'm not one of the people that worries about being bored in retirement. I have way too many ideas, the trouble will be choosing between them. One leading contender is a a year or so off to travel/do whatever (or more if kids are in the picture around that time), then get a teaching certificate and teach high school math. I know it would be a tough job but I think it would be very meaningful and satisfying, and probably way more enjoyable than usual if I didn't have to worry at all about the crappy pay.

I have my expenses reasonably under control and a serious girlfriend who is mostly on board. We still have our struggles but it's going fine and my savings rate has been around 60% for a while now. I've never been a big spender -- discovering MMM and implementing some of the ideas about 6 months ago took me from a 50% to a 60% savings rate. We will continue to optimize and I expect core spending to drop further over time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MiningMoney on January 17, 2015, 09:30:52 AM
Hi,

   I'm just a coal miner from southeastern B.C and after randomly finding this blog through another website I've spent the last two weeks going through every nickel and dime I've spent last year. I thought I was doing good but in reality I was spending almost 100% of Net Pay every year haha.. anyways.. Think I got the old lady on board and heres to paying down bad debt and maybe actually retiring before im 40.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SunshineAZ on January 17, 2015, 04:31:32 PM
Hi,

I am a 48 year old female, I grew up in So. Cal. but moved to SE Arizona about 7 years ago.  I have worked most of my career in Aerospace as a computer geek and non-degreed engineer.  I originally moved to Arizona for a project, but when it ended, my fiance and I didn't want to leave. We were offered jobs in either Seattle or St. Louis, but neither of us really wanted to move to those areas.  Unfortunately, that ended up being a bad move for me.  I was making around $90k, but after getting laid off the contract I was supposed to start working on was delayed due to the sequestration and since then, had to take a job making around $36k.  Fortunately, my fiance got a job making almost the same as he was before and the house he bought (at the peak *sigh*) is still well within our means.  But things are a lot tighter now. 

I have always been a saver, but I made a lot of stupid mistakes, like having over $50k in a bank account for years doing nothing.  *face punch*  Due to my new low income I was researching financial advice and stumbled upon MMM.  I am glad that I found this site.  Unfortunately, my fiance is spendypants and even though he really wants to retire early, he is completely unwilling to scale back.  I am working on getting him on board, but we have always kept our finances separate, so I really don't know how much he has and he is very reluctant to talk about finances due to a bad experience with an ex-wife. 

Basically, right now I am just really upset with myself that now that I know what to do with my money, I don't have the money to save.   But, I am glad that I started saving relatively early and always maxed out my 401k.  *yay*

Anyway, I am currently working on some certifications that will hopefully help me up my pay and get back on track since I feel like I am saving for both of us. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pancakes on January 17, 2015, 09:24:10 PM
Hello everyone

Of course I'm new here and thought I'd pop in to introduce myself.

My husband and I are Australians in our late 20's and have always been a little bit frugal but at the same time a little bit lazy with our finances.

In 2009 during the GFC I was studying full time and not working when events outside of our control forced us to learn how little we could live off. Mr Pancakes was made redundant and we quickly started to pay more attention to our finances. Our immediate dread turned to optimism when we tallied up our finances and realised that we had over $70k in savings stashed in 5 different banks. By keeping our expenses under $20k/year I was able to continue to focus on my studies while Mr Pancakes also returned to university to complete a post graduate degree. 

After I graduated I had a lot of trouble finding work. I was unemployed for over 12 months and reflecting back on it was quite deep in depression. Somehow during all those periods of decreased income, we were able to continue steadily adding to our wealth but while we have always been good at saving, we have never been particular good at making our savings work for us.

Fastforward to today. We moved across the country and are both employed. I'm a little disappointed to admit that with our higher incomes has come higher spending. Some of that is due to a higher cost of living in our new city but a lot has to do with getting caught up in the idea that we need all kinds of rubbish that we don't.

So what am I doing here on MMM? Well we are looking to make our wealth work better for us. We've been stashing it into savings accounts because we want to buy a home and a 20% deposit on Australian Realestate is an ungodly amount of money. We are pretty good at chasing the best interest rate we can get on our savings but once tax comes out and it is adjusted for inflation, we are just running on the spot. We have enough aside for a deposit now (just need to find the right place) that we can start to invest any additional savings in a way that will work better for us in the longterm and are hoping to learn how do to just that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Smevans on January 18, 2015, 10:28:25 AM
Hello! 28 yo living in the capital of sitting in your car for 4 hours a day (Chiraq aka Chicago). Dislike commuting, dislike this city, dislike my job but feel trapped with all of them due to my lack of financial freedom. Started reading MMM about 6 months ago. Really inspired me to get my financials in order so that hopefully one day soon, I can pack up and leave for a new state!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nazar on January 18, 2015, 02:58:37 PM
Hi, I'm Nazar,

I had the good fortune to read Your Money or Your Life while in grad school in the 90s (paid for by my employer at the time) and came across MMM when searching the internet to see what follow-up stories might be out there from well known FI advocates from the 80s and 90s, curious to see if their plans were sustainable over time since I am pretty close to taking the leap. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlwaysBeenASaver on January 18, 2015, 07:40:11 PM
Hi, I'm 46 years old. As my user name suggests, I've been a saver rather than a spender my whole life. Not quite at the level of Mustachian, but every purchase has always been thought about before purchasing, and any spare money has always been saved and/or invested. Because of this, combined with having a steady stream of good jobs since finishing college, I got my student loans paid off fairly quickly and my investments have reached the range of FI. I ran into this website a couple weeks ago while researching emergency money, draw down methods in a bad market, and so on, as part of my final preparations before I FIRE - probably within the year, but not 100% sure yet. I read all the blog posts and many of the forum messages so decided I should introduce myself. I appreciate all of the messages everyone has posted here; I've learned so much just in the past 2 weeks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlwaysBeenASaver on January 18, 2015, 07:42:26 PM
Hi, I'm Nazar,

I had the good fortune to read Your Money or Your Life while in grad school in the 90s (paid for by my employer at the time) and came across MMM when searching the internet to see what follow-up stories might be out there from well known FI advocates from the 80s and 90s, curious to see if their plans were sustainable over time since I am pretty close to taking the leap.


I read that book a few years after college and learned so much from it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: journey2financialfreedom on January 18, 2015, 08:22:22 PM
Hey everyone !

I'm 18 years old from Australia !

I love everything finance and investing, and am currently at University!

Looking forward to my road to financial freedom :D

Wow, good for you, getting started so early in life!!! I was useless with money at 18, and wish I had found a place like this! good luck with it.

Thanks 11ducks ! :D Feels good to get the ball rolling early :)
Best of luck to you too !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gluskap on January 18, 2015, 11:02:38 PM
Hi everyone!

I wish I had found MMM earlier! I'm 35 and married with a 7 month baby living in Southern California which is a pretty HCOL area which makes it hard to save. But I'm trying to get the hubby on board for early retirement. Just in the process of refinancing to a 15 year mortgage and hoping to retire when the house is paid off. Looking forward to learning as much as I can from these forums to hopefully move that date earlier
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: roadtofreedom on January 19, 2015, 12:42:19 AM
I found MMM about 2 years ago and love the overall approach to FI, great money saving ideas, and the MMM blog really provides lots of encouragement to reach FI. 

I was laid off from my job a few years ago, and that really put me in shock, as a good worker bee, you just think the gravy paycheck train will keep going on until you reach that magic place called retirement.  I was super lucky as I had a new job within a month, so no break in the gravy train, but it caused me to completely rethink savings, retirement, and financial independence.  As I realized when I was laid off that my monthly expenses could only be sustained for maybe 6 months before I would really be in trouble. So a new plan had to be put in place, both for retirement and FI.  Thus I found MMM.

I have been trying to be more Mustache like, and started easy by getting rid of my ridiculous monthly expenses like: 

Cable TV bill ($120) replaced by NetFlix ($9)  & Amazon Prime ($7.5);
Cell Phone ($120 for two) replaced by buying the next cell phones (no renty stuff) and using  GoSmartMobile ($75 for two, still expensive but we work via phone with unlimited minutes);
Home phone ($26) replaced by OOMA ($3.5);
all magazine subscriptions cancelled ($10 at least) replaced by  personal internet magazines (Zite and Flip are great to keep up with the latest news);
Internet Access ($80) replaced by Freedom Pop ($42 for 20 gig with two Freedom Pop modems as you need one per 10gig);
baking bread at home (love the breadmaker approach);
and lots more eating in and watching movies vs the expensive restaurants/movie theaters. 

And just 2 days ago, I got rid of my biggest crazy insane expense, a big fancy old motor yacht, that was costing me out the nose every month ($$$).  It was a hard decision for me, as this was my main hobby, repairing it and keeping it running, and I enjoyed boating every other weekend.  This is replaced by having friends with boats ($0 except for bringing the food and drinks).

So finally after two years of reducing my monthly expenses, increasing my savings and investments, I finally feel like I can reach FI in a few years thanks to MMM and the great writers and links to other sites that provide guidance to work towards FI.

Wow, great advance with those actions to cut off the expenses.

Regarding your hobby, probably some months per year you can rent a yacht to enjoy.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EllieStan on January 20, 2015, 01:29:32 PM
Hi everybody,

My name is Ellie, I'm 29, I'm engaged and I very recently started my career. Up until November 2014, I had been a full-time student pretty much my entire life. Although I earned generous scholarships to help me get through grad school, I still owe about 15K in student loans. Being extremely broke as an undergrad and then splitting from my ex in my mid-20s ended with me owing close to 40K worth of overall debts, but I educated myself more about finances, started budgeting carefully, kept on living frugally and that's how I managed to bring that number down.

I have embraced minimalism as a lifestyle about 2 years ago, but I'm not an extreme kind of person. There are different views on what minimalism is and how it's done, but to me it's all about balance. I like decluttering, I believe less is more, but to me it's really not a matter of how many items of clothing you should own or how many books you should keep on a bookshelf if you aspire to be minimalist. To me, this lifestyle means surrounding myself only with things that I love and with people I truly care about and who make me happy, while living in a decluttered, stress-free environment. I will still enjoy little luxuries, but overall I choose to spend my money and time wisely. When it comes to my finances, I budget everything, but I allow enough flexibility to find a good balance between ''live now'' and ''save for later''. For me, it was the key to success, becase although I live rather frugally, I never feel deprived.

My financial goals for the near future are also quite simple. Short-term (2 years or less) would be : paying off my student loans ; helping my fiancé pay his (he's an undergrad student) so we're debt-free by 2017 ; and finally, getting married. 3-5 years from now, we're planning on buying our first house and living off one income (the lowest) while saving the other ; part of our savings will be to allow us to travel every year. I'd also like to start investing, but currently do not have enough funds to do so. It's a work in progress !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: startingout on January 20, 2015, 08:38:38 PM
Hi! I'm new to the blog and the forums. I'm just starting to wrap my head around this FIRE stuff. I have this one unnecessary expense that I'm wondering if I should give up. I get these special daily contact lenses that cost $95 for 90 lenses. So they're costing me more than $2 a day, 5-6 days a week. I've tried many different types of contacts before, and these are the only ones that don't dry out my eyes. The obvious solution would be to wear glasses instead. However, I don't like wearing my glasses to work. I feel more put together when I'm not pushing my glasses up my nose every 2 minutes. Is $95 too much for about 1.5-2 months worth of contacts?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: joehenderson on January 22, 2015, 04:38:43 AM
Hi, I am Joe, a pre-school teacher and awful with managing money. I was looking for some tips when I came across MMM and hoping to learn some life saving (basically money saving) skills :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mititem on January 22, 2015, 04:51:07 AM
Hello everyone . I am new over here.. Excited to be here finally.. One of my closest friend has suggested me to join this forum.
I am from USA
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johnstein on January 22, 2015, 12:10:29 PM
Hi,
My name is John, lives in Houston, TX.  Very happy to have found this forum. 

I work in corporate finance, had some experience with capital markets.  Love to be here and share my thoughts.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Link147 on January 23, 2015, 07:43:51 AM
Good Morning,

Long time lurker, happy to be here.

My name's Peter, live in NY with my wonderful wife and purse dog (min pin).  Slowly learning the ways of MMM and finding an incredible enjoyment in the process.  Looking to reduce debt (HOF), spending and refining investment strategies.  MMM was the tool that cracked open my minimalist tendencies and turbocharged them.  Looking forward to what's next!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FOtheM on January 23, 2015, 08:34:08 PM
Hi,

I have been reading through all the blog articles and now I am up to date I feel (almost) competent to join the forum. I live in NZ and I have some difficulty accepting that I might have to work at my job for another 20 or so years so the sooner I am FI the better!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: syoung1700 on January 24, 2015, 11:32:23 AM
Hello everyone,

 Long time lurker first time poster. I came over here from the ERE website where I first learned about the concept of FI and early "retirement". I am a 25 year old Physical Therapy student living in Boston. I am interested in learning all kinds of new skills and meeting people who are looking to do the same. Goals are to become a competent handyman, fix my car/bike, improve my cooking skills, learn how to juggle 4 balls, understand finance and investing etc. Glad to be here and participate! Would be interested to meet up with anyone in the Boston area.

Sam
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: professorgoose on January 25, 2015, 10:08:48 PM
Hello all. I am a 32 year old guy living in Sydney Australia. I'm self self-employed working on a fledgling business in the IT industry. It was been the struggle with the business which has prompted me to learn more about finance. But this education process has been really worthwhile. Every negative has a positive :-).

For the last few months I've been enjoying reading about early retirement and personal finance. I like how it connects together many things that I think are important in life including opting out of consumerism and materialism, voluntary simplicity, consideration for the environment, and seeing a viable way out of wage slavery to focus on what is really important in life. I've particularly enjoyed reading the MMM and ERE blogs.

I wouldn't say I'm in a bad financial position and have managed to accumulate a bit of a 'stache. My goal ideally would be to FIRE by the age of 40.

Living in one of the most expensive cities in the world I am interested in how others living in similar situations manage to reduce their costs of living, even if it requires a bit of out-of-the-box thinking. For example the idea of living in a RV or tiny house is something which is quite appealing to me.

I've been fine-tuning my expenses to reign in my budget, and would like to adopt some larger lifestyle changes, e.g. selling my car and riding a bike to commute. I've also started educating myself about investing, but have some way to go in my financial education.

I look forward to interacting with other Mustachians on the forums :-).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ThatEnglishGuy on January 26, 2015, 09:59:29 AM
Hey guys!

First, a little bit about myself. I'm currently 18, in my final year of Sixth Form and live in England. I'm not sure if they have Sixth Forms in America, but I've essentially completed my 5 years of secondary school and am now in my final year of a two year course of A Levels.

I've finished applying for University, and have 5 offers out of 5 applications (to Brunel, Queen Mary's London, Oxford Brookes, Westminster and Bath Spa), so I'll be starting university this September. I will be doing a Business & Management undergraduate degree with a placement year between my second year and final year of the course, to give me some experience and get into a good relationship with a potential employer :P

My parents are relatively well off, if I'm honest. My Mum is quite young (younger than 40) and is doing her postgrad at uni, having just completed her undergrad degree. She's hoping to become a teacher at the beginning of the new academic year. My Dad used to own a few businesses and invested his money in properties that he rents out as a source of income. He is relatively frugal, though does enjoy some luxuries (recently bought a villa in Spain on golf course lol - could be classed as an investment?! ;) )

I've been reading through the forums for the last few days, hope to contribute to them now, and read about otheres/my own financial opportunities and stories! :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dabblingman on January 26, 2015, 10:49:18 PM
Hi, I am Peter.

I'm 48, live i the suburbs of Seattle with my wife and 6 year old son.

I am late on a lot of things in life (marriage, home ownership, parenthood), and as I changed carriers from corporate IT to being self employed in my 30s, FI is a little far off for me right now.

I come to this after having been a little bit of a Prepper for a few years. Weaning off that now, and love the idea do strength, whether it's knowing how to DIY, or having good community, or knowing how to have fun without spending dough.

I am glad to have found MMM, and wish you all the best.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jmcarminati on January 27, 2015, 09:01:08 AM
Hello everyone, I'm new to MMM and not sure how far into the future FI may be yet.  I'm 33, recently married, and in IT like so many of you here.  My DH is the farm manager of a local vegetable farm.  We're in Tampa, FL.  So much to learn here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MikesMoniker on January 28, 2015, 11:19:30 AM
Hi Everyone!

Just a very quick hello from a 46 year old English Mustachian convert (very quick : chilli chicken's in the oven!)
's
Like many I think stumbling on this site may just have turned around my life after far too long with my consumer head stuck firmly in the sand so a big "Thank You" to Mr Money Mustache from me - the site and other websites I have discovered thorugh it have really caused me to focus on where we are going with our lives (I've been a parallel traveller lite by Hobson's choice for the last few years now since redundancy in the Credit crunch but I'm starting to turn things around a bit!)

Apologies for this but a cheesy alternate strap line for the site has just occured to me :-

"MMM : turning the WWW upside down!" :-)

Sorry...

Best wishes to all!
Mike

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kmt88 on January 28, 2015, 09:15:28 PM
Hi all!  I'm a 26 year old single woman living in Long Beach, CA.  I've always been naturally frugal as I dislike shopping and don't understand very fancy things.  When I graduated public university debt-free and started working as an engineer, I knew I had to save but for what?  After I built up a respectable emergency fund ala Dave Ramsey, I let the cash stores keep growing out of ignorance.  Finally I was linked to MMM from Ask a Manager and thus learned how to handle my savings responsibly.

My passions are travel, hiking, and bike riding.  I am aiming for FIRE so I can travel around the world for as long as I want.  I spent two months backpacking SE Asia between jobs and it stoked a huge fire inside me (pun intended?).  I can't wait to do long term travel like that again.

I have a lot to learn about investing, taxes, etc but I look forward to it.  Aiming for FIRE around 10 years from now, depending on how things change as I learn what the heck I'm doing!

Katie
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: martin_kw on January 29, 2015, 10:17:30 PM
Hi Everyone,
I'm a married guy with two little kids. We immigrated to Canada and finished university debt free. Currently living an absurd lifestyle and spending 95% of take home pay. I'm trying to learn guitar and I'm doing ballroom dancing with my wife (which is rather expensive).
I'm 30yo and have by now figured out that consumerist lifestyle doesn't make me happy. A couple of months ago I've discovered ERE and MMM and now I've decided I will give mustachian life a shot.
We're kind of starting from square one (no debt, very little savings). I'll need some serious advice from folks around here on how to become badass reach FI before I'm too old to care.
Cheers!
Martin
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rocam on January 30, 2015, 06:48:57 AM
Hi, I'm Rocam - I live in Denmark, but come from Scotland originally.

Me and the misses are quite keen on early retirement from the regular wage-slave work that at least I've been otherwise quite happy with for the last 20 years of our working careers. We are happy DINKs.

I guess were not too far off despite spending like it was our last days on the planet for the first 10 years, but that's youth and romance for you, so no regrets. It's great to find some sparring partners out here to check for improvements in the strategy, and to help make it all... well, a bit more fun and interesting :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WiscoGringo on January 30, 2015, 01:02:20 PM
Hey all! Made my post #1 as a journal, so I thought I'd drop in here and say Hi. Been lurking for a while, decided to get on this train. Check out the journal in my signature if you are in the facepunch kind of mood!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tlars699 on January 30, 2015, 02:31:17 PM
Hello!!

Been reading the past few weeks whenever time presents itself. I've really enjoyed reading, and MMM really appeals to me, as I graduated a math/physics major, and data and problem solving excites me. MMmmm, numbers!!! So crunchy!:)

I am an avid crafter(knitting, sewing, quilting, baking, cooking, and some woodwork/painting expertise), but considering my child-rearing hobby(3 boys: 5,3,& 5mos) takes most of my time/$$, not as many hours dedicated as I would absolutely love.

We are nerdy people by culture, and will always take you up on a MtG offer, whether it be free cards or playtime.

We are also getting married on Pi Day (3/14/15), because Pi Day is a day for all things round, and for the universe to come full circle. :)

We recently moved to better enhance our ability to eventually become FI, before we knew there were even terms for this sort of thing.
Relatively thrifty by nature, but starting out on low income, so it's hard not to have all those employees fly out the window with basic needs.
And I really do mean basic- I try to cut out anything wherever possible, mostly to keep a tushy-cushion of 1K, but sometimes that doesn't work out as well as I would like.

Anyway, I know there are face punches lining up, so before I get too complainypants, I will retreat into my dungeon, and nestle on our horde of books to watch some Star Trek on Netflix. :)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: reformist101 on January 30, 2015, 09:44:54 PM
Hello,

Just joined ! This will be a great commitment for me but I know it is possible  - new immigrant , single salary with dependents. Thanks MMM for the encouragement. Will let you know when its done - hopefully I will be able to document the journey .
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Genevieve on January 31, 2015, 10:06:31 PM
Hello everyone! I've been lurking for awhile but I've decided to join the fray.

I'm Genevieve. I wrote my current situation as a first post in my journal. Feel free to check it out.

In summary, I'm 26, currently self employed, moving to Houston, TX ASAP for my husband's job.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Annitti_Promotions_LLC on February 01, 2015, 10:43:50 AM
I'm Lisa. Just signed up and very new to MMM. My ex brother in law recommended the site. I live in the one of the most highest cost of living states. I'm in Northern NJ.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bracken_Joy on February 01, 2015, 08:24:38 PM
Hey all! Finally joined. Here's my intro: I started out life with a great trajectory. I worked and invested all through middle school (family businesses) and high school and college, and graduated with no debt. I found a job, but with rough hours and rougher pay. After getting very sick my SO (now fiance) talked me into following my gut and quitting and going back to nursing school. This has been a great experience, and I graduate in May. Unfortunately, the school I got accepted to is in the downtown of a large(ish) city, and tuition is crazy levels of high. So a lot of costs later, and I've wiped out all those lovely investments I had laid down in high school and college. Luckily I'll be back to making money again soon, and the SO and I can move to a cheaper area (hurrah!).

Things I'm doing pretty good on:
I cook everything from scratch and always take meals
I have a lot of useful skills- canning, dehydrating, gardening, hunting- but I can't do these while living in a downtown apartment with no porch and a tiny stove =( Once we move though, I'm set up to go back to better practices
We love frugal entertainment- hiking and streaming shows from comedy central
We totally do weather machismo- don't have an AC, have never turned on the heat in our apartment
We walk everywhere we can, including the grocery store (even in the pouring rain. See: weather machismo)
I actually have earning potential now!
SO and I have still managed to save ~20% of his income, in spite of really high costs and one income right now

Potential face punches:
I had never lived in a city or anything close, so we live in a new building with lots of fancy security measures. As a result, we have very little square footage (500) and a very high rent
I grew up in the country, so my car is a pretty new truck. (It literally never occurred to me not to own a truck. I know, I know). I own it outright though.
I have stupid, crazy, insanely high food budget. My excuse is that we're health conscious, very active, and I'm passionate about the sourcing of my meat and dairy. (I help minimize this cost with hunted game and family is very generous with fish, but when we don't have these inputs, costs skyrocket)
Our "dogter" (read: daughter, who is a dog) is really expensive... she's older now, and while we finally found a diet that resolves a lot of her health issues, it costs an arm and a leg (and I cook it also, which again takes time)
We're getting married! That's not a face punch per se, but good lord do weddings cost an arm and a leg. It's looking like we can get the shindig done for $5000, which while is a lot less than the average, is way more than I like.


So that's where I am! I've enjoyed lurking and learning from you guys over the past few months, and decided to finally join the conversation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Desigirl on February 01, 2015, 08:32:21 PM
Hello from India.

Have been following MrMoneyMustache from some time. Indians are very frugal by nature and I out-frugal most people anyway , so being able to learn a few things (from the blog and forum) and the right attitude about choice of life-style is really awesome.

I have been following Post-Fire and seeing the comments about ER forum and fact that only $2+ Million portfolios are considered worthy of ER made me laugh. In some ways that applies to us, we are 42 with 2 kids, I'm already at home and DH is trying to get out in next 2 years. With $1+ Million net worth (including Primary residence & kids college fund) we are focusing on retiring younger (relatively) and enjoying these years instead of building layers and layers of security.

Hope to learn and contribute more in this community of like-minded people. On a side-note I don't and can't drive (after spending many years in USA) and use public transport :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ocelot on February 02, 2015, 02:45:53 AM
Hi kids! Long time reader, first time caller (almost). I've always lived a pretty frugal life but instead of saving/investing the excess, I've used it to fund mountainbike and train running racing. Now it's getting squirreled away...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DagobertDuck on February 02, 2015, 04:18:17 AM
Hi there, Dutch guy here.

Quite some years ago the the book How to be free by Tom Hodgkinson (sold in the US under the title The Freedom Manifesto, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/603848.The_Freedom_Manifesto Great book by the way, recommend it) sparked my interest and made me think about being free from the treadmill of work, mortgage, debt, car ownership and consumerism.

I discovered the MMM blog some months ago and read it with great interest.

I'm nowhere near FI, and I don't even know whether retiring at 40 is my main objective, but I DO know I would never want to be enslaved by a too high mortgage, too expensive car and silly consumerism.

Most recent achievement: selling my car.
Pretty easy choise since gas our prices are among the highest in the world, while our cycling infrastructure is probably the best in the world.

Topic that have my interest:
Downshifting, living car-free, energy-efficient micro-homes, affordable healthy eating, cycling, outdoor life.
Though lots of tips and tricks on the MMM blog and forum specifically apply to the US tax system etc I hope to learn from it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Happyback on February 02, 2015, 08:32:17 PM
I'm Christie, and I'm working on being retired in 5 years.    I have 7 children (one marriage), and am now single.
I have sold my big house, bought a piece of land in the sticks (on the river.....) for the future retirement spot.  Paid cash.
Then used the rest of the profits to buy a small house (1/3 the size!) in town until all kids are grown.
I get to ride my bike almost everywhere now.  Sold my second vehicle (a Suburban).
When they are grown, I'll move to the country on the river.

Paid off $400K worth of debt in the last 6 years. Added $200K to retirement fund. FEELS GREAT! 
Just a little left to go on a couple of rentals, then I'm 100% free, with an income!   Am very glad I found MMM's site that let me know I'm not the only nut job on FIRE out here! ;)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kander on February 03, 2015, 01:52:16 PM
Hi, I'm from Holland and I have found the site of MMM 3 weeks ago and I am very inspired too live way more frugal then we did before!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Daffs on February 03, 2015, 02:10:35 PM
Hi all,

I've just joined, read through the entire blog archives over Christmas and been pootling round the forum ever since - thought it was about time I joined in!

I'm 34, live in the UK, and do MUCH better with money than I ever did before, but I reckon I can do even better than this!

Looking forward to getting to know you all better :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Money Ninja on February 04, 2015, 05:09:50 AM
Hi, I'm Gareth and I'm a Business Analyst and Martial Arts Instructor. I'm just embarking on my Mustachian journey at the age of 32. If my figures are correct, I have a flat I rent out that I could pay off in 3 years and approximately 8 years to FI after that. I have some CC debt and a student loan and I'm just trying to figure out which debt to tackle first then where to put my money. ISA, Pension Tracker etc. Based int he  UK so I'd be interested in any UK based news too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mamagotcha on February 04, 2015, 07:58:57 PM
Greetings! I'm Katje, and I live in Chicago. I'm an at-home mom of a 10yo kiddo who is homeschooled, and I also bring in a little cash by writing, editing, and hair braiding (think Renaissance Faires). My husband is a biology professor at DePaul University, and he's up for tenure this spring (fingers crossed! Promotion would be great for his career, his ego, AND our money situation).

We were kind of canaries... we were one of the first foreclosures due to collapsing banks back in 2008 (grr, Wachovia!) and we've been sliding towards chaos ever since. We had several big events last year that evaporated our small savings (two older sons graduated from college, one moved to California to start his PhD and the other moved to France to teach for a year; we moved closer to my husband's work to cut down on his commute and rent, but moving is still expensive), and we've been scrambling from paycheck-to-paycheck ever since, still carrying some of the foreclosure debt. My sister invited my son and I on a cruise in 2016, her treat... but the transportation and other costs are still going to be over a grand and I don't want to put it on credit cards.

My friend highly recommended both YNAB and this forum. So I'm going to give them both a shot. Here goes nuthin'!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bracken_Joy on February 05, 2015, 03:48:47 PM
I'm Christie, and I'm working on being retired in 5 years.    I have 7 children (one marriage), and am now single.
I have sold my big house, bought a piece of land in the sticks (on the river.....) for the future retirement spot.  Paid cash.
Then used the rest of the profits to buy a small house (1/3 the size!) in town until all kids are grown.
I get to ride my bike almost everywhere now.  Sold my second vehicle (a Suburban).
When they are grown, I'll move to the country on the river.

Paid off $400K worth of debt in the last 6 years. Added $200K to retirement fund. FEELS GREAT! 
Just a little left to go on a couple of rentals, then I'm 100% free, with an income!   Am very glad I found MMM's site that let me know I'm not the only nut job on FIRE out here! ;)

Hello, fellow Oregonian!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jamcas on February 06, 2015, 06:58:11 AM
Hi,

I'm James and I love luxury with value.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: andystkilda on February 07, 2015, 02:57:36 PM
Hi everyone!

Just checking-in from Melbourne, Australia.

Me my wife, toddler and baby due in April are Mustachians through and through, and have a plan to reach Financial Independence in July 2017.

Cheers,
Andy
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KD on February 07, 2015, 05:24:33 PM
Hi ya'll!  KD here.  Retired at 26 years and years ago.  Like to keep my finger on the pulse of financial info so MMM is the place to be. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Marian on February 08, 2015, 09:03:27 AM
Hello all,

I'm Marian, 25.  3 furbabies.  Currently live in the Mustachian Nightmare town Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  I wish I had discovered MMM years ago- I might not be as bad as some people out there, but I was dumb enough to buy a brand new car and max out a credit card!  Time for me to end my bad habits!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: plherrin on February 10, 2015, 08:54:52 AM
Hey, I'm Peyton and my wife and I plan to attain FI in August of 2018 (or hopefully sooner). We have two kiddos and a third likely on the way next year! I'm planning on using these forums to better educate myself on financial and investment strategies.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: celticmyst08 on February 11, 2015, 12:07:59 PM
Hi everyone! Been reading the MMM blog for about a year now. I'm 25/F, husband is 31, and we live just north of Seattle; I work in bank operations and he's a web developer. I'm just about to go back to school to finish my degree so I can significantly increase my earning potential. We hope to retire in under 20 years, which looks pretty doable -- right now we're saving ~55% of our income and that will only increase since we both expect to receive significant raises in the next 5 years. We have no debt other than <$2k left on husband's student loan.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Secretly Saving on February 11, 2015, 12:36:43 PM
Hi All,
We've been reading/lurking for about a year now... Finally made an account to make things official!  Had been saving in mustachian terms since right out of college, but didn't have a term for it.  Now we do!  Living in the southwest currently. Looking forward to more conversations instead of just reading what everyone has to say!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: manatee1991 on February 12, 2015, 08:04:09 AM
Howdy, I am Patrick. A recent graduate. I have a B.S. in coastal resource management and a Masters in Urban Planning. 23 years old. I paid (and borrowed) my through 5 years of school. Just landed a full time job as a planner in the Florida Keys. This blog has transformed all thoughts of finances over the past couple of months.

I paid down $7000 in CC debt over the past six month of being employed full time. It is a great feeling. Unfortunately I bought a car on loan about 2 weeks prior to discovering MMM ( a terrible feeling), but I bought a reasonable vehicle (2010 Elantra w/ 35,000 miles) for a reasonable price ($8000) with a great rate (1.65%, as far as rates go). I am over worrying about financing the car. I will pay it off in 12 month or less.

I am here for the support and inspiration. I hope to be able to reach FI by 35 so I have about 11 years to reach a lofty goal (seems that way at this point), but I have accomplished a lot in six months and will continue to. I am already investing 13% of my income while paying down all of my debts (~ $29,000 or 70% of my annual take home pay).

I live a very luxurious life right now, largely in part to living where I live (the Florida Keys) and having a girlfriend that is slow to accept the MMM way. She is working on it.

I can't wait to get involved! I want be a part of this great community. I want to embody BADASSITY.

CHEERS to MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Debtless in Texas on February 12, 2015, 01:02:26 PM
Hi, I am Brian and I hate debt.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Candace on February 12, 2015, 02:31:34 PM
Hello,

I'm Candace. I'm yet another software developer/engineer. I'm 48, live in Virginia with my semi-Mustachian boyfriend and my non-Mustachian cat in my non-Mustachian 2000 square foot house. In spite of that I've been focused on early financial independence for quite some time now. I found MMM through ERE, and found I like reading MMM much better. Since finding this blog a couple of weeks ago, I've cancelled a bunch of services (cleaning, tax preparer, pest control) and made other changes so I can increase my percentage of salary to save and invest.

I've always done all my own investing, am a huge fan of Bogle (Vanguard), and while my job is okay, I am aiming to FIRE in something like 5-7 years.

Looking forward to participating in the discussions. Thank you to MMM and to the moderators for making this all possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EfficientN on February 12, 2015, 08:31:02 PM
Hey Mustachians,

I'm a new grad, early 20s, soon to move to NYC the begin the (hopefully short) path to retirement. If anyone knows additional tricks to managing a low expense life in high COL area, feel free to share!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Candace on February 13, 2015, 09:45:44 AM
Hello all,

I'm Marian, 25.  3 furbabies.  Currently live in the Mustachian Nightmare town Hampton Roads area of Virginia.  I wish I had discovered MMM years ago- I might not be as bad as some people out there, but I was dumb enough to buy a brand new car and max out a credit card!  Time for me to end my bad habits!

Hello Marian,

Looks like we're neighbors. Good luck in all your endeavors. See you in Ghent (where we'll be having a stroll or just buying one drink, of course).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lnspilot on February 13, 2015, 03:46:45 PM
Hey folks,

Nick here. I came across MMM after a google search for something personal finance related. I've been stashing away cash for the past seven years and needed to do something with it. Now, after reading multiple FI blogs, I'm set in the right direction.

Cheers to those who share their badassity via the interwebs for all to learn from.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CFL_SaveTheDough on February 14, 2015, 06:48:21 AM
Greetings all!

I have book marked MMM for some time and love reading the articles but never went much further. I live in FL with my wife and 4 year old daughter and 4 dogs. I can't say I am in the best financial shape, but hopefully not the worst either. At this point we are trying to make the right choices between getting out of a car loan on a full sized truck that isn't necessary to figuring out how much savings we need in order to successfully achieve our goals.

Looking forward to getting our finances together so we can retire at a "reasonable" age.

J
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ChrisEE on February 14, 2015, 02:07:28 PM
Hi all.  I've been lurking for awhile and just decided that I should introduce myself.

On track for FIRE in 2 years.  My wife and I have benefitted from the MMM posts and board for about 2 years now and so figured I should start to chime in try to pay it forward.

Cheers!
ChrisEE
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Joshua.Snider on February 15, 2015, 11:00:16 AM
Hi guys. I'm Josh. I'm a 21 year old computer scientist.  I found this blog about a month or two ago, but have been a fan of frugality for a while. I only started saving significant amounts of money a year ago when I graduated, but am on track to retire in 15-20 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PatStab on February 15, 2015, 11:11:03 AM
Hi from southern Indiana!

I have been on other money forums through the years.  My husband and I are getting ready to retire, likely end of year, maybe before depending on his work.  By the way we will both be 69 this year, he wanted to work till 70, to max SS, plus he has a well paid job working overseas.  He is gone 8 weeks and home about 3.  I'm just tired of living alone.  We also have a 44 year old mentally challenged DD so that has impacted some of those decisions. 

We lived previously in Texas for 30 years, this is moving back home to help with MIL who either is getting dementia or alzeheimers, not sure what.  Our son lives in S Korea, he will be 46 this year, wife is from Russia, she is 36, they are having their first baby in June, a little boy.  They hope to come home in 2 years.

We had almost 10 renters in Texas so we lost most of our retirement income by moving back, but we have no relatives down there and got very concerned about leaving our DD in a group home there with no one that would even know her.  Distant relatives here but at least they can check on her on occasion.  That was a very hard thing to do.  I still have a duplex and lot rented there and am selling a small TT and lot on contract.  We have bought 1 rental up here and may add more after hubby retires.

I had to quit work way way early to care for my mom and daughter, I was devastated, I was an accountant for a major oil company.  That is why hubby went overseas as our savings ability was not going to get us where we wanted, so he has done this for 15 years, it made up for what I would have added.

We have no debt, I put out a garden, sew, can, cook a lot at home.  I can sew but haven't been doing much the last 2 years as we moved and honestly are still settling in.  My one indulgence that is a money pit is an older motorhome, DD and I travel some, I would love to more but she is having issues which has stopped us for awhile.

We have no debt, net worth about $1.4M.  A 2006 Lincoln truck, 2013 Cadillac SRX.  Our house is on 4 acres with 1800 sq ft upstairs and the basement is 1800 sq ft with a 2 car attached garage.  The basement is half finished out and we will finish it out ourselves  We want to partition the ends off for storage, I put flooring down on the rest, there is a electrical room with all my canning, a mechanical room, sewing room, separate bedroom, and a large room for seating, exercise, and just a huge family room.  We need to put in doors and frames, may drywall the outside like the inside, lighting and receptacles are in, will add a dropped ceiling.  All is heated and cooled.  My husband is able to do anything, wiring, Hvac, plumbing, dirt work, you name it.  We added a 44 X 46 garage here with circle drive and may add another building to store all his trailers and things.

The house is very economical with foam insulation and geo thermal heating and cooling, only 10 years old. We added a 40 year metal roof and our garage is all metal too. The cost of living here is reasonable, though groceries and insurance are about the same as the city.

We think we will be ok.  We really don't have many expenses to cut except those relating to the motorhome and will if we have to and eventually will due to age.  I like to travel and we have thought about a lot for the motorhome in Florida or a fixer up house, but nothing definity.

Anyway, that is our background.  We are pretty thrifty but I'm sure not as good as we could be or once were but honestly we don't see a need for pinching every penny anymore. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Useless Plastic Crap on February 15, 2015, 11:50:05 PM
G'day from Australia. Specifically Canberra.
Looking to cut my retirement date by ten years through violently saving.
I enjoy reading MMM and have a similar blog myself (with only a little less swearing). [PA]
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugaltobe on February 16, 2015, 09:36:50 AM
Young kids from Indiana here. I'm 25, married for almost 2 years to my wonderful wife who is also 25. I'm a machinist and she is a behavioral therapist for children with autism. We make good money but currently live the consumer lifestyle more than we would like. We both come from very consumer driven homes. One upper middle class and one lower middle class. No cc debt but I do have student loans and we have two car payments. Been lurking a week or so and have learned a lot just in this short amount of time and hope to learn a lot more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: slschierer on February 16, 2015, 11:18:05 AM
Long time lurker, but just my second post!

I'm a married 29F with 2 children (ages 3 & 2).  We live in Illinois in a ranch home on 7 acres of land.  The home was built by my grandfather in the 1950s.  We have a garden, fruit orchard, and a few head of beef cattle. 

I work as an accountant at a large manufacturing company while my husband works at a vault company and farms. 

Finding and internalizing MMM has been a huge blessing for me!  I now stop and think before every purchase "do I need that or do I just want it?"  We have cut our expenses and consumerism drastically in the last few months which has allowed us to increase our savings.  I think that I can realistically retire with in 12 years (after paying off all of our debt in the next 6 years), but I hope that I can move that time frame up even more.  I would love to be home every day when the kids get off of school or to be able to attend all of their sport events that will occur immediately after school.  My husband is the classic farmer and has no plans to ever retire but does not mind most tenants of frugal living.  Luckily for me, that attitude may allow me to get us to FI sooner than later!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nncybntn on February 16, 2015, 12:18:24 PM
Hi

We are a happy family of three humans and one dog, living in beautiful California. We do all kinds of things but, what drew me to this site was the philosophy, which is similar to ours. Just joined because I like sharing ideas with other people and always looking to learn.

We are 42 and aiming to "retire" in about 10 years. Although, honestly, I feel retired already. I think it's because we are able to really enjoy life, such as travel, paint (I'm an artist), enjoy beautiful California with jobs that don't pay that much, relatively. Largely, because we don't want much, save like crazy and have no debt, other than a low interest mortgage.

I'm hoping to go part-time next year (I'm a teacher), just waiting for approval. My husband hopes to go part-time in a couple years (he's in inventory control). I feel blessed because we have the freedom to work less (paint more) because of our good financial planning. My husband grew up dirt poor and taught himself out of poverty. He now writes a financial website with a friend and his philosophy is very simple. Buy low and buy dividend paying stocks.

I see people making bad financial choices and I just want to spread the word! Life doesn't have to so stressful.

Anyways, that's us in a nutshell.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustachIowan on February 16, 2015, 10:10:57 PM
I’m Karen and I am from Iowa.  I have only discovered MMM and mustachianism in the last few weeks, but I couldn’t resist the name of MustachIowan, since I haven’t seen anyone else from my state.  I’ve been interested in personal finance since I was in grade school, though, when I was nerdy enough to track the money my mom gave me for doing chores.

I’m a 41-year-old mother of two boys and about to be divorced from my husband of twelve years.  It’s a mutual decision, and the more I read on this blog, the more I see more examples of just how opposite we are in our approach to money, saving, spending and living life.

I work from home as a financial analyst for a software company that is based on California, which is some pretty great geographical arbitrage.  I’ve used that to stash as much as possible in various savings accounts, and am focusing on the likelihood of early retirement to get me through this limbo time of not-married but not-yet-divorced. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Olivette on February 17, 2015, 03:52:13 AM
Hello,
I'm olivette and I'm a 56 empty nester.
Most of the year, I'm in France and about 3 month per year back the US.
Lawyer by day and writer by night, I would love to ditch the day job and write full time.
Voilà!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wupper on February 19, 2015, 05:58:53 PM
Greetings. My name is Wupper.

I'm a 40-something retired dude that lives in Ohio.

I love Financial Porn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fetzer85 on February 20, 2015, 01:43:23 AM
Hello Everyone,

I'm John, a 29yo husband and father of four and current stay-at-home dad. My wife makes more than enough money to support us however we've been living paycheck to paycheck for quite some time now. We've sort of had the 'buy what we want' mantra which feels good when you buy it and bad the days leading up to a payday when you're trying to stretch the money.

She's always been more of a saver and I more of a spender however I'm changing my ways. I don't like seeing her disappointment in us squandering our money that she works so hard for. I'm dedicating myself to creating an effective budget and getting our family on track for the financial success we deserve. MMM is helping me to do that and I look forward to learning from everyone and also contributing whenever possible.

John
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dutch on February 20, 2015, 07:16:42 AM
Hi all,

i'm Jan early 30s and living in The Netherlands. on my way to retire early mid 40s.
Just started reading the forums and wanting to reply so here my first post and introduction.

Jan
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gray Peachfuzz on February 20, 2015, 09:13:24 AM
I am new to the Ways of Mustache, came across the blog from a link that started in DailyKos, talking about going for very low utility bills via high-efficiency. It's actually the 2nd time I was linked here, the first one was related to the debt snowball, but this time it stuck. More on that later, after I recover from punching myself in the face continuously. For me, "early" retirement is already off the table because of my age, but it's not too late to work on a better retirement.

Consumerism: Buying things you don't need, with money you don't have, to impress people that don't care about you.
Title: Israeli badassity
Post by: jlajr on February 21, 2015, 05:08:37 AM
Hello.

I'm Jay, I'm 44, single, never married, no children. I was born in the US and grew up there. In early 1997, I moved to Israel, which used to be much more mustachian but has become a woefully unmustachian place in general, but with remnants of mustachianism and encouraging patches of new growth.

Without even knowing it, I've always been somewhat of a financial badass regarding expenses. Unfortunately, I wasn't a financial badass regarding saving until a little over a year ago, when I started reading about FIRE and discovered MMM. Now, THAT was a sucker punch to the face.

Instead of blowing 30% of my base salary on fun but ultimately less-than-worthwhile bullshit, I started saving it instead, and, just like that, my potential FIRE date became 10 years down the road instead of 35.

If you're interested in reading more about me and my Israeli badassity, I just wrote the following introductory Journal entry: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/israeli-badassity/.

Mrs. MM, if you're still reading these posts, you and MMM have my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for all things mustachian.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ShaneD on February 21, 2015, 11:16:25 AM
Hi. Long-time lurker and recent poster who forgot to introduce herself.

40, recently left difficult full-time job to go independent and continue working toward FIRE in a much more life-friendly manner. Married (also self-employed), no kids, currently living in NYC/NJ area but working on a short-term move to a lower COL area (PA), then a longer-term move to eventual FIRE home (TBD).

Appreciate all the ideas and wisdoms you all have provided!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ShortStuff on February 21, 2015, 07:28:56 PM
Hi Folks. Been reading posts for over a year, and finally have joined the forum.

Currently in Boston area, 30 something. Husband and I are trying to improve our savings and mustachian ways.

RE: lower COL. Looking to hopefully move to the Central Florida area this year.  If he can find a software developer/computer programmer job down there, we will pack it up. I work for the gov't now and so would have a better chance finding a job once we move. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: seattleite on February 21, 2015, 08:32:19 PM
Howdy! I'm 37 years old and married with two children. I had initial thoughts in college that I was going to continue living like a college student after getting my first real job but I made too many friends that liked spending money so that didn't work out so well. Fortunately was able to max out my 401k for almost every year work of my working career when I worked for a company that had it. So did my wife. It wasn't until recently that I realized how much money we had saved. I'm now trying to figure out the end game to early retirement. I know it could have been earlier if I had put some effort into it, but I'm excited about making it happen soon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: anon-e-mouse on February 22, 2015, 11:22:55 AM
Hello Mustachians!
I'm very glad to have found this site (link from an interview MMM did for some money site).
We're a family of 5 in Southern California living the dream.

I've decided to start a blog on this site to keep track of our progress because we have a LONG ways to go.
We have been very lucky in our lives and now is the time to actually set goals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Beacon on February 22, 2015, 03:44:53 PM
I am from NC and have a wife and 2 kids. We live in a small home in a good community.  I was a long time lurker here until today. So here I am.

I was frugal by nature. But I have been more frugal under the influence of MMM. I like to FIRE. But my job has a lot of good things, good pay, good benefits, short commute and relative flexible work hours. However, a job is a job. It comes with a lot of annoyances. So the idea of working a day job like that until you are 65 is very depressing.

I am not too far from FI, maybe a year or 2.  But I am not sure if I want to walk away from this job yet :).. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: G-dog on February 22, 2015, 03:46:10 PM
I’m Karen and I am from Iowa.  I have only discovered MMM and mustachianism in the last few weeks, but I couldn’t resist the name of MustachIowan, since I haven’t seen anyone else from my state.  I’ve been interested in personal finance since I was in grade school, though, when I was nerdy enough to track the money my mom gave me for doing chores.

I’m a 41-year-old mother of two boys and about to be divorced from my husband of twelve years.  It’s a mutual decision, and the more I read on this blog, the more I see more examples of just how opposite we are in our approach to money, saving, spending and living life.

I work from home as a financial analyst for a software company that is based on California, which is some pretty great geographical arbitrage.  I’ve used that to stash as much as possible in various savings accounts, and am focusing on the likelihood of early retirement to get me through this limbo time of not-married but not-yet-divorced.

There's definitely quite a few of us Iowan's here :)

Enough for a meet up yet? I am in central iowa.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MG7 on February 22, 2015, 08:07:17 PM
Hi All,

Started doing ER reading about 6 months ago, and stumbled onto MMM through YouTube videos.

Like the MMM's, I'm Canadian, a former Ontarian, an engineer, and have since moved down to the states for work.  Although never in any type of serious debt problem, from my college years on I have to admit to be a consumerist sucka who (aside from what I thought was generous contributions to 401K + house downpayment savings) spent as much as my salary would allow without going into debt.

I'm glad to have seen the light ... and like many introducing themselves on the forum, am kicking myself for not having known about this stuff sooner.  Had I maxed out my 401K and roth accounts from the start of my career, I'd pretty much be done saving for retirement in my tax advantaged accounts right now!!!

But we can't go back, only forward, right?    After getting a Mint account and tracking my spending, I've been amazed to see how easy and painless it has been to cut a full third off of my spending in roughly 2 or 3 months time!  I'd like to ER at 45, and my plan is as follows:

-Max out 401K and roth contributions until the tax advantaged accounts reach a point where they will mature to what I need at 60+ ... dump the rest into taxable index funds
-Purchase and pay off a home as quickly as possible ... dump the rest into taxable index funds
-Once the house is paid off, super-dump everything into taxable index funds until I reach a point where my index funds will carry me from that age till 60, + work I should choose to do.
-After 60, live off of tax advantaged savings, pension, SS, and anything left over in the taxable accounts

Cheers!

MG7
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ADKMike on February 23, 2015, 11:34:06 AM
Hey, I’m Mike. I'm married with a 1-year old son and another on the way.  I  live in a small town in upstate NY.  I’m a registered nurse and my wife is a psychiatric social worker. 

My wife and I have always been what we consider responsible with our money (never having CC debt, paying down loans early) however it wasn’t until recently that we really started to focus on investing for retirement. We always looked at the fact that we could live off of our pensions when we retired, but after reading MMM the concept of ER has us looking at things differently.

I’ve been reading MMM for over a few months now but just recently starting reading through the forum topics. I’ve been soaking everything up and am excited to apply what I’ve learned.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Juliekay on February 23, 2015, 03:38:06 PM
Hi I"m Julie. I'm a 46 year old single mom of 1.  I have been out of the workforce for 10 years basically and now find I don't really have any marketable skills.  I am gigging out with a cooking staffing agency, working as an actress for pay, and relying on child support and alimony for now.  I live in a 1 bedroom apartment in the best school district in town, but I'm homeschooling my daughter until this fall when I send her to school.

My financial switch:
No CC debt.
No car payment, should get one in settlement
Apartment 450
Natural Gas 75 (estimate)
Electric 50 (estimate)
Internet 35
Iphone 65
Laundry 10
Food 300 (high quality meat and veggies, we have a paleo diet)
Toiletries/household $50 (includes makeup tp dish soap, cleaning supplies, office)
Gas 100 -120 (OKC is spread out)
Health Insurance 89
Car Maintenance 200 (this has been a rough year, with 100k maintenance due)
Clothes $20 (mostly thrift when I actually need something, or do swaps)

Income: 1500 child support & alimony
Savings: Inheritance and putting any extra earned money $16K this is house downpayment money
401k: $150K
Various other monies: 10K

Almost no debt
There you go.  Trying to be FI before too old HA HA.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: arunmarella on February 24, 2015, 04:04:08 AM
Hi Everyone,

This is Arun. Working hard towards my FI. I love every bit personal finance readings and MMM is the best! See you all on the flip side :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wennnz on February 24, 2015, 07:25:46 PM
Hello all!

Matt here. I'm trying to be a frugal badass in arguably the least frugal city in the country- New York, New York.

Just paid off my credit card debt and now I'm looking to start saving and working toward early retirement. Looking forward to the challenge!

Title: Hi Everyone,
Post by: Paultaylor on February 25, 2015, 05:07:56 AM

I am newbie in this community. Feeling glad to be a part of this forum. Here I wanna share my ideas and views about Retirement Calculators.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tia on February 25, 2015, 06:25:47 PM
Hi I am Tia from Canada and have been lurking for a while now and decided I should contribute if I can. I have learned so much and working hard towards saving for retirement.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: laurenfromsydney on February 25, 2015, 06:40:50 PM
Hi I'm Lauren ! 26 & from Australia, only recently discovered MMM but LOVE his way of thinking 

Guess you could say i'm a reformed spender & i'm now trying to set myself up for FI
I have a fiance (getting married in Oct.) we have a villa we live in & an IP at the snow that we lease out through the winter via Airbnb
Our only debt is our mortages & small amount of HECS (or student loans)

Not really sure where to go next from here, just trying to be responsible with money & save whilst living my best life :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs. D. on February 25, 2015, 08:56:19 PM
Hi all. I'm Kylie in Texas. My brother-in-law introduced me to MMM back in November. I've been poking around on the blog ever since, but I think I like the forum even better. There are so many great ideas and stories.

I'm a teacher and my husband is in grad school. We are currently living on one income and paying for his full-time school. We're not in a great position to save, but we're not going into debt either! Our NW topped $100K last year which was a great milestone. My husband has been pretty mustachian his whole life. I began making a transition in my early 20's and would call myself 98% reformed at this point. Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NZAlbion on February 25, 2015, 09:34:46 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm 25, living in NZ and found MMM last November. I was always a natural saver and have no debt but MMM has opened my eyes to whole new levels. Since then I've cut my car use in half - including walking to work instead of driving whenever possible. Thinking back to that first walk to work and now, I can definitely see my fitness has improved too!

I'm excited to start the path to early retirement - first step is investing my bank acc savings and also planning to move to cheaper rental soon. I'll be hitting up the forums for NZ-specific advice about where and how to invest, and advice about if/when to buy a house, as those two subjects have wildly different circumstances here compared to the US.

~NZAlbion
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Minimali on February 26, 2015, 07:26:02 AM
Just popping by to be polite and say hi.

I'm a 27yr old civil servant living in Edinburgh, making a smidge over £15K as my take home (seeking promotion and pay rise as we speak. or write.) with a savings rate of 35%. MMM has me thinking of ways to increase that percentage, although I share a flat and am somewhat limited by my flatmate. I would happily live without a tv, thus saving electricity and licence fee, but she is less inclined. Thankfully, she doesn't want cable.

No debts beyond student ones and I'd be a fool to pay them off more than what is compulsory through my salary at the moment (the Scottish system is like that.)

I've always saved. It's just what I do. I'm not a big spender, I have no expensive hobbies and I walk almost everywhere in what is a pretty small city. I stumbled on MMM and FIRE after having a conversation with my friend about what I'm saving for because I apparently should be enjoying my money and buying stuff. And, honestly, I'm still not sure. FI definitely, less sure over the RE part of it.

I'm just along for the ride really.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StockBeard on February 26, 2015, 05:37:25 PM
Hey everyone,
been lurking here for a while but never really introduced myself.

I'm an Engineer, 33 and married with 2 young kids. My wife has been proactively frugal her entire life (looking for grocery deals all the time, etc...), while I have been frugal as a result of my hobbies and interests being reasonably cheap.

Recently I decided I was tired of being an employee and taking orders, but also realized I'm a bit too scared (mostly because I'm the bread-earner in the family) to jump into my own business "full time". So I'm still employed, running a tiny business (closer to a hobby at this point, but generates income) on the side, and trying to accumulate as much as I can so I don't feel the "need" to show up at work anymore.

Wish me luck
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pwning the Rat Race on February 26, 2015, 05:56:48 PM
Hi all!

My wife, 3 y.o. daughter, and I are in the middle of a major financial shift.  I've been extremely fortunate to be making really great money in IT, my wife doesn't work.   We've managed to cut our expenses as much as we can renting in Santa Monica, CA after selling our second house to eliminate the commute and capture a nice profit from flipping it.  My first house is a cash positive rental but is still upside down thanks to the 2008 housing crash.  On top of being a landlord, I do consulting on the side and I'm involved with two startups, trying to catch an early windfall.  We used to live a far more lavish lifestyle, 4 cars, including a Tesla Model S, lots of dining out, fancy wine collection, and material accumulation to fill our 4bd/2ba house.

We are down to one car, which is a few months from being completely paid off; I walk to work.  We've given away or sold many things to fit into a 1000sq ft 2 bd/2ba apartment.  Our biggest expense unfortunately has been the apartment which is already far below the city's average.  We are expecting another kid in 4 months as well and will definitely need more room eventually.  Thankfully, my job is becoming 100% telecommute soon and we'll be able to relocate most likely out of state in some community nice and cheap and buy another house with a mortgage half of what our rent is now.

But before that, we're planning on doing a 1-2 year "dreamliner" (see 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferris), traveling the world, selling everything once our next kid is at least 1 and vaccinated.  This shouldn't be overly costly, since I'll still be telecommuting and we'll rent cheap furnished places (airbnb most likely).  We are currently living on about 40% of our income, saving and investing about 30% in stocks and traditional accounts (401k & IRAs), and the remaining 30% has been flagged for one startup which I'm a founder in and am funding with one partner (until we can get some investment capital).  Ideally, we'd like to keep this ratio or even improve the savings part when we travel abroad.

Once we come back, we'll settle down and live even more frugally.  With a contractor and a mechanic for uncles and an electrician for a dad, I've managed to acquire a large set of tools, I do all my own remodeling and repairs, plumbing, electrical, carpentering.  I'm also well versed in traditional ICE (internal combustion engine) car mechanics, though I plan on doing EV conversions as a hobby, I'm definitely interested in cycling more.  My wife is a lawyer and a writer and will likely be homeschooling our kids while we travel abroad and I'll also pitch in when we settle down.

I'd love to build an earthship style home, able to be completely off the grid, but that's not a hard requirement.  Ideally, we'd like to find a community of like minded people and maybe do some collective homeschooling and other fun projects.  I enjoy tinkering with electronics and am interested in home automation and growing heirloom fruits and veggies as well as mushrooms.

So yeah, it's became much longer than I originally intended it to be, if you got this far, feel free to ask me anything.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DNJ on February 27, 2015, 09:35:22 AM
Hi,

I'm a MMM fan from Dublin, Ireland.  I discovered the site in November 2013 and it was an eye-opener.  I work 80% hours, other half works full time (public sector), we've two kids in elementary school.  We've no childcare costs as I finish work in time to collect them.  We're homeowners, who luckily bought at the bottom nearly 3 years ago, had the cash to do a big renovation and are now enjoying a beautiful home within walking/cycling distance of school, work for other half, loads of grocery, homeware and discount stores, a few parks etc. We recently remortgaged to take advance of a lower Loan to Value rate of 3.75%, with 19 years remaining if we don't overpay.  Our mortgage is currently for less than 50% of the value of the house.

We are limited in our investment options for a few reasons - I am both an Irish and US citizen, but resident in Ireland (most of the offshore options on the mutual funds are domiciled in Ireland and a withholding tax is charged on Irish residents, yet it seems impossible to open a US account when you don't have a US address - if I am wrong on these points, please let me know! I file my US tax return as a non-resident each year), plus I work for a major financial services company and would have to pre-clear any trading with compliance (for both me and other half). However, since finding MMM I've been much more interested in my employer pension and have increased the overall total by 36% in the last 15 months - the majority of which is going into a global equity index linked fund, with relatively low fees.  You can retire from the pension at 50, just over 9 years time for me, so this seems to be my best investment option for now.  But if anyone has any other decent recommendations for an Irish resident, I'm all ears....

When I first started reading MMM, my goal was to retire at 50, mortgage free, with a decent amount of savings - and MMM helped me put a decent plan around that goal. However, now I am starting to explore what my options are to "retire" even earlier (I'm tired of the early working hours and would like to put my energy into the family and things that actually interest me) - we're active YNABrs and are very closely monitoring our expenses.  I believe our current savings rate (as per MMM's recent formula) is around 59%.

Looking forward to finding inspiration and advice on here for how to realise our goals...

D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JonasNC on February 27, 2015, 11:01:52 AM
Hi everyone,
I've been reading MMM for awhile now and finally decided to join the forum to ask some questions I've been wondering about.  My wife and I are both pretty frugal and if things continue as planned, we hope to be FI in about two years.  Never participated in a forum before, so hopefully I can figure out how this community works.  Looking forward to talking to you all.  JH
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tenaciousP on February 28, 2015, 12:20:06 AM
I'm Phil and I live with my wife and daughter in Denver. We've never fit in with our friends and after reading this blog we now know why -we're Mustachians. FI is around the corner for us. Hoping to meet other Mustachians in Denver with kids that:

...eat paleo
...love going to City Park
...love to hike
...love to play board games like trivial pursuit
...drink beer and listen to 90's music (Depeche Mode FTW!)
...think sarcasm is a higher form of humor (we're from NY originally)
...have children that aren't just a little weird they're A LOT weird
...honor their word (VERY IMPORTANT)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: njfleck on March 01, 2015, 04:00:12 PM
Hello all,

I'm Nate, currently living in Indianapolis with my gf and our dog.

Started reading the site about 6 months ago. I was 5 years out of college, my salary had been steadily rising, yet my savings had not and I had 42K of student debt. MMM helped me realize my hair was on fire. SO far, I got the debt down to 30k, sold my car and bought a bike, stopped spending so much money on booze and dinners, invested my retirement account into index funds, saved an emergency fund  and decreased my overall  spending.

Looking forward to getting my high-interest student loans paid off this year and then saving for a house down payment. I also plan on changing careers (yikes) and moving southeast (GF is from Georgia and hates midwest winters).

Interested in chatting about further optimizing spending, being Mustachian in the midwest or southeast, and more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on March 01, 2015, 04:32:10 PM
Wow, Nate--lots of great changes in 6 months!  Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grace_gratitude on March 02, 2015, 05:07:54 PM
Hi All!

D here, father of two, husband of one.  I'm 31, wife is 2 years behind me.

Wife raises our kids during the days, I head to the office.  I'm pretty frugal in terms of the general public but not compared to what I've been reading around here!

We recently spend a pretty large lump sum of liquidity to build our dream home (240k) and we only have about 80k in our retirement account.  Liquidity is about 40k.  Didn't realize a new build was going to go so far over budget so we didn't have much of a choice but to finish it out once we had closed on the loan and were realizing the overages. I hated that we put so much of our savings into a home as I saw the cash account dwindling (100k in overages) because I wanted the cash to work for us - its very embarassing to be in the position we are in considering our income.  Meanwhile we have a balance over 550k remaining on our note.

It took a handful of deep conversations with the Mrs (getting through the emotional connection with a home build) but I feel relieved that we just decided that we're going to sell our home to pull our liquidity back out and downsize a bit.  Blessing is the home is appraising 250k over what we built it for, so we should be able to capitalize on it and pull out some 400k net capital gains.  With this we should be in a better place to get on track and get things moving forward.

We do own 10 houses with another couple which we began purchasing in 2007, they all cash flow a decent amount but with the market up we are planning to sell at least half of them and begin paying down principal on the others - plan is to have 3-4 homes paid off 5 years from now which should net ~6k per month.

Current net income savings rate is approximately 55%.  TODAY I opened a Vanguard account and moved 20k into it to start - much more will go in once the house sells!  Pretty excited to finally put some money to work and get ahead the way we should be.

I've enjoyed the conversations and challenges throughout the forums and blog.  Its difficult to speak about finances to anyone especially anyone close to you that could judge you in one way or another so I appreciate that people here are encouraging one another and happy for people when there are successes. 

Best of luck to all and thanks for letting me apart of this forum!

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EdwardMonroe on March 02, 2015, 08:05:26 PM
Hi all! I am Edward Jobert Johnson Monroe from Grand Prairie. I signed up here because I want to learn the tricks that Mr. Money Mustache has. Though, I am 30 plus years ahead of him, I know that it is not too late to attain what MMM's goal. Need to understand it swiftly, so I can instill these learnings to my sons.

Hoping for a warm welcome here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Catastrophysicist on March 03, 2015, 12:05:37 AM
Greetings,

I've been following the blog since October or so. I've managed to steer my family's household in a number of positive directions since then, and save a lot of money (for us) since then. We have student loan debt, credit card debt, car payment debt, and a handful of other small debts amounting to approx. $65,000. My goal right now is to get $0.00 debt in 2- 3 yrs and to then consider things from there. I am 34 yrs old, and wifey is 37, and we have an 18 month old, and 4 year old (we're in the shit.) We have both made mistakes in our trajectory into adulthood for lack of proper role models and ideas, as well as pure stupidity. We don't realistically envision full-on early retirement unless something goes unbelievably right. However, we do envision leaving behind 'the grind' and doing part-time work that we enjoy in order to live comfortably. My wife oscillates between loving and hating this Mustachian philosophy depending on how unbendable I become at any given moment of transaction-- but chicken wings help. I was ostensibly waiting for a 'debt victory' before I signed up for this forum, and started asking for help, and contributing. But lately I've found myself in a semi-hopeless mind-state (which I know violates the MMM Outrageous Optimism requirement) because I have gone to some lengths to get my act together, and I still feel like I am merely treading water. I fear that I have ventured deep, deep into Extreme Frugality (with the purist of motivations in mind) and I'm not loving it right now. I just so desperately want to be out from underneath the burden of debt, and to live my life. It's just a hard rope to walk. I wonder if this sentiment resonates with anyone else out there?

Best,
Phil
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kvaruni on March 03, 2015, 03:22:36 AM
Hi all,

I'm 30, married, no kids yet, living in Northern Ireland, UK at the moment. I was born with a 'stache and have no debt to show for it. Unlike MMM, I am a budgeting guru, and strongly believe in the "pay yourself first" principle. We are in the final stages of buying a house (all cash) and still have plenty in savings/investment accounts all over the world (talk about diversification!). Number-wise, we are talking about a £75,000 property with an extra £7,500 renovation budget, 15,000 CAD cash and 65,000 EUR investments. Saving percentage isn't exactly high for a mustachian, at about 55%, but we are in the odd situation of living separately in two different countries. This means twice the rent, twice the utilities, and ten times the holiday budget to keep our sanity. Luckily, I believe that every mustachian can splurge in one given area of life and travel is ours.

Being a life-long mustachian does mean I have come to balance off frugality with cheapskate quite nicely. You will see me run around with one of the latest iPhones (but I won't tell you I'm averaging £2 a month in cellphone bills, nor that I will be able to sell it for over 50% of its original value after 2 years). I will pay top dollar (or pound) for a TV per square inch (but I won't tell you I keep it at a mere 27", oh, and it is actually only a screen so I avoid paying for a TV license). No car, but two very expensive bikes (one electric import from The Netherlands, one Brompton). It does fit in with my lifestyle to keep frugality under wraps. I've become accustomed to people reacting very poorly when they find out you have the money but don't want to go for a restaurant dinner with them for [insert some dumb reason here]. The same goes for buying our house. I gladly relate as to how hard it is to get a mortgage. It really is when you live in two different countries with no credit history. I just tend to leave out the details that we only had a listen to see if we could optimise our financial situation using a mortgage and in the end decided on an all-cash purchase. Hanging around these forums at least allows me to be more upfront and meet like-minded people. Hope to be able to give some good advice whenever I think I have something to contribute, support people who need it, and also always looking to further optimise my own finances!


I fear that I have ventured deep, deep into Extreme Frugality (with the purist of motivations in mind) and I'm not loving it right now. I just so desperately want to be out from underneath the burden of debt, and to live my life. It's just a hard rope to walk. I wonder if this sentiment resonates with anyone else out there?

Ouch Phil, that sounds tough. But realising you have a debt problem means you are halfway there! Keep hanging in there and keep paying down that debt. Without more information on your income and costs it is hard to provide specific advise, but realise that frugality will definitely help you after you come out of debt, simply because you'll need less money for day to day expenses. Just be careful that paying down the debt doesn't crush you emotionally or puts you in a position where you need to create new debt to respond to an emergency.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sully1985 on March 03, 2015, 07:25:45 PM
Hi I'm Scott,

Recently emigrated to Sydney from the UK to start a new job/chapter in my life. Stumbled onto Mr Money Mustache whilst looking for ways to maximise my savings (as I was approaching the upper limit on my accounts cash savings rate). Anyway, after reading this blog for the past few months I thought I should join the forum and say hi.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheGrimSqueaker on March 03, 2015, 07:59:07 PM
Hi!  I'm 41, female, never married (but in the process of getting certified to adopt 3 teens out of foster care).  I'm living in New Mexico and just found this site.  Loving it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dmoneyzzz on March 04, 2015, 02:16:48 AM
Hello!

I love this forum.  It will be such an awesome tool in the future, I'm glad to be here.

Thanks to everyone who is already making this a great learning community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ThreadPacifist on March 04, 2015, 03:06:42 AM
Hey Everyone,

I discovered this website sometime in December and have been reinvigorated by the thought of being able to retire early. I'm 25 and married with a baby on the way. We finished paying off the house and became debt-free last year, so we're aiming to really build our 'stashe this year. Looking to learn a lot from this community about investing and have people to talk to about the journey to FI (None of my friends or co-workers have any interest in discussing finance). I'm hoping to reach my goal of FI in 10 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jenpino1189 on March 04, 2015, 09:14:28 AM
Hi, I'm Jen
I'm completely new here, and absolutely blown away by what I've been reading.  So...I'm a single mom of three kids (11, 13 and 14) and the sole provider of this household.  Between a couple of credit cards and school loans, I have 21K in debt.  After taxes and insurance, my take-home is $3,000 a month.  I am hopeful that I can do this by myself...would love to hear from others in the same boat who have, anybody want to mentor me?! 
Thanks for the feedback, and hope to hear from some of you soon!
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gav on March 04, 2015, 09:22:05 PM
Hello to every one,

 I am just joined this forum and like to introduce my self, I am a professional content writer, writing content, articles, blogs  for websites. I am here to learn some new tips and techniques for writing.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DrWarbucks on March 06, 2015, 02:55:25 AM
Hi everybody!
I'm Nathan, 32 years old, recently moved to the UK from Holland, working as a "locum" doctor in A&E/ER. Never bought in to the spend more than you earn culture, but always too cynical/scared to go for finicial independence.
Recently starting to realise that working 80+hours a week is probably not how I would like to or should spend the next 20 years of my life.

Recent MMM inspired changes:

Stopped feeling sorry for myself
Put my money from crappy saving accounts in to funds (just 4k euro)
Reading up on the fiscal laws of my new country

Thank you guys for being awesome!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Melayahm on March 08, 2015, 07:47:30 AM
Hi

I'm in the UK, so some of the items here may not be relevant to me, but still worth a look. I've been leaning to and from frugality for some years now (part hippy), and it's good to find a fresh site  for ideas and support. I have a partner of nearly 20 years and a coming up to 18 y/o daughter. I work part time in a local indie bookshop, so basically, I'm a kept woman!

Caroline
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: accolay on March 08, 2015, 10:42:55 AM
Hi, I'm JV from Minneapolis.

Starting reading the MMM Blog about 3 months ago when I came across it in one of those sidebar article thingies that you click on when wasting time. And it all sounded like an F'ing good idea to me, and why the hell haven't I thought about that before? I've read through all the blog posts now, and find a number of similarities between myself and MMM. Getting married in May, and slowly converting my bride to be. Should be done in 10-15 years or less depending on interest rates, how much we work, how soon we have a kid and a couple other things.

Looking forward to it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: keithstache on March 09, 2015, 05:34:56 PM
Hi,  I'm Keith.  Have been lurking around the site and the forum for awhile now and finally decided to register.  I am shooting to be FI in 10 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jwood83 on March 09, 2015, 10:17:40 PM
Hi everyone, my name is Justin and I live in the Southeastern United States (one of those where the heat and humidity require us to use AC). Finding MMM has really opened up our eyes on our wasteful spending, and I want to change that. I'm married with one child, and really looking forward to FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Better Late Than Never on March 10, 2015, 01:16:25 PM
Hi, I'm Sandy from New England. I'm married with 2 sons, ages 16 and 20. We've always considered ourselves somewhat frugal, but there are many areas in which we were definitely not frugal, and I never learned to properly invest the savings we do have. I'd like to learn more about being frugal and investing, and I want to teach my sons how important it is for them to start building their savings, even at their age.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coachese on March 11, 2015, 11:21:58 AM
Hey!

I am a US Air Force veteran, 46 yo, single with no kids (that I know of), dog-owning IT administrator/Executive Assistant, born, raised and currently living in Northern California.

For every lazy excuse under the sun (and some that weren't), up until about a year ago I never gave one thought (or penny) to retirement. Nothing. No.thing. That all changed when a good friend of mine (age 58) "retired" and is living comfortably in Mexico.

Having traveled much through Mexico on a budget myself and having a handle on the language, a light bulb went off over my head. I could do this too! Only problem was I was living paycheck to paycheck (even though making north of $3400 net per month + $5K in bonuses). I also had the stupid assumption that one had to make $100K per year in order to save any sizeable retirement fund. Woe is me stood firmly on my shoulder telling me that it'll never work.

Now I know better.

I am in the process of revamping my budget and drafting a retirement plan for the future. I have no debt, very little need for credit and am prepared to put every penny towards my goal of blowing this Popsicle-stand as soon as possible.

I am here to learn and to laugh and chew bubble gum. And kick ass. WTH.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Grimrivet on March 11, 2015, 12:09:09 PM
Afternoon all,
Found the blog through The Art of Manliness blog last week, married 33 year old neurotic tinkering type, lovely wife, three whipper-snappers under the age of 6.  Looking forward to passing around what i know and learning what you all do. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mistah Cash Lion on March 11, 2015, 08:57:54 PM
Hello everyone.  I stumbled upon this blog a couple weeks ago and I have been reading tons and tons of the articles.  Love it.  The mustachian way of thinking and living is very close to where I was already headed/doing.  I'm super excited to have found this blog, because I hadn't yet realized that early retirement could be attainable in such a short amount of time.

I'm 21 years old and looking to retire before or by 30.  It will be a challenge, but I am very excited to be on this journey with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on March 12, 2015, 07:09:23 AM
Welcome to another MMMer from the Centennial State!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jacquespluto on March 12, 2015, 05:33:50 PM
Hello everyone!

32, married with 2 kids (5 month old baby boy + a french bulldog).  Originally from Southern Oregon, currently living near Portland.  Found MMM a few months ago after slowly realizing I just can't do the traditional 9-5 for another 25+ years.  Savings rate is between 55% and 60% depending on whether I include principal mortgage payments.  Target FIRE date is between 8-10 years.

My frugal baby steps over the past year have been..

- Paying off my car loan
- Selling wife's financed car for $11k and buying a much cheaper 2nd vehicle for $3.5k cash which also lowered insurance
- Cutting cable for a net $100/mo savings (had to get sling for some sports)
- Bring lunch to work at least 4 times per week vs twice/week a year ago

Goals for this next year..

- Refinance student loans to much lower rate and begin to attack aggressively (hopefully will pay these off in 3 years)
- Explore options for cheaper housing
- Get a raise! (haha)

Anyway, far from perfect, but looking to continue to make some significant progress.  Excited to be part of this great community!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jmount24 on March 13, 2015, 07:46:46 PM
Hi, I'm Jeff.  I'm a 32 y.o. husband, father of twins, and Director of Operations for a multi-location self-defense training company here in the Baltimore/DC area..  I'm already into some other aspects of badassery, so I'm thankful to have found the blog.  I'm pretty competitive, so I'm paying down debt pretty quickly just to see how fast I can do it. 

My biggest drawbacks in this process are that I'm pretty bad at household repairs, and having tried it in the past, it didn't work too well and I ended up wasting a lot of time and money making mistakes that apparently were obvious to avoid.  So, I'll be leaning heavy on the DIY part of the forum.

But...I'm very, very thankful to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Merrie on March 14, 2015, 01:48:39 AM
Hello! I am here less because I have an explicit goal to FIRE (although I wouldn't mind it) and more because generally I feel that my family is drowning in debt and I am trying to figure out how to dig my way out. I am 32 years old and the sole breadwinner for myself, my husband, and our two little kids. While I've been used to thinking of myself as frugal, I've made some distinctly un-frugal decisions over the past years. Though I make a comfortable salary and we are in no danger of starving, our savings rate is pretty pathetic because most of our money gets chewed up by our mortgage and student loans. More and more as time goes by I lament what seems to be an abysmally stupid decision to buy a house when we did. Problem is, my husband and I do not see eye to eye on finances, and so for every change I try to make to our current standard of living, he is there fighting me every step of the way and agitating for things that cost more money. It's really frustrating and hard on both of us. I love him very much and he is the father of my children; I don't want to break up our marriage over our different financial priorities, and it is true that he's gotten better over the years, but still, it can be really challenging. I have joined the forum so that I can talk to people who can understand and support where I am coming from with regards to finances, since my husband so does not and since I don't want to complain to my friends, most of whom make a lot less than I do.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kwillmorth on March 14, 2015, 06:55:57 PM
Hi,

I'm Krista and I stumbled upon the MMM blog while searching for an answer to, "how to decide to rent or continue owning our house." I really like what I've found! I am working on putting together a case study but I'm not too sure where to start. I've always thought we were ahead of the game b/c we "don't have any debt" other than our mortgage. *I* have always considered that debt, but it seems many today do not. I started to buy into that and fell into the "gee, I have money in this hand, and mortgage on the other, I guess I'll go buy a TV/trip/whatever" that I have seen mentioned. We had some savings, but as happens when you don't have *enough* saved, we had a bad year, some additional medical expenses, the ACA actually *cost* us another $120/month for higher deductibles, our second vehicle (16 yo minivan) finally blew an engine, and on and on. The icing on the cake was my husband's workplace cutting wages (hopefully) temporarily by 15% beginning this month.

The upshot is that these events conspired to cause some very moustachian changes in our lives without much effort. Husband is now biking to work (something he used to do, but had stopped due to sorta scary motorists and sometimes severe weather). Down to one car, which is okay so far, given I am a SAHM homeschooling two kids. We usually use the car to get to a 2x/week home school co-op, and lessons and such, which are farther away than husband's work. I have picked up some temporary pay here and there teaching at the co-op, doing their books, and teaching riding lessons. Hubby is also finally on board with the idea that we really DO need to cut some things out and spend as little as possible...just working on how that is going to look. I thought we had already cut out a lot, and we still don't have enough to cover emergencies and some things like basic maintenance on the house.

I guess I should save the rest for the case study. =) Just wanted to introduce myself and start to organize my thoughts. I'm excited to start making a plan that might mean my husband (who is 15 years older than I am) can actually retire. He is in a bit of a funk at the moment, fearing he won't be able to retire until 70 and/or he won't outlive our mortgage and/or our kids will be deprived of the benefits he had from his parents (like help with college). Thanks for setting up the site and for all the great input from members!

Krista
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Utu on March 15, 2015, 08:35:33 AM
Hi I'm Utu, 25 y.o. and well on my well to FI. Through savings, investments, real estate, and hustling, I hope to be FI within 3 years from now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ozzy123 on March 15, 2015, 11:00:54 AM
Hello there is am on a mission to become FI in about 3 years. I live in the pacific nw. I have rental properties, and some other investments  to help me along the way.  I have created a blog to chart my progress along the way. The reason I started a blog is when I read other people's blogs it keeps me motivated. So it's my gift to someone else if it helps them.  www.claritythrufi.com check it out and let me know what you think.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIRE Artist on March 15, 2015, 01:16:50 PM
Hi, I have been lurking here for 3 months and figure that I want to respond to threads often enough to warrant getting an account.

My profile is SINK, 41 year old female.  After selling my soul to the international oil industry for a decade and a half, I have downshifted my career to the public sector, freeing up many hours to devote to working towards what I hope will be a viable second career - artist/illustrator.  By second career, I mean side gig while enjoying early retirement, not stressful how am I going to pay the mortgage, starving artist type of career.

I am quite close to FI by MMM standards, but don't have any firm plans yet to cut the cord on working for at least 5-7 years.  I actually wish that I had learned about MMM 2.5 years ago when I moved back to Canada from abroad, I might have made some  more sensible decisions regarding the house and car I purchased, but I will leave the past in the past. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TfromOC on March 15, 2015, 10:47:53 PM
Hello --- I am T from OC in So CA.  Saw MMM talked about on another site I frequent - Savingadvice.  Am a civil servant and plan to retire next year at 56.  Hubby working in the shipping industry and plans to work a bit longer.  One daughter at home who will enter college in 2016.  Would love advice on taxes ----  we are supporting many other folks with the amount they take out of our checks!   :(              Debt free --  we paid off our home about 10 years ago on a middle of the road salary at the time.  We save about 50% of our after tax income at this point and live frugally.  Daughter plans to go out of state for school in the engineering field and will earn merit aid and has savings.  Her education will be on a no loan basis.       
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheContinentalOp on March 16, 2015, 11:25:10 AM
Hi

I am James from Pennsylvania.

I was kind of living the mustchian life before I found this site, but wasn't able to articulate what I was doing. My ex-wife (compulsive gambler) put me behind the financial 8-ball, but after several years of living way below my income, I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I calculate I am 4-5 years away from FI. I have been crunching some numbers and will probably put up a case study after I have another month of expenses to calculate.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ayogafriend on March 16, 2015, 06:21:12 PM
Hello, my name is Scott and I just found your website with a Google search.  It's kind of funny, since I was looking for the meaning of "F-you money" and sure enough, I found it here!  Looks like my kind of place and people, so I joined.  I like living in a way that I can have a nice lifestyle, without having to work at something I despise. 

Here was the link I found: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/formula-for-f-you-money/

Very inspiring.  Let's talk and share the wealth of knowledge.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nidiyao on March 16, 2015, 06:30:12 PM
Hi, I'm Sandy in Indianapolis.  I'm really happy I found this website.  The changes in my life are astounding in just a couple of months.  I've cut our grocery bill down by more than 50%, changed lots of light bulbs, paid off my car and paid cash for another car (we have a lot of drivers right now).  Great stuff.  Thanks to everyone who shares knowledge and time!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ramblin' Ma'am on March 17, 2015, 01:19:27 PM
Hi, I'm Laura. I am 32, single, no kids, and live in the Boston area. I have been lurking a while and finally decided to join. I've been doing pretty well by the standards of mainstream personal finance sites--emergency fund, no debt, saving around 15% of my income for retirement. Lately I've become more interested in FIRE and am hoping to get inspired to kick it up a notch. I'm realizing that saving 15% may get me to retirement in my 60s (which, sure, is better than many people) but won't get me to freedom before then.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: njfleck on March 17, 2015, 07:08:37 PM
Hi, I'm Sandy in Indianapolis.  I'm really happy I found this website.  The changes in my life are astounding in just a couple of months.  I've cut our grocery bill down by more than 50%, changed lots of light bulbs, paid off my car and paid cash for another car (we have a lot of drivers right now).  Great stuff.  Thanks to everyone who shares knowledge and time!

Hi Sandy! My GF and I are also in Indy!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gregerus on March 18, 2015, 07:06:07 PM
Hi all,

My name is Greg

Im 22, just graduated from Occidental College down in LA, and I am currently doing the CORO Fellowship in San Francisco. My hometown is Sacramento, Ca.

I have been following MMM for over 3 years now, and I am interested in getting more involved in this community. My Fellowship gives me a stipend so there is not a whole lot of saving going on right now, especially in the Bay Area (which may be a good reason to move out).

I would love to chat about some of your experiences, both starting out and long time Mustachians. Also, I shamelessly promote MMM wherever I go.

With hope,

Greg
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: emmaplopez on March 19, 2015, 04:04:23 AM
Hello everyone..

I am happy to join you guys but unfortunately I don't have mustache :P
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Susan on March 19, 2015, 04:31:40 AM
Hi all, I've been reading this blog and forum for over a year now and thought it was time to really join!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: louloulou on March 19, 2015, 05:04:35 AM
Hi I am Louisa. 36, married with 2 kids. No consumer debt and working to pay off the mortgage. Living a somewhat minimalist life.

Have been reading mmm for a couple of years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cole on March 19, 2015, 10:26:41 AM
Hello! My name is Cole and I'm from Denver, CO.
I'm 19 and I am one semester from being done with college.
I am excited to start my journey towards FIRE and hope to be by 27.
I have a few student loans, but NO other loans EVER. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Laferno on March 20, 2015, 03:53:47 PM
Hi,

I am Jon in Richmond, VA.  I have always been pretty frugal, but never realized until reading MMM that I was on pace to retire in my early 40s.  The goal isn't actually to retire, but to know that I have the freedom to choose whether or not I want to work.  Wife and I are currently saving 30-40% of our income, and that will definitely shoot up once the kids are out of daycare.

Best of luck to everyone on their trip to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: REAL WORLD EXPAT on March 21, 2015, 01:51:30 PM
Hi my name is Richard and I live and work in Chicagoland. I'm originally from the UK and am toying with the idea of moving back when my wife (and American) and I get to FIRE-plus in about 5 years. Even if we decide to stay in the US after FIRE we'll be out of Chicagoland in a flash (high taxes and too cold in the long winter) but have yet to decide on our location so may move about a bit or take extended vacations.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Smiro688 on March 22, 2015, 04:05:53 AM
Hi,

Long time reader but thought I'd try and get more involved in the forums as I work on my badassity. I'm Adam, originally from NZ , 29 years old and just starting to take a more active role in my financial wellbeing (took me long enough right?). Have been recommending this site to everyone that asks me "What should I do with my money?".
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hoosier on March 23, 2015, 11:34:30 AM
Hi All,

I'm 34 and live in rural Indiana, enjoying the low COL.

I've been lurking on the site for a while now and decided to sign up.

I'm not FI yet, and don't really want to RE (although I may be persuaded), I am just looking to gain the wherewithal to be able to do exactly what I want and not worry about jobs, money, debt, payments, etc.

I found this site after reading all the internet rags about how/when to retire and none of it made any sense....how could I possibly need $3.4M to retire...and why in the hell would I want to work until I'm 68? 

I've been pretty Mustachian without evening knowing it was a "thing".  I own my home outright, have no debt whatsoever, and have saved up about 11 years worth of expenses.  I've always believed in having a "go to hell fund"...but see that you call it FU money here, which I like too.

My monthly expenses are 30% of my paycheck.  I save a lot of $ by doing "weird" things (in the eyes of my co-workers and friends) like growing a garden, heating my home with wood, fixing my own stuff, etc.  Good to see some like minds.  I could probably cut out a lot more $ from my budget, and I still might, but for right now I'm pretty content with my trajectory.

I don't feel comfortable talking to anyone other than my wife about this stuff.  Most of the people I socialize with still have a negative or near zero net worth.  Car/house/boat payments are the norm...working till 70 is expected.  Its nice to have a place to vent a little if I need to.

I'm hoping that in 5 years I can quit this rat race and get a fun job just to cover expenses until I'm about 50 then hang up my "real job" spurs.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GoingConcern on March 23, 2015, 10:00:37 PM
Hello All,

I guess I have been a "mustachian" most of my life as in I have always lived modestly.  Went to public school and avoided college debt, didn't own a car until the age of 24, paid off my place and so forth.  Lately I have been looking for ways to increase my net worth and learn of new investing strategies.  I have been lurking this forum for a few weeks and I guess it is a good time as any to register. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: willikers on March 24, 2015, 12:19:26 PM
Hello folks,

I've been lurking for a few weeks now, absorbing all the articles on the blog, and turning wheels in my head to get the wheels moving toward FIRE.

I'm 29 next month, living off a single 26,000-ish income with my wife and 2 year old son. I just received a modest 2.5% raise which will bring me about an extra grand a year, but I am not sure if this should be contributed to my 401K or put away for our nest egg.

I know it won't be as easy for me to to reach FIRE as the many engineers who have similar goals, but I am determined to live by the principals and enjoy a simpler, more frugal life. See you guys around.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordy913 on March 24, 2015, 02:00:44 PM
Hi everyone! New here!

Been lurking for a while, but really inspired by all the discussion here. I'm 27, new resident to CO and newly married. I discovered the world of FIRE in January and you guessed it, I'm hooked. I'm hoping that by getting involved it will help keep me motivated.

Looking forward to chatting.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: El Diablo on March 24, 2015, 05:16:29 PM
Hi, older than many round here it seems being 52 but it is never too late, living in the UK with my partner and 2 kids (17 & 15) and really looking at how I can make that step to retire sooner rather than later.

With new UK pension legislation kicking in next month, I can access those funds from 55, so I can probably make the step then for sure on a modest basis as always been careful (not to MMM levels ) and our only debt is a mortgage (tremendously low cost one).

Have a well paid job (13 years service now) that I don't just hate, but have actually detested now for the past 3 years and not sure I can keep up the facade for much longer.

Goal is to make the step out of the rat race as soon as I can through flexing and exercising those financial muscles - find some bravery to make the decision and go for it !



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Arzosah on March 24, 2015, 05:17:59 PM
Another newbie signing in :)   from the UK, England.  I've been reading MMM for a while now, and never made it to the forum - ecstatic to discover how big it is, and the focus on FI is exactly what I need.  I own my own house, almost own an investment apartment in France (3 and a half years to go) pension fund of just over £110k.  Two problems: income is way, way down, and my efforts to increase it are hampered by ill health.  And age, oops.  Okay, three problems.



ETA - and while I was writing, another UK-er has posted in this thread.  Hello!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheFixer on March 25, 2015, 08:42:54 AM
Hi everybody.  I found the MMM blog a few weeks ago while doing taxes, doing google search for retirement account or somesuch.  It immediately sucked me in.  Been reading several blog posts/day since then, almost caught up to realtime.  My wife & I are 47 and have been very mustachian for about 21 years.  Never had a loan for a car, only buy used vehicle w/ manny trannies that are easily & cheaply maintained, keep the t-stat low, no central AC, buy good food cheap, insource everything, use the library...  By radically reducing our household expenditures, we both have been able to be under-employed for many years now.  I'm realizing now that we only got half the equation right.  If we had continued at our post-college Mcjobs for several more years we could have saved enough for FI and really had almost no need for employment.  As it is, we only need to bring in $25K/yr to pay the mortgage/food/car.

So now, rather belatedly, we are attempting to increase savings rate while still young-ish to allow for a more secure 'semi-retiremement' or whatever this lifestyle is that we have.  Already learned a lot from the blog and lurking on this forum, with more growth on the near horizon.
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hot_AZ on March 25, 2015, 09:39:29 AM
Hi all!
Shelle here.  I'm 44, have one kiddo (6) and one husband (thank god, i can only handle one).
Feel like i'm way behind, here to get inspiration, advice, guidance and to kick some butt. 
Would love to FIRE by 55 (i know, way later than most here). 

Nice to "meet" everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tenormadness on March 25, 2015, 12:08:18 PM
Hello folks!

James here. 26, with a sizable amount of debt. I discovered this blog last week, as a result of looking for budgeting info. This whole FIRE business is unheard of for me. Basically I'm looking to take control of my finances, and would like to know if these techniques are possible on a lower (under 30k) income.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Clean Shaven on March 25, 2015, 12:57:42 PM
Stumbled across this blog and have been reading a lot of the old posts over the last several days.  My wife and I have been doing a lot of the financial habits recommended in the blog, but definitely not all of them (not that we're likely to change those "bad" habits entirely, but I appreciate the insight and analysis offered here). 

We feel like we're in solid financial shape, and are looking at what to do in terms of investment outside of retirement accounts, including perhaps rental property (-ies).

This site has gotten me to take a good look at retirement planning, as we haven't paid any real attention to the concepts of (1) what we actually need ($) to retire, and (2) when can we reach that number.  We've just been focusing on maxing out savings in retirement accounts and paying down our mortgage fast.  No debt other than the mortgage.

Some initial calculations suggest that retirement from the rat race could be a lot sooner than we had previously guessed, and I'm getting excited about that prospect.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Landlord2015 on March 25, 2015, 01:06:32 PM
Hi everyone:). I am from Finland, Europe. As my username might indicate I am landlord(though not millionaire or very rich) and rent apartments to other people. I am not millionaire... but I rent a few apartments but have debt...

Anyway I am mature means at least 30+ but I have eaten antioxidants and stuff and still looking for a wife:). I am not open about my exact age and I find it personal information and sorry I don't date the whole world:)

This seems like a great site... and I want to retire young or well before normal pension age... I don't consider doing a bit landlord like much work but retire as don't need to work for anyone or don't need to be entrepreneur 40 hours/week or more. I am not entrepreneur currently.

Wealth is not everything and I like sports on my free time... and I think staying healthy is good... and enjoying life is nice... I do like to travel sometimes and I like movies and TV shows.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ariane524 on March 25, 2015, 04:31:37 PM
Hi, I'm Cathy.  I'm a late-blooming proto-Mustachian on a slower-than-I'd-like road to financial freedom.  I come here daily for my dose of information, inspiration, and therapeutic kicks in the butt.  Thanks for providing this forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: handsnhearts on March 25, 2015, 04:58:00 PM
Hi Mustachians! 
I found out about FIRE this year when I was trying to figure out saving vs student loan pay down.  MMM is great and gives me much food for thought.  I started a journal too, if anyone wants to check it out. 

Currently in LA but moving to Oakland in May and can't wait!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: apricity on March 26, 2015, 09:52:42 AM
Hi!  I have lurking for just a week or so. I stumbled across MMM when someone mentioned it in a comment in another blog and I was intrigued by the name.

I am early-thirties, married with 2 kids. We live in FL.  What I really appreciate about MMM so far is the anti-consumerism and anti-jonesism. I don't know how I feel about retiring early-- I am recently back in the workforce after being a SAHP for many years. I loved being able to do that, but I feel like we are now very behind in terms of savings. Although we've never been extravagant, we haven't used much financial logic in the past and this forum is already helping me work on that!

Just a week or so ago, I thought that when our Mazda5 is paid off in a few months, I'd treat myself to a brand new minivan.  I really need it for our 2 kids, right?!  NO!  Self face-punch!  After spending just a few days on the forum I realized what a dumb idea that was!  Now I feel excited about taking the money I was spending on car payments and paying myself!

Thanks, MMM!  I look forward to learning more from all of you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: seannike on March 26, 2015, 08:02:33 PM
Hi!, My name is Sean, I'm married for 23 years with two kids ages 14 and 18.  We live in Columbus, Oh. Debt free except house. Looking forward to meet several people on this awesome forum and more importantly learning something new to apply to my financial situation!


Sean
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ysera on March 27, 2015, 12:14:19 AM
Hello! My name is Jessica. I'm 33 and married and I have been lurking on the MMM blog for a few weeks now. I've had relatively good money sense most of my life (paid things off, worked through college, zero student loans, love thrift shopping), although I'm married to more of a spender, so our stash needs some work. We currently have a $325K net worth including home equity.

I was lucky early in my career to work with a retired army NCO who drilled it into my head that I needed to max out my 401K limit every year, which my husband and I both did on his advice. Another co-worker recently retired after a lifetime of not saving money and told me I should stuff $250K into an annuity and never work another day in my life. Now that I have found the MMM method, I better understand what he meant and how to make my money work for me. My husband and I would very much like to give up the rat race and buy our freedom before we are too old or sick from stress to enjoy it. We look at others retiring at traditional ages in our high stress field of work, and it is frightening how physically and mentally broken the career has left them. It's not worth it.

Anyhow, nice to meet you all! :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Raislin on March 27, 2015, 02:04:45 PM
Hello!  My name is Greg.  I've been making a lot of financial and lifestyle changes in the past couple of months.  In doing so, I came across this website and it's given me something to be excited about and something aim for.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Turnbull on March 27, 2015, 07:06:36 PM
Hello everyone, David here. Longtime lurker, finally decided to register. I'm married with two kids and we live in Tennessee.
Title: Now look, here's a house full of bees
Post by: daffyduck on March 27, 2015, 10:57:58 PM
Hey everyone!

My name is Tony and I live near Seattle, WA, USA and I'm 35 years old. I work as a software engineer 'by day' and also run a 10 acre permaculture farm (https://www.facebook.com/grayskyfarm) with my partner raising pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, and sheep.

I ran across ERE around 9 months ago after listening to Paul Wheaton's interview with Jacob Lund Fisker. I quickly became as obsessed with financial independence as I am with farming, and have gone from never before being able to budget to now being on track to save over 60% of my net income during 2015. My goal is become FI by the end of 2018 by drastically reducing my cost of living and investing in passive income generating assets.

So far, I am in love with the simpler lifestyle, one that more directly aligns my choices with my values. My main struggles are:


Anyway, I am glad to be joining you folks who seem to be crazy in the same way I am.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyStubble on March 28, 2015, 02:45:46 PM
I'm Ross, and I came here trying to figure out what to do with an inheritance.  I'm.. well.  New to all of this.  I've never saved anything, and now I have this impending chunkof change to try and figure out what to do with.  I figured the worst thing I could do would be to screw it up.  So.  There's that. 

I'm from Nebraska. 

If you didn't know:  Omaha's the 4th cheapest city to live in, the housing costs are low, and unemployment's holding steady below 3%.  Taking this into consideration, i anticipate a nice, steady transition to this mustachianism thing.

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, etc.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wynr on March 29, 2015, 12:00:56 AM
Hello All,
I have been reading the blog for several months and implementing some of the MMM habits.  I am 52 years old, and about 7 months into a new job (love the company, but not the job - strange, I know).  I am married and have 3 kids, one in the US Army, one going into collage next year, and one a freshman in high school.  Our net worth is 1.6M + 1M for our house (living in the SF Bay Area).

For some reason, before reading this blog - I thought that I would need to work another 15 years.  But wow, now I know that I could quit my job anytime!  That really reduced my stress level at work - thanks Mr Money Mustache!

I always read that as Mr Money Must-stash!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MATSG on March 30, 2015, 09:12:40 AM
Hello all,

I'm a 31 year old single gal from the great state of Kentucky.  I, like so many, have been lurking on this blog for a couple of years, reading it, sharing it and doing my best to grow my badassity.  I discovered MMM from the now defunct Man vs Debt blog after a conversation with my boss which ended with me in tears.   He wanted to know why I kept working my job when I seemed to hate it so much, and I had to tell him it was because of my 32k grad school loans.   Having to fess up to why I continued to show up was a big old smack in the face.  I knew I had to do something.

That was in late 2012.  I've been debt free for over a year, and I did all those fun crazy things to get here - taking the bus instead of driving (my company pays for my pass), getting a second job (which I still work and love) and finding myself a roommate.     Now, I am just trying to stack the cash, grow the 'stache and live more efficiently in every way possible.  I figured I may as well stop siphoning off the knowledge and encouragement from this community and join it.   

I'm looking forward to getting to know more of you through this forum.   I find I don't talk too much to others about what I am doing, largely because they don't seem to get it, think I'm nuts for pursuing this or just feel way too comfortable with their minimum monthly payments to imagine them going away, so I am hoping the MMM forum can become my outlet for such conversations.

Emily 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: prestache on March 30, 2015, 01:44:58 PM
Hello all!  I've been lurking on this blog for a while, but have just recently signed up.  My wife and I are in our early-to-mid 30's, living in a very HCOL area.  We are newlyweds, fresh off a very non-mustachian wedding and honeymoon.  We are on the way to buying our first home together (well, my first, her second), and hoping to kick (or at least reduce) our bad financial habits.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chris @ Saturday Financial on March 31, 2015, 09:34:02 AM
Hello everyone!

I am 29 and my DW will soon be 27. Thankfully we both avoided debt before we got married. Shortly after the honeymoon, we put 10% down on a foreclosed townhouse that we purchased for $75,000.

During our nesting phase our savings rate dropped to about 15%, and sadly the nesting phase was becoming a new spending habit rather than simply a phase. It was fairly easy to save when we were single, but after being married it was very tempting to fall into the trap of thinking that it was just time grow up and start spending like "normal adults." HA! Thankfully we discovered MMM after about a year, and it was a breath of fresh air. Our previous inclination to save was revived, and this community gave us ideas that we hadn't even previously considered. We spent a few months making adjustments and optimizing, and things are just now settling down to autopilot. I figure it's time to register, and I look forward to contributing to the conversation occasionally.

Net worth (including equity): ~45k
Combined annual income (after tax): ~60k
Current savings rate: ~50%
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fossilhog on March 31, 2015, 11:57:45 PM
Greetings and hallucinations!
I'm a 3 year or so veteran of MMM. I've had some relapses, but for the most part, doing well. My better half introduced me to MMM years ago after all this changed her life. We now live in 400sq in Anchorage, AK and are saving pretty well. I'm finally on here because...*pause for effect*...it looks like we're going to buy a car finally *dum dum dummmmm*. And I have some thoughts to throw on wise minds.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rutes on April 01, 2015, 11:02:59 AM
Hello all,
I've been lurking on the site for almost a year now, trying to become more Mustachian all the time. I think I'm hitting the point where I might need some advice specific to my situation rather than just being able to follow general guidelines. This site has been a huge help so far in getting my money and really my entire life sorted out.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Taswegian on April 02, 2015, 07:18:18 AM
Hi,
Real southerner here from Tasmania, Australia. Just got in to the blog, even the idea of FIRE was an eye opener. Wife & I are already on the get rich slowly path to retiring at 55 or so, but the thought that we could skip a decade or so seems mighty enticing. Just gotta find a way to re-jig our spending to get closer to the magicsl realm of 50% savings rate.
Wish me luck, and same to you , :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Guava on April 02, 2015, 08:47:59 AM
Hello, I am Guava. I have been lurking here for quite awhile and finally decided to post.  I am in my mid twenties and living in the midwest. Since I was a teenager I have said I wanted to retire at 45 and, with the exception of my parents,  have mostly been told by everyone that it is impossible. Now that I have found others with the same ambition, I am hoping my dream becomes reality!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rincewind on April 02, 2015, 08:53:10 AM
Hi.
25 year old UK student here. Been reading MMM articles for about a year.
Handle my money with YNAB.

I intention upon leaving school was to get a 100k a year job, live on 10k for a few years, buy a house and quit my job.
A few years after drifting and forgetting that dream, I found MMM and realised it wasn't a completely ridiculous way of thinking!

Hoping to train my stashing muscles before I get qualified and shovel money away from the get go.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trobertson79 on April 02, 2015, 05:10:31 PM
Hello everyone,

 Long time lurker first time poster. I came over here from the ERE website where I first learned about the concept of FI and early "retirement". I am a 25 year old Physical Therapy student living in Boston. I am interested in learning all kinds of new skills and meeting people who are looking to do the same. Goals are to become a competent handyman, fix my car/bike, improve my cooking skills, learn how to juggle 4 balls, understand finance and investing etc. Glad to be here and participate! Would be interested to meet up with anyone in the Boston area.

Sam

Sam if you're still around I'm in Boston, can juggle 5 balls, and such, happy to meet up and talk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gas Panic on April 05, 2015, 12:55:43 PM
Hello!
I have been subscribing to the blog for a while.

Fist I thought it was interesting, but stupid. Now I get it.
Kickstarted my career with Mustachianism today, after reading&thinking quite a bit the last few days.

Todays I spent ca 90 minutes cancelling a few subs and cards I dont need anyway & bought some stuff I need in bulk instead of every 2nd month. Total saving on 90 mins: USD 627 :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stache nation on April 05, 2015, 03:15:14 PM
Hello from vancouver,

I have been following the blog for about 2 years now but finally decided to play a more active role. Given my current savings rate and a pension, my estimate for FI is at 55. Looking to mingle with other like minded people and share stories about the moustachian way of life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hank Sinatra on April 05, 2015, 05:50:31 PM
Hi. I've been financially indie and retired for a long time.  I am not (nor have I ever been) a multi-millionaire like the population of some other, similar forums. That's why I'm here. I was told the demographics here were more my speed.  And I have a great Ernie Kovacs style mustache

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shajenko on April 05, 2015, 06:10:34 PM
Hi, I'm from Dallas, TX.  I have had a very hard time getting so much as a full time job (only 7 out of 14 working years in my life with a MS in Computer Science), and yet I still managed to save something of a nest egg.  Also, I will never at any point call myself a Mustachian.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vietnamtash on April 06, 2015, 01:03:41 AM
Hi, originally from the UK but now living and working in Vietnam with wife and 2 kids. Am 32 and plan to be FI by 42.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alwright85 on April 06, 2015, 11:06:03 AM
Hello, all!
I am a single mom of two from rural Western Kentucky!  I have been reading MMM for about a month, and just had the nerve to call my satellite company and give them the boot over the weekend.
I work for a government agency, so I am definitely not making a ton of money.  However, I am learning to use it more wisely and plan to retire by 45 (I'm 30 this fall).
Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Friendly Wombat on April 06, 2015, 03:14:20 PM
Hi Everyone,

I've always been good about saving and investing my money - or so I thought, until I discovered this website in 2014 and learned that a 10-20% savings rate is chump change.

Since finding MMM and the larger early retirement community, I have made a number of positive changes to my life and finances, and I hope to become even more of a badass this year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BEAST33 on April 06, 2015, 05:34:28 PM
So I don't know how I stumbled on MMM but I'm glad I did. 

I am what you call a clown.  I own a (or should I say the bank owns) lifted jeep and my wife drives a chevy Tahoe.  I have some money saved but not much.  I came here to learn and be smarter with my money, and to get out of debt as soon as possible.  My goal is to be debt free in two years and possibly retire at 55 (trying to be realistic).

I'm 36 years old and make around $70K a year.  After reading a few blogs I have realized what an asshat I have been with my money.  I could have been killing it on my way to financial independence but instead I buy new cars and pilfer away money.  When I think about it I just want to scream and slam my head against concrete.

It's time for a change.  I will be selling the cars in exchange for cheap cash cars to reduce my debt.  My wife is kind of on board but she still enjoys the luxuries in life.  I have a feeling we won't see eye to eye on a lot of things in the near future but it's time to get angry at debt and our financial situation.  She will just have to fucking deal with it.  I'm tired of living this way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sweetkerryline on April 06, 2015, 06:52:46 PM
Hi! I am a long time lurker, second time poster. I am a recent law school graduate and though I like my job a great deal I don't know that I want to commit to the insane hours for the rest of my working life. I am working to pay off about 67K in student loans (graduated in 2013 with 90k) and to establish some sort of a savings routine (outside of maxing out my 401(k)). Looking forward to learning a lot.

Hopefully, I will see a lot of you around here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: misstrangelove on April 06, 2015, 08:03:34 PM
Hi,

I am approaching my mid 30s and I work at a school but not as a teacher, but I get the same days off.  I had not thought much about retirement other than that it seemed impossible, thus I have very little in assets.  I earn 36k and I usually work at one or more of the summer camps my school offers, so I usually earn a little more.  I have two student loans totaling about 10k.

I stumbled on this blog last September or so while I was in the middle of paying off my 4k in credit card debt (finished that last Feb!).  I'm now ready to start investing in the 457 plan that I just discovered that my school offers and I am  starting to understand that this is an awesome tool for early retirement.

My hope is to get achieve FI by 45 which is a little over 10 years for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GlobeTrttr on April 06, 2015, 08:41:39 PM
Long time lurker, joined forum today.  MMM has been addicting

Early 30s, live in the southeastern US.  No debt other than mortgage on $250k house purchased last year (put down 20%), approx. $145k net worth (growing steadily).  Graduated college with a small student loan and a car loan and no trust fund or family money or anything like that.  I made it this far with a few headwinds (job changes) and a few tailwinds (market rebound) and feel like I've only gotten started. 

I'm here to learn and hopefully help a few folks with my own philosophies and experiences.

 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Maverick1 on April 07, 2015, 11:17:16 AM
Hello everyone.

I found this forum through www.canadianmoneyforum.com and the Globe & Mail article.

It's nice to find a forum of like minded individuals.  In other forums, and society in general, financial independence and wealth can be viewed negatively by others.  Discussing financial success is often viewed as bragging.  I'm glad a forum such as this exists where achievements in this regard are celebrated.

My wife and I are both Chartered Accountants (Canadian accounting designation comparable to an American CPA).  I'm 30, she's 31 and our daughter is 3 months old.  We have reached a stage that my wife can stay at home with the kids (hopefully we'll have another in 2 years) until they are in school, with my salary being enough to cover all expenses and savings.  Our long-term goal is to be financially independent by age 40, where we would not need to hold 8-5 jobs but could take on selective contract work and investment management as we choose.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ColaMan on April 07, 2015, 05:43:47 PM
Another long-time reader of the blog, and relatively recent lurker on the forum.  Early middle-age, married, 2 kids, and at or near FI.  Debating when to RE.  Have found many of the topics on the forum to be very illuminating.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalKube on April 07, 2015, 07:34:03 PM
Hello All

Recent reader of the blog. Big Fan of Get Rich Slowly so I figured I'd check out here as well. My wife and I save about 35-40% of our income now. I have some investments and a Roth.

Looking into cutting cable, cutting down our one car payment, and being frugal. Hoping to go on quite a few cheap trips in the next few years and save for an early retirement, before 50 would be nice.

My only personal vices being video games(CAG helps a lot with that) and beer.

Looking forward to getting some advice and reading lots of threads
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HumblePie on April 08, 2015, 09:14:15 AM
Hi there. Long time lurker, first time post. I've been reading the blog for about 3 years. SAH wife and mother.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RoscoeT on April 09, 2015, 09:35:47 AM
Hello All,

I found MMM a year ago by accident when looking at an article about DIY concrete showers.  I had already been slapped upside the head with a healthy dose of financial reality after my divorce but still needed a good shot of this stuff.

I'm 38 and thanks to the blog and other habits that I had already developed I was able to set some pretty decent money and lifestyle goals and started to feel like I was on my way to be retired at 50. I never dreamed that would ever be possible.

Now, I've suffered a major, major, MAJOR! setback that has me thinking I will be working until 75 if I'm lucky enough to live that long. 
Today I decided to start writing. I'm posting on the forums because I need an outlet and some company in my quest. Maybe even a check cord to keep me tied down and avoid losing faith.

Hope you all can help.
Roscoe




Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sisto on April 09, 2015, 06:24:26 PM
Hi,

I'm new to this too. I found MMM by accident searching something like retiring early. I've been hooked ever since. I've read every blog entry and am even more obsessed than I already was about my 401K and investing. I too have always been a bit frugal, but tended to like to buy fancy things too. So while I've already executed a few face punches and kicked myself for not already having FIREd, I've also decided not to dwell on the past. The future is looking bright and I've realized that I can retire sooner than I initially thought so I am happy about that. My goal for some time has been 59 then more recently I pulled it in to 55 and that was looking pretty good. After reading MMM, I'm happy to say 52 is looking very good. I'm 46, so that's only 6 more years in the mind numbing cubicle. Already done more than 3x that so this is the downward slide. I got this....

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Pigeon on April 11, 2015, 02:30:23 PM
Hi

Really enjoy the blog! I'm 53, and was going to FIRE January 2015, but was offered a pretty good job, and decided to "test drive" my passive income situation for a year with no risk.
Although I'm wondering, sometimes, why the hell I took the job. (I can hardly bring myself to care about the work, and seeing a gorgeous day outside really grinds my gears that I'm chained to a desk).
I've always been pretty frugal, thanks to my folks being of the depression-era and training me to be frugal, and because I've always earned a modest salary (best I ever did was about 2 years at 75k. Mostly about 50k or below). I have avoided (mostly) the spending trap. I never buy new clothes (love thrifting!), rent a cheap apartment, ditched cable, live 5 miles from work, and ride my bike or walk for most errands (my 2007 car has 50k miles). I guess I've been a mustachian for a while, but didn't know it. I do have a fancy-coffee addicition I need to decrease, and I eat out too often.
I don't have too many other places I can cut expenses, but I'm open to exploring other ways to trim the fat.
I'll be hoping to find lots of FIRE advice, and ask some burning questions.
Thanks, folks. See you in the forums.
-p
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StreetCat on April 11, 2015, 02:40:56 PM
Hello Mustachians, this is a great blog and forum.  I have been lurking for 1+ year and started posting recently.

I'm 38, single and I don't yet have a concrete plan for FIRE.  I have started to track my expenses since the past 6 months.  Once I gather enough data I will look for ways to cut back.  Will enlist the help of the forum Mustachians!!

Keep the posts coming!! I am learning a lot everyday.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: freezerburn on April 12, 2015, 07:24:55 PM
Hey Mustachians,

I stumbled upon MMM's blog late last year, and it pretty much blew my mind that FIRE is possible and achievable for anyone who wasn't wealthy to start with. I grew up without much money, and had always been so afraid of actually looking straight on at my financial situation, spending habits, and (lack of) retirement planning that I assumed I would have to work until I died. Head in the sand... I spent a long time getting my career established, only to find now that working (at least, work as I know it) until age 65 fills me with dread. I still love what I do, I still love the education and experience that led me to it, but the thought of being dependent on a job for salary+benefits without the freedom to do something different (and live where I want to live, for instance) is like a fetter.

After I started reading the blog and the forums, I started doing the math I'd been so afraid of doing, and now have a plan to retire in 10-15 years. By then I'll be in my late 40s, and honestly this has given me a quantifiable goal to shoot for where before I had nothing, and if I'm honest no real feeling like the future held promise. Changing that has hugely improved my outlook and I'm now looking forward, rather than just looking back with regret. I'm lucky that I found work I love enough to keep doing until I can afford to quit!

In the last 3 months I've started: optimizing my 401(k) contributions and student loans, paying off credit card debt through 0% balance transfers, and reducing spending. The next phase will be finding a cheaper place to live, at which point my savings rate should be over 50%.

I've learned so much from reading this forum! Hoping to get the guts to ask for some specific advice soon.

Thanks, everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: latetotheparty1977 on April 13, 2015, 09:15:03 AM
I am very late to the party (age 37). I stupidly ignored investing and fell for the whole consumerist trap throughout my 20s and 30s up until not that long ago. Makes it even worse that throughout my 20s in NYC I made $100K+/year yet failed to save (I did travel the world and amass an amazing wardrobe, however...ha). Upsides: We have no mortgage or debts whatsoever, and drive tiny cars that are good on gas. We live in a very low-cost area of the country, and we do have SOME savings in the form of 401K and mutual funds -- around $60K total. I also am "only" in my office 3 hrs. a day and we do not need to pay child care.

Downside: Our house is just average. It's only 1000 sq ft and in a good area, but it's not overly charming or aesthetically pleasing by most standards; also, the high school here is very questionable (we have a 6-month-old son so this is a concern). Homes can be hard to sell. My husband is still looking for a FT job after a year and makes a very small PT income, although we can meet our basic expenses on it.

Right now I'm trying to decide whether to go all out and max out my 401K and live on my husband's small PT income, and just stay put -- it's not a bad house, really, and we could make some DIY changes that would make it better. Or, do we save up for a house that I like much more in a great neighborhood about 20 min. further than ours from work, which might mean taking on a "minimal" (<$50K) mortgage in the next couple of years?
 
Anyway, I'm just glad I found this place. I feel like a new person already. It astounds me how much bullshit there is out there surrounding consumerism and how duped I was by it all. (Also wondering how many people here have similar regrets and face similar choices!)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: latetotheparty1977 on April 13, 2015, 10:28:41 AM
I am very late to the party (age 37). I stupidly ignored investing and fell for the whole consumerist trap throughout my 20s and 30s up until not that long ago. Makes it even worse that throughout my 20s in NYC I made $100K+/year yet failed to save (I did travel the world and amass an amazing wardrobe, however...ha). Upsides: We have no mortgage or debts whatsoever, and drive tiny cars that are good on gas. We live in a very low-cost area of the country, and we do have SOME savings in the form of 401K and mutual funds -- around $60K total. I also am "only" in my office 3 hrs. a day and we do not need to pay child care.

Downside: Our house is just average. It's only 1000 sq ft and in a good area, but it's not overly charming or aesthetically pleasing by most standards; also, the high school here is very questionable (we have a 6-month-old son so this is a concern). Homes can be hard to sell. My husband is still looking for a FT job after a year and makes a very small PT income, although we can meet our basic expenses on it.

Right now I'm trying to decide whether to go all out and max out my 401K and live on my husband's small PT income, and just stay put -- it's not a bad house, really, and we could make some DIY changes that would make it better. Or, do we save up for a house that I like much more in a great neighborhood about 20 min. further than ours from work, which might mean taking on a "minimal" (<$50K) mortgage in the next couple of years?
 
Anyway, I'm just glad I found this place. I feel like a new person already. It astounds me how much bullshit there is out there surrounding consumerism and how duped I was by it all. (Also wondering how many people here have similar regrets and face similar choices!)

You're NOT too late to the party! I'm 42, just went back to school, and I plan on being mustachian once I start earning an income again (which should be another year and a half yet).

Solon, thanks! Awesome that you're doing this too, as are so many others.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MustachianKentuckian on April 13, 2015, 11:48:31 AM
Hi!
I'm FrugalFrancine (my husband's new nickname for me, even though my real name is not Francine)!  I discovered MMM back at the very beginning of February and today I have finally gotten caught up on all the blog posts!  What shall I do now??  Read the forums, of course.

My goal is to pay off all debt--car loan (stupid), home equity loan (more stupid), 401k loan (most stupid), and mortgage--in approximately 4 years so that we can live on only one income.  Making good progress after only 2.5 months of growing out my 'stache. 

I'm so glad I found the blog and now the forum and have had my eyes opened to stupid consumerism and lifestyle bloat.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StacheinTX on April 13, 2015, 01:05:45 PM
Hello! My name is Dustin and I am a reformed consumer sucka! I've been reading this blog for about 2 years and have since cut the cord, got new phone plans, and started living healthier. I plan to retire by 40 and then move on to charity work and helping the world become a better place.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: iamlittlehedgehog on April 14, 2015, 10:39:14 AM
Hi!
Longtime lurker, finally made an account. My dad introduced me to MMM quite some time ago. I recently married and we are looking to whip our finances in shape to achieve our goals of traveling and eventually having kidlets.
I was raised by Dave Ramsey reformers who preached financial freedom and aversion to credit cards, because of this I never went too far into debt and practiced frugality. But there is always room for improvement!
DH was raised by parents who never managed their expenses and took on astronomical amounts of debt, so he did quite the opposite and always tried to remain debt free and be a practical spender!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BlackAngel on April 14, 2015, 11:37:46 AM
Hi!

I've been reading for a couple of years and finally decided to sign up. It's great to find a community of like-minded individuals!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WaRpBeast on April 14, 2015, 12:42:26 PM
Hi all,

Short time reader (followed the husband over here--he's been into ERE for years) but have some good habits in place already.

We've been married about 3 years and have no plans for kids.  We started our rental business in 2012 and are going strong with that.  We have two cars but basically only drive once or twice a week most everything is done on the bicycles.  I've been riding since 2006 and in the last year it has really become my go-to means of transport.  We have no debt beyond the mortgages (one for each property) and are maxing our 401Ks and just opened a Vangaurd account recently.  We have other investments but they are being managed by an advisor and we are considering pulling out of those entirely due to fees.  We kicked the eating out habit a few years back and started veggie gardening last year with great success and are growing our seedlings for this year.  Most of our hobbies are realtively inexpensive including hiking, bike riding, table top gaming which mostly cost the gasoline to get to where the activity takes place.   

Goals for 2015 are to save as much as possible, perhaps just live off of my salary and really bulk up the savings/investment accounts. 

Desired/anticipated FIRE dates of Sept 2016 for him and March 2018 for me. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lilgangwolf on April 15, 2015, 12:03:49 AM
Hello

New to the this and other like-minded blog. Decided to join in the forums to learn more and ask questions in achieving FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cerebus on April 15, 2015, 12:24:40 PM
I discovered the blog about a month ago and it completely changed my thinking about frugality. We've learned the hard way how to be frugal, and I've always been a bit baffled about how people that earned twice my salary could complain about how tight life was, but I still was constantly trying to stretch my budget upwards. Now since reading MMM I've realised that frugality isn't something to be shamed of, it actually makes you more of a badass in a world of pampered complainers, and I've refocused my efforts on learning to stretch my budget proudly downwards. Things are tougher in South Africa than they would be in America, but I don't care, we'll find a way as a family.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Random Internet Stranger on April 15, 2015, 01:51:42 PM
Hiya!

Just discovered this forum, and love it! It's just myself and my husband who are desiring to be FI eventually. No kids in the future, other than our cats. Between us, financially we have sort of shot ourselves in the foot, but its only a flesh wound. We are about 20 years out from retirement, and just the last year we realized we are nowhere near ready $$-wise.

So, since I am more of the finance person than he is, I sat down and did the numbers, and went eep. Needless to say, we started getting stuff together so we won't be in the situation I have seen other people in. We are both a bit on the frugal side, but we fell to the trap of putting stuff on the cards etc etc etc. We can pay bills fine, the mortgage is an awesome rate, put a little money in our small 911 savings, max out his 401k, but we need to do better.  We are also working on saying NO to people as well...that is helping the net worth immensely too.

I did research, and found this blog and forums and it has totally opened my eyes to what CAN be.  He is on board, and we are currently in a positive net worth (yay!!) and its only getting better.  Debts are dropping, and retirement/savings are rising...we are even able to put money into the IRAs this year as well. I even managed to get payments lowered on some utilities too...so I am rather proud of myself.

But, my stashe is small and wispy...and I need to groom it into a luxurious looking thing :P My husband says facial hair isn't his thing but he will go along with this :P He wants FI as much as I do, and together we can give our cats the life they deserve. Oh and us too!! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GoldenNeko on April 16, 2015, 10:44:30 AM
Hello Mustachians!

First of all, thank you for this wonderful community. I've been lurking around here for a few months, and already I have made a lot of progress.
I am 30 and live in Paris (France). My networth reached 0 in November 2014 (student loans) and I'll finish building my emergency fund in May 2015. After that, I plan on aggressively investing, both through real estate and through the market.

I must say that the MMM blog felt like a light in the dark for me. I felt trapped in nonsense: working all my life and always having "not enough", even though I'm quite frugal, thanks to my parents.
I know now there is an other way. I'm glad this forum exists!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheInsuranceMan on April 17, 2015, 12:53:29 PM
I'm new, I've been reading off and on for the last few months after I heard about MMM on Get Rich Slowly. 
I'll probably chime in here and there with tid bits of info.

I'm married, 28, my wife is 27, and we have a soon to be 11 month old at home.
I sell insurance (farm, crop, home, auto, commercial) and my wife works in the medical field.

We aren't very MMM like at this moment, but we are working on some fixes in our financials!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BananaPants on April 18, 2015, 08:07:06 AM
Hello, long time blog reader.  I'm married, my husband and I are in our mid-30s and have a 4.5 year old and an almost-2 year old.  I'm an engineer and my husband is at home with the kids right now, although he's looking to get back to work later this year when our older child is in kindergarten.   We bought our "starter" house in 2006 when the market was still going like gangbusters, and are now sort of stuck here due to the bubble popping and stagnant growth in the local housing market.  Both of our cars are paid-for. 

Our finances have been in the toilet for the last 2 years and we're working hard to make it right and then go for FI.  We racked up some consumer debt for the usual reasons; we were feeling too secure with our employment situation and did a lot of trying to keep up with the Joneses when our household income couldn't support the lifestyle.  Then he took a job that we thought would be great but ended up to be abysmal, then was laid off and had an unsuccessful job search (couldn't get an offer that would pay for full time daycare for two kids).  The past is in the past and all we can do now is clean up our mess, right? 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: localforeigner on April 18, 2015, 11:33:55 AM
Hi friends!

I love this blog, an have been a reader for a while now. I like to think of myself as financially savvy, but the reality is that I can't seem to escape from a (small) negative net worth :( Hopefully getting involved here with help with some motivation.

Okay - time to go read all the tips on frugality you good people are posting!

A
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oblivo on April 19, 2015, 03:25:25 PM
Hi, I have been reading for a long time and want to join in. I'm single, 34, live in NYC. I have a high paying job and for the last few years I've manage to save about 65% of my pre-tax income. The 35% affords me a not-very-frugal lifestyle - particularly w/r/t food, clothes, and travel, and I'd like to pare it down some.

I have lived very frugally in the past, struggling to get out of debt in my late 20's. I sort of remember how to do it!

I realized last week I could be FI if I cut my spending drastically and lived very frugally. However I think I'd need to move out of my apartment or to a lower COL area. I'm not excited about that, so I am setting my FI date as April 15 2016. Over the next year I'd like to cut back my spending, invest a lot more, and see how it feels to then think about RE...

I am an artist and work in a different field professionally. If I RE I will be in the studio full-time...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: big_slacker on April 19, 2015, 04:37:34 PM
Hi all, just found this site and forum.

Wow, really helping to bring together a bunch of things I've been thinking about but have poorly implemented, haha!

I mean, I have a mostly work from home job. Love to bike and when I do go to the office (once every couple of weeks) that's how I like to travel. Bake my own bread, growing veggies in the back yard, love me some rice 'n beans, paid off debts, have some auto-savings, etc...

Still, despite what I still consider an outrageously high salary I'm not nearly where I want to be and it's entirely due to me not paying enough attention to where money goes. Gonna be sifting through the site and asking some questions!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LoneStar on April 20, 2015, 06:13:07 AM
Hi all!  I heard about MMM a few years back but just started reading last week.

I'm a New Zealand resident from the US, just turned 31, recently debt free, and ready to save!

Unfortunately I haven't been paying much attention to my spending so while I usually live within my means I have a tendency to blow large sums of cash when it builds up :|  So I'm asset poor right now, but hoping to turn that around with some a renewed focus on what matters in life and some advice from the community :)

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jeff Kent on April 20, 2015, 02:47:26 PM
Good Afternoon,

Part-time lurker, first time poster (on any message board for that matter).

I am a ten year financial professional who has made a living (or what I would call a living) telling business and business owners what asset they can or cannot afford, whether they have enough liquidity to remain a viable business, or liquidating assets in a work out scenario. I am by and large considered an expert by many of my peers and friends with respect to Banking and finance as a whole. To boot, my wife is an executive at a small hedge fund and is an acolyte of capital markets.

We are considered by and large well compensated, well educated individuals living the standard dream of most. Dining out several times a week, own a house that's too large and have more vehicles than people in our house. Fast forward to last month when I found MMM's article in the local Globe and Mail and opened my eyes. I manually took a copy of both my wife's and my credit card statements for the first quarter of 2015 and broke down our discretionary variable expenses. The results mortified me. I am no where near a financial professional as evidenced by the fact myself and my better half break even on a monthly basis. This on a DINK household with a well above average household income.

At the risk of running a short story long, I have joined this forum if only to try and hold myself accountable to obtaining financial freedom. That said, if people have any kind of business finance related question, (caveat: Canadian here) I would be happy to provide some no frills internet feedback.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 4tify on April 20, 2015, 09:03:52 PM
howdy!

i'm 47 and live in Los Angeles. I was 40k in debt when i turned 40, but now i'm planning FIRE by 50! i've had to work hard to play catch up but i think i may just make it! stand by :)

thanks for all your inspiration!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DogChaseLane on April 21, 2015, 02:31:52 PM
Hi all!  I'm Margaret.  I've been reading the blog and forums for over a year, but just signed up to post. 

After I started reading MMM, it took a while for me to convince the spouse that we were FI and could RE.  We're both early 50s, so I guess it isn't really early compared to a lot of you, but it feels early to me.  Seven months ago we retired, sold our house, ditched our cars, and moved cross country in a rented minivan (with 2 big dogs and 2 cats...what an adventure!) from Maryland to Portland, Oregon. 

I'm glad to be here! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: c rose on April 22, 2015, 05:55:49 PM
Hi all,

Feeling sheepish, and don't know why.  My name is Caroline and I am really only just embarking on this journey to FI though it's been in my periphery for years (as has MMM).  Many more years ago I recieved a significant inheritance, and owing in some part to a borrowed sentiment, promptly went about 'sharing it with all my friends'..... I was too young for it.  Having a sudden, seemingly bottomless, chunk of wealth totally obliterated the very good saving and low-spending habits I'd developed as a child and maintained into my early 20's.  So much so that I find that at 33, I'm still stuck with the hangover: approximately $25k in debt, and little to speak of for assets (my net worth is approximately $15k).  The thing is, I've been feeling like getting back on track, and have been having some success with it.  Steady debt load reductions, decent income, diligent partner, and so many daydreams :) The time is nigh for financial independence.

The real trick is that I am about to accept the remainder of that significant inheritance.  I don't think any of us saw this coming, my aunt was so clever; we didn't know that there was a trust witheld. This time I want to get it right.  The inheritance will be more than ample to eliminate my debts, and top up my RRSP. 

What I'm really trying to find is good advice on how best to invest the remainder, in real estate or the stock market, when one is a dual citizen of the US and Canada, as I am.  I currently live in Canada, earn my income here and only hold Canadian accounts. My partner is Canadian. I struggle to find meaningful advice that adequately addresses both Canadian and American tax implications.  SO.  I'd absolutely appreciate anyone's pointers, whether to specific strategies, websites, forum posts, personal experiences, anything at all, that might prove helpful to highlighting a best path forward. 

There you have it!  Thank you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mainesaver on April 22, 2015, 07:59:25 PM
Hello,

I'm Chris, and I've been reading the MMM blog thoroughly for a while now. Philosophically I'm there; my wife, less so. I'm 32, with two kids, living near Portland, Maine. I'm well paid in a job I sometimes like, she's been staying home since the kids started, and our financial picture is pretty good - no debt aside from 15-year mortgage with 35% equity, ahead of schedule solid retirement savings and some taxable investments.

My dream is financial independence so that I am free to pursue the ideas and passions I've left behind as I've climbed the corporate ladder, and her dream is a picture of a happy suburban family. She has achieved her dream, and doesn't mind the spending (I'm not blaming her, it's *our* spending too) that has come along with it.

The more I read on MMM and elsewhere, the more I'm convinced that we can do this.

What I would love to get from this forum is:
Glad to be here and looking forward to doing this together and helping out others where I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Marus on April 23, 2015, 01:41:12 PM
Hi all,

I'm a 25 year old and I've been reading the blog since last fall.  At first I was just curious because I like reading about people who have wildly different lives from mine but then I started seeing things that I could apply to my own life. 

I've started commuting by bike and running errands by bike.  Now I feel like a chump every time I have to drive somewhere.  I ditched my expensive AT&T plan.  I started bringing in my lunches from home and doing lots more cooking. Thanks to my library I haven't bought a book yet this year even though I'm reading more than ever.  The big change though is I had always thought of being frugal as this joyless thing where I'd constantly have to deprive myself of doing what I really wanted to do.  So far being frugal actually seems to open up possibilities though!

That said, I still have a ton to learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cezil on April 23, 2015, 05:28:03 PM
Hi everyone!  I'm glad to finally be here.  A lurker, I've been reading MMM for..two years now?  And I finally get to signing up for the forums!

I'm 28, have been trying to get my finances in order for a bit over a year, and am on the path to FI within the next 20 years (I hope!).  I enjoy reading MMM, ERE, Brave New Life, Living AFI, Financial Samurai, Root of Good, Dividend Mantra, among so many others that give me hope each day that I'm doing the best I can to get out of the cubicle farm..

I'm so happy to be here, thank you for having me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aristotle on April 23, 2015, 05:50:58 PM
Hi,

22 years and currently a college student soon to graduate. Recently found about this forum while at work and found it to be interesting. Not only did I find out some cool ideas but I also got paid to do it! A very mustachian move I might add..

I've always been "cheap" and I got it from my parents. I never spend money, I have alot of money saved in the bank despite people my age being in debt and I never fell in to that materialism/hedonistic trap people fall head first in. It's funny because for the past few years I was told my self I want to retire when I'm 35 or 40 then bam I found this website.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mugovewashe on April 24, 2015, 08:04:49 AM
Hi im Tawanda and i live in Harare (direct translation - never sleeps) Zimbabwe. attempting to ride this emerging markets wave
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: markbike528CBX on April 24, 2015, 10:20:29 PM


Long time lurker ( not so seriously,  <2 years), first time poster. 

It is good to find a community that makes "confirmation-bias" easy.  I'm typically nodding along on each thread I read, even the "sacred cows" thread.

The only downside to this forum is that as I think of a reply, someone has usually posted a clearer comment than I would. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheRabbit on April 25, 2015, 05:52:51 AM
Hello!

I'm a teacher living in Minnesota, so I make a decent salary but nowhere near some of you in the corporate world ;) However, I do get the pleasure of having a job a absolutely love.
My husband has finally "converted" to Mustachianism after 1 year of debating about the merits of such choices. We have one baby and 2 large dogs (oops, this was before I read the blog) and are planning to have another child soon.
However, even with all these expenditures, we should be able to "retire" in 12 years and start our own business! My husband is a Marriage and Family Therapist and I am currently learning about herbalism and shamanism, so we want to open a healing practice.

Nice to meet everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WhiteSwan101 on April 25, 2015, 07:04:42 AM
Hello Y'all

My name is Mike.
Age 71 married with 6 grand kids.
We live is a semi rural area East of Raleigh, NC

I hope for the best but 'am prepared for the worst. A prepper at heart and always interested in new ideas. I expect the unexpected and enjoy life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: torsion on April 25, 2015, 08:59:26 AM
Hi all,

I came across the MMM site whilst searching for financial freedom/independence about 1.5 months ago. My personal finances and spending habits like a lot of people had been shocking since I started work 17 years ago but it's time to change.
I am 34 years old, married - DINK
I live in NYC as an expat and work for a big corporate in the financial sector. Like many others in my line of work it's a paradox to hear we have financial issues and it's humbling how there are many of you who have reached FI not in corporate jobs or earning high incomes.

I have been really inspired here to make a difference and have been reading other sources to learn as much as possible.

Title: Hello!
Post by: Hoberto on April 25, 2015, 11:31:30 AM
I was a pretty dedicated saver in my teens and 20s, bought my first house when I was 18. Stuff happened since then and I'm not where I hoped.

Now I'm 39, single no kids, with 130k in savings and IRAs.  I have 188k of federal student loan debt at 6.625% and have no other debt.  I own my house (not the same one from 28 yrs ago) and car.  I'm maxing my 401k, HRA and IRA.  I should have my loan paid off in 5 yrs and hope for FI by age 50, but think 55 is probably more realistic. 

I've been cruising /r/FI and here for a while and am thankful for all of the great information.  I thought I'd join so I'd have some like minded people to talk to.  I also do not have friends who understand why I don't eat out every meal and continue to shop at Goodwill.  My income may be high but that doesn't mean I have to blow it all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nestegghead on April 26, 2015, 01:07:29 PM
Hi,
I am a soon to retire professional. A life long saver and in pretty good financial shape.
I have already learned a lot of tips I never knew here, I am looking forward to learning more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bb11 on April 27, 2015, 11:45:55 AM
Hello everyone. New poster but have been reading MMM and other personal finance blogs for a couple years. Going to the MMM and ERE New York City meetups motivated me to start a journal. Here it is:

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/bb11-wants-to-explore-the-world/msg630200/#msg630200
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlexM1359 on April 27, 2015, 01:48:55 PM
Hi guys, Im Alex....from Canada. This forum seems interesting. Id love to share some of my tips and trick in some of the threads
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: reinventedbyme on April 27, 2015, 02:14:55 PM
Hey guys,

I found this site a year or two ago.  Read through a few of the articles and posts, thought it was an excellent resource for people wanting to break the cycle.

I'm now back for the 3rd or 4th time and figured I better register.

I'm 31 with a kid, have a career that pays very well.  It's also very stressful and I don't enjoy it very much.   A mortgage, couple of auto loans, that's it.  No student loans (didn't go to college, but considering it all of a sudden0.  Wife is a stay at home mom.  We have $50k in 401k, $10k in savings.  Not exactly frugal last few years.  Here to learn!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: reinventedbyme on April 27, 2015, 02:15:58 PM
Hey guys,

I found this site a year or two ago.  Read through a few of the articles and posts, thought it was an excellent resource for people wanting to break the cycle.

I'm now back for the 3rd or 4th time and figured I better register.

I'm 31 with a kid, have a career that pays very well.  It's also very stressful and I don't enjoy it very much.   A mortgage, couple of auto loans, that's it.  No student loans (didn't go to college, but considering it all of a sudden0.  Wife is a stay at home mom.  We have $50k in 401k, $10k in savings.  Not exactly frugal last few years.  Here to learn!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: supernovajm on April 27, 2015, 04:40:59 PM
Hello everyone!

My Fiance and I found MMM about 7 months ago, shortly after we got engaged, and we have been working hard to move toward mustachianism ever since! Only just starting our journey towards FIRE, but I am eagerly taking in as much knowledge as I can fit into my brain. Our current path puts us at FIRE around 13 years (but this number seems to decrease every month as we adopt more and more of the mustachian lifestyle).

We both work in software support in California, and our only debt is our mortgage, and 5k left on a car loan from our pre-mustachian era (we both graduated college debt-free, YAY!). Currently at $32k towards FIRE (6k in taxable account, 26k in 401k's combined).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thanks on April 27, 2015, 04:48:00 PM
Hello all.

Heard about MMM last year through a friend.
My name is Bill. I live in Chicago. Thanks for being you.

Peace.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HImustache on April 27, 2015, 05:25:49 PM
Hi everyone! My name is Grace. The hubs and I are hoping to be FIRE in about 8 years, I'll be 43 then and he will be 38... I'm hoping he'd let me retire sooner :-) We're working on it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JessEsq on April 28, 2015, 11:37:04 AM
Thought I should post -- I have been reading a few weeks on the forums but read all of MMM Blog about 18 months ago and have stayed caught up.

30 y.o. - attorney.
Married to 34 y.o. Sommelier (wine expert)
DINK for now...
Mortgage (bought the house about 1 year ago)
Student Loans
No other debt.
Two older paid off cars (Honda Accord, Chevy Cobalt) - probably combined 1,000 total miles per month... working on this!
I've got about $20k in retirement accounts - a lot of that was employer contribution (SEP Plan - now a 401k so we are deferring each pay check and looking at upping this amount)

We have been lucky to find success with YNAB (a budget software) that got all of CCs paid off. Plodding through the student loans, however, has been less successful. A final payment on one big one is happening soon!

Over the past year after paying off the CCs and getting used to the mortgage/house expenses, we have become down right lazy and decadent with our spending. The money goes to fancy foods (some home, some restaurant) and beer/wine/entertainment.

I'm hoping reading the forums more will kick my ass back into gear so we can knock out those student loans and get on with the real saving for retiring!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: knulp on April 29, 2015, 02:17:47 PM
Hi!

31 year old Swede here who stumbled upon MMM about a year and a half ago when I, after a particularly rough day at work, googled early retirement. This site has been a real eye opener as I never before realized that it is possible to retire early even if you are only bringing home an average pay check. I have been preaching the mustachian gospel ever since much to the annoyance of my lovely girlfriend who in all honesty is getting pretty sick of hearing about my plans to FIRE. In her defense I talk about it constantly so I have decided to register an account and start to contribute here instead.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: doylestyle on April 29, 2015, 04:24:35 PM
Hola!

mid twenties studio musician/song writer/ commercial music writer. Never been good at money, have student debt and inconstant income, so trying to get a handle on everything!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsPfennig on April 30, 2015, 04:15:25 AM
Hello everyone:
I'm in my early 30s, married and since last year with one child. We are Americans living in Germany for the last couple of years and fighting with our student loan debt. Our (very ambitious) goal is to be debt free by May 2017.

I've been reading for the last couple of month. We already live quite frugal (at least compared to colleagues and family). We have no credit cards, no cable tv, and just cancelled our landline. I'm always looking for more ideas to cut back. The goal for the next year is to get more income streams. Both DH and I have corporate jobs but lets be honest they can fire us tomorrow if they like.

Can't wait to learn from all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Free to Pursue on April 30, 2015, 08:21:26 AM
Hi there!

I live in Canada with my hubby. I've enjoyed reading the entire site over the last few years and am just dipping my toe in this forum.

I've been enjoying a great deal of freedom over the last two years, having left my corporate job April 2013, though I only found the FIRE community after I left!

Now, I'm busy reading, writing, smelling the roses, walking, biking, crossing items off my bucket list and travelling. I never know what I'll tackle next and its a wonderful feeling.

I look forward to diving deeper into this community and hope to learn and contribute as much as I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Coleman50000 on April 30, 2015, 10:01:30 AM
Hi!  I've been lurking here for a few months, but I just want to say thanks for all of the great content here!

I'm getting married in July, and this site and the community will definitely help us start off right :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dave__ on April 30, 2015, 10:16:07 AM
Hello, I just signed up today. Only in the past few days have I been taking in the immense information on this site and forum and other similar sites. Funny that the trigger for doing this research was when my financial advisor nearly had my wife and I sign up for 2x $1mil VUL insurance policies. Upon further research, we will NOT be "investing" in them! This act, coupled with abmissal returns last year in our accounts the FA is managing, has got me thinking a change is needed.

Look forward to reading (and eventually contributing) to the forum.

Thanks,
Dave
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tcozy13 on April 30, 2015, 12:26:57 PM
Hi everyone, I've been lurking for the past year.  Finally decided to sign up after reading every article in a binge.   I'm 24 and have been working in IT for three years now.   I held off on signing up on MMM because I know I'll spend even more office time here.  Anyway, thanks for having me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 3rdplanet on April 30, 2015, 04:58:14 PM
Hi, I'm Carol. I'm 33 and I'm in debt with student loans and my 2009 Honda Fit (on MMM's top ten cars for smart people, I was pleased to see!). I never paid much attention to how much I was spending until finding MMM's blog.
I look forward to chatting with everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: akstarr on May 01, 2015, 03:15:47 AM
Hi I'm Leah and recently found this blog googling about swimming and health. Boy was it an eye opener. There is so much info here and it is written in normal speak not gobblygook. Glad to have found this place.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Scott on May 01, 2015, 07:44:23 AM
Hi all. Long time reader and big general fan.

39 live next to the beach mid coast Australia with a great girlfriend. Retired early 2 years ago - continually wondering what one does when you're no longer trying to win the human race and most are still running by......
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Garlisk on May 01, 2015, 08:17:30 AM
Hey there,
28 years old husband and father. Found out about MMM through a friend a few months ago.

I have felt trapped by "the system" for so long, and simply had no idea there was another way!

Looking forward to learning and sharing with the rest of the Mustachians.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jester8k on May 01, 2015, 12:20:45 PM
Hello!

I am 33 years old, in a serious relationship, in Montreal, Canada. MMM gave me an epic face punch when I stumbled on the site about two weeks ago. I read compulsively for almost a week. It really shook me up, in a good way. I have always most wanted to be a full time artist, but also enjoy pursuing art in a non-commercial way. This felt like a rock and a hard place, yet I am now realizing that you don't have to have your job be your identity, and that there's another way to get freedom aside from scraping by on the fringes - work hard save hard for a few years and FI, m-----f*cker! (Are we allowed to swear here?!) 

I have about $37k in debt, mostly federal student loans (BA in psychology), plus very low-interest family loans and a lingering $700 cc debt (down 2000 dollars since the face punch - yeah, getting serious).

I have moderate frugality and badassity credentials - no car, bike or walk or transit everywhere, and will winter bike this year; don't spend much but have been lazy with Groceries and cell phone, and do have art - related expenses  - but lacked the vision and the income to really put them to work. And also have had a far too lackadaisical approach to debt. IT'S AN EMERGENCY.

My income has been very low. Around 20k per year. Now applying to HR jobs (which hold some interest and to which my psych degree applies). Also just finished massage therapy school and so far it looks to be a great side gig. I enjoy it, I'm good at it, and the hours/$ ratio is favourable.

I have already begun making significant changes in my life and plans. Changing jobs, changing apartments, and having good talks with the GF (who has some serious frugal pedigree already).

Thanks to MMM and all contributors. My enthusiasm is high but I will need the ongoing support and menacing good-will. Let's DO this!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nyu07 on May 01, 2015, 01:02:39 PM
Hi everyone  - I signed up a while back but never posted anything until today.  Just wanted to say hi and I am hoping to learn from everyone here! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sam E on May 01, 2015, 08:01:18 PM
Hello, everyone!

I'm 25 years old and currently about $16,500 in debt due to a combination of life circumstances and some plain stupidity. I know this debt seems tiny compared to all the house mortgages and other huge debt I see posted about here, but I also pull in only a modest $22,200 per year net income, so it's been pretty intimidating to me, especially since until now I've been saving next to no money at all and assumed it was unavoidable to do so (I mean, how could any single person get by spending LESS than $22k per year?!). Needless to say, I've been taking huge inspiration from Mr Money Mustache since I found the site a few months ago. It's some of the most inspirational blogging I've ever read and was the eye-opening, optimistic kick in the pants I needed to actually change my life around and realize I can take control of my finances and my life.

After some big changes in the next month I'm planning to be able to save around 50% of my income, hopefully closer to 65%. With that I should be able to pay off all my debt in just a little over 12 months and reach financial independence just 20 years after that. Assuming, of course, I don't start earning more money between now and then.

Anyway, I look forward to joining the community and I'm hoping it will provide the amount of inspiration and accountability I need to really stick to my plans.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dollar Slice on May 03, 2015, 10:26:12 PM
Hi folks!

Like many folks posting in this thread I just finished an archive binge (I was down for the count with a sinus infection and needed a lot of reading material last week). I'm kind of a born Mustachian, and I've also been pretty lucky, financially. I've never been in debt in my life, I've never owned a car, I graduated from college with more money than I started, and I've fully funded my IRA for 16 of the last 17 years, starting at age 21. My net worth is about a third of my lifetime earnings.

My life has just undergone some big changes - I moved to NYC, have a sort-of-new job (long story), drastically downsized my living space, etc. I absolutely love it here but I'm having a hard time saving much money in NYC, even with the new higher salary - which is how I found the blog, looking for savings in every day spending. Unfortunately the tips from the blog don't net me much savings (for the most part either I'm already doing it, or it's not applicable to my urban lifestyle)... so I figured I'd come peruse the forum for more ideas.

I'm currently a little unclear on my own goals... I'm most likely going to inherit somewhere in the neighborhood of $1-2mil, so why am I saving? I don't know exactly. I've always been big on efficiency and optimization - it's just in my nature - so part of it is just not wanting to waste money. Part of it is hoping to be more 'green' by not polluting and creating waste. Part of it is that my life's dream is to be a philanthropist, and for that, you obviously need a good-sized wad of cash. But that last one is also kind of my downfall - I like giving money away and being generous. Not so good for the stash...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bb11 on May 05, 2015, 09:53:12 AM
Hi folks!

Like many folks posting in this thread I just finished an archive binge (I was down for the count with a sinus infection and needed a lot of reading material last week). I'm kind of a born Mustachian, and I've also been pretty lucky, financially. I've never been in debt in my life, I've never owned a car, I graduated from college with more money than I started, and I've fully funded my IRA for 16 of the last 17 years, starting at age 21. My net worth is about a third of my lifetime earnings.

My life has just undergone some big changes - I moved to NYC, have a sort-of-new job (long story), drastically downsized my living space, etc. I absolutely love it here but I'm having a hard time saving much money in NYC, even with the new higher salary - which is how I found the blog, looking for savings in every day spending. Unfortunately the tips from the blog don't net me much savings (for the most part either I'm already doing it, or it's not applicable to my urban lifestyle)... so I figured I'd come peruse the forum for more ideas.

I'm currently a little unclear on my own goals... I'm most likely going to inherit somewhere in the neighborhood of $1-2mil, so why am I saving? I don't know exactly. I've always been big on efficiency and optimization - it's just in my nature - so part of it is just not wanting to waste money. Part of it is hoping to be more 'green' by not polluting and creating waste. Part of it is that my life's dream is to be a philanthropist, and for that, you obviously need a good-sized wad of cash. But that last one is also kind of my downfall - I like giving money away and being generous. Not so good for the stash...

Welcome Vee! What does your budget look like? I'm also new to NYC, and just started a journal about it (see link below). It's definitely possible to save here, but does take a different sort of optimization than a suburban lifestyle.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/bb11-wants-to-explore-the-world/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thriftyc on May 05, 2015, 01:43:08 PM
Hi there!

ThriftyCanadian here from Hamilton Ontario! MMM's old town. Like MMM I am a grad of the great McMaster University!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: opah on May 05, 2015, 06:53:55 PM
Hello all - I'm 33, have been lurking for a while but thought it was time to start a journal. Hoping to interact with a lot of you and stay encouraged on this path! Nowhere near FI, but I have made steady progress over the last five years and I hope to accelerate that over the next decade.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dollar Slice on May 05, 2015, 11:02:21 PM
Welcome Vee! What does your budget look like? I'm also new to NYC, and just started a journal about it (see link below). It's definitely possible to save here, but does take a different sort of optimization than a suburban lifestyle.
Well, looking at your journal, you're doing a heck of a lot better than me! I'm living alone so the rent is much higher. I also was sort of restricted as to where I could live because my parents live just north of the city and felt very strongly that I should live somewhere they could visit easily and somewhere they felt was very safe. So, no Bushwick or Red Hook for me!

My passion is live music, which ends up costing a bunch both in concert tickets and in food/alcohol thanks to venue minimums and the fact that I don't have time to go home and cook dinner several nights a week (today, for example, I was out from 10AM to midnight between my job and two concerts). I don't mind the concert tickets so much but the costs of eating out a lot are something I'd love to cut. I don't spend a lot when I do go out (e.g. dinner tonight was $7) but it's just so frequent, it adds up.

Electricity costs are insanely high here, too, aren't they? My last bill was about $50 for 138 kwh... it's kind of sad after I tried so hard to cut electric usage and my bare-bones usage is still so expensive. The cost of living in the self-proclaimed greatest city in the world, I guess. ;-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rustyfishook on May 06, 2015, 06:02:56 PM
Howdy,

Rick here. I was given the link to MMM by Radical Personal Finance podcaster Joshua Sheats. That was about a month, six weeks ago??.. Since then, I've been fairly ruined as to my "supposed" financial and life goals. We are selling everything, and God willing, will be 100% debt free with about $50,000 cash to boot in three months.

Stoked!

We are relocating out of SoCal, to greener places, for kid rearing and such. Anyway, glad to be here and part of the fellow order of Mustachians!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MM_MG on May 08, 2015, 11:49:36 AM
Hi everyone!

Found this site a while ago and have been lurking and reading daily since. Love this site and all of the wonderful insight it provides.   Made my first post today in the investor alley thread and thought I should stop by and say hi...so hi.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EvilAbed on May 08, 2015, 05:00:32 PM
Hello! I'm from the darkest timeline, but working on some building some positivity in my life. I've heard about the Mustachian community for a long time, as my super-smart wife is a frequent contributor, but am now an official member! I'll stroll around the forum and maybe find some nuggets of wisdom from the community :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trinnyfam on May 09, 2015, 01:51:20 PM
I am Holly. SAHM of 6, and wife to a late career bloomer. We were doing Dave Ramseys babysteps and are considering this mustache approach as he is getting such a late start.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TeriS on May 09, 2015, 02:35:52 PM
Hi!

Hubby & I (42 & 45) are currently working on our 5-year plan; we married Halloween 2012. Paying off my $1800 & his $2300 state taxes (mine will be paid off next Friday), $8k student loans left, $8K to the feds, $4k to Dean Care for my cancer-related crap not covered by Aetna & an $11k PST loan ($47K contributed by my employer in 6 years).  No credit cards or car loans for us & have a $1 EF already so currently snowballing (a la Ramsey).

We're moving next August to cut our rent by $500/mo, get the rest of the above bills paid off  & start saving our down payment for a house ($70-80K).  We'll have at least $20k down to get a 15-year mortgage ($79-80K) and have that paid off in 7.  Rent-free, THEN we can really start throwing cash into my PST acct which employer matches at 4%, a roth & other investments. We want to sell that property when we're basically 60/63 to pay for our retirement home in FL. A new NICE modular for $80K and a nice lot with water access for the boat.

We've NEVER been so happy paying bills lol and honestly, had always lived paycheck to paycheck until the last 6mo.  It still amazes me that there are no more "broke weeks".  I'm really liking this forum too!

Happy weekend to everyone :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dandypandys on May 09, 2015, 04:28:25 PM
Hello
We are a Scottish couple living in FL and we are thrifty! I love the concept of this site. I am reading Theoreux Walden right now, and just read the chapter on having his wee house, and how 'wealthy' he is by living so leanly, and very happy to boot.
I have everything in order... except i have a condo i bought for 140k that has depreciated to 61k and i don't know what to do with all my savings!
I need advice. But will find the appropriate thread/forum
Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: igm on May 10, 2015, 09:51:16 AM
Hi, I am Ian and am glad to have found the Mustachian way of life last year.

I am a 46 year old Canadian; married to a wonderful Texan gal, who is also fairly frugal. I married well!

FIRE should be in 8-10 years. I've been enjoying the blog and comments. Thank you for starting this community. I have found my people. Time for a bike ride.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DaveO on May 10, 2015, 01:35:27 PM
Hello

I'm David, a 32 yr old New Orleanian.  Married, DINK, and hope to be FIRE in less than 5 years.

We own a house in the city and I'm into Carpentry, Renovation, Skiing, and Travel.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jdgj on May 10, 2015, 01:36:25 PM
Hello!

I am in the middle of the blog posts, just getting up to the end of 2012. After today's readings (I'll finish 2012, and then go do something productive!), I figured I might as well as introduce myself. Got to start somewhere. I'll start from the beginning:

I'm James (the first 'j' in the account name). I am a single male, 28 years old, and I am starting to come around to the idea of early retirement. By coming around, I mean transitioning from 'hey, let's just pay off debts and live comfortably' to 'holy shit, I have debts!' (insert emergency blog post link here). I work in the software engineering industry (previously QA/testing, recently moved into development). Financially, I should be doing much better, but I am not (as I start to realize after reading the blog posts), or at least, that is what my knee-jerk reaction is in response to my readings thus far.

I feel that I'm almost about to ask for a reader case study, so I'll stop short here, and check out the forum a little more, specifically the FAQs and such. I'll continue to lurk, until I figure what, if anything, I can contribute that is useful to someone, although I plan on learning a lot first.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AreaWoman on May 10, 2015, 02:41:47 PM
Hi, y'all!

I'm Erin, and have just finished catching up on every post on the blog, so where to now? The forum!

I'm a 34 year-old single gal living in a college town in GA and could be considered a townie. I moved here in 1999 for college, and then never left. I have 2 degrees I don't use (AB Music and AAS Veterinary Technology), and spent 1999 to 2010 working low-paying service industry jobs. I have been with my current company for almost 5 years, doing social media and PR. I like to bowl, read books in my yard, go to dance parties, badly play my piano alone in my house while I sing along, and badly play trumpet on a stage in a local band when I'm not singing along. (Note: my music degree is in neither of these instruments).

I finally have cracked the 30K/year salary level. I've always been fairly frugal, but there just wasn't ever much to work with. I grew up pretty poor (which does instill a fear of 'running out' of things that lead to weird spending like pantry-stocking/ stuff you might need because it's on sale) and had college debt the day I moved into the freshman dorm. To that end, my hair is very much on fire. I have debt of approx. $12K spread over 2 loans and 2 CC (highest APR is 10.5% on a personal loan from my bank that moved that debt from some way-high CCs); about $7.5K is school-related. This is the first thing I gotta kill.

Here's where my stats have me right now:
-Income: approx. $32K/year. I'm hourly, so overtime is a thing. Usual take-home is around $820 every 2 weeks.
-Rent & utilities: $550/mo. I'm a lucky motherfucker in this regard as I live alone in a 2-bed apartment on my friend's property. And I get fresh eggs to boot if I can avoid the dickbag rooster.
-Payments toward debts: approx. $420/mo.
-Phone/internet: nada. Phone is paid by work, Internet is inclued in rent. No cable, just Netflix.
-Food/household: around $200/mo. I get stuff on sale to keep a stocked pantry. Freeze lots of things as I cook in bulk.
-Cats: approx. $60/mo. They're getting old and just do better on the holistic stuff... (I have 3. That is enough.)
-Renters and car insurance: $55/mo.
-Bad habits (eating out, bars, cigs, clothes, shows, Amazon randomness): between $30-$100/ mo. depending on what's in the account.
-Gym: $30/mo. (I know. But I will sit on my ass happily without the 'I'm paying money for this' motivation).
Savings sit at:
-Direct deposit to savings: just upped it to $100 per paycheck, but was $50. Around $1700 now... wimpy.
-Contribution to 401K: 6%; 4% Roth, 2% traditional. Company matches 100% for first 3%, then 50% up to 5 (or is it 6?)%. Only had it 3 years, matching only started 1.5 years ago. Around $8K... wimpy.
-I also have an Acorns account for the whole round-up investmentioned thing since I don't have a big chunk to put that way at once. It's pretty new, like $130... way wimpy.

I don't currently drive, but have a 1998 Saturn manual transmission sedan that I got for free waiting to get back up and running via friends. I'm in the market for a new bike. Right now I take the bus or ride with friends. I drink more beer than I should, but that is also free (perk of the job).

I guess I'm doing OK by normal people standards, but hate that my savings is so dismal. I like my job, but wished it paid better, though where I live it's about on par. This city is notorious for depressed incomes with the excuse that it's easy to get by on not much here. I am considering finding something PT to boost income, but am also viscerally against anything that would cut into my personal time... hence wanting to be out of the rat race. A double-edged sword. I'm not a fan of the American corporate work "ethic" of live-to-work and shifty life-work balance. As Peter Gibbons said, "if I had a million dollars, I'd do nothing"... and I would never get bored because to me 'nothing' means 'whatever the hell I feel like doing at that moment'.

I'm hoping to whip my debt completely, find ways to cut back on frivolous spending (goodbye, cigs, which won't be hard since I'm a 3 pack a month kinda person), get to a point where my life is completely mine. I only wish I had started earlier.

Welp, there's my long-ass intro. Hopefully I'll learn some things from all y'all,  if I haven't bored the pants off you already.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jdgj on May 10, 2015, 04:48:26 PM
Erin, if you're savings are wimpy..

I'm fucked (and not in a good way).

How long did it take you to read all the blog posts? I just finished 2012 (and the first of Jan 2013).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NewReality on May 10, 2015, 05:41:15 PM
Hello All,

I'm Walt, hailing from sunny, hot Florida. I'm excited to join this forum after many years of living unfulfulling, mainstream
(consumerist) lifestyles and wishing to find a like-minded community to help inspire me.

With major changes (divorce, relocation) over the past decade or so, I've been able to finally see the light and rededicate myself to living more true to my minimalist and frugal nature.

I'm in a somewhat different position than many others here in that I'm essentially just starting out my journey to FI in middle age with minor children, but have a very well-paying career and strong resolve on my side. My goal is to be FI in 7 years, at which point I will go on some sort of sabbatical and decide what's next.

Looking forward to sharing this journey with you folks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bob@bfrazier.com on May 10, 2015, 06:15:35 PM
Hi, I'm Bob

I'm not retired, I'm time affluent.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AreaWoman on May 10, 2015, 08:05:16 PM
Erin, if you're savings are wimpy..

I'm fucked (and not in a good way).

How long did it take you to read all the blog posts? I just finished 2012 (and the first of Jan 2013).

Well, I guess it's wimpy in comparison to some of the high-earning whippersnappers around here (those under 30, who also all seem to be married, so there's that....). I'm bad about looking around at the other 30-somethings (especially the ones I went to college with. Thanks, Facebook) doing big things and feeling like I've failed, not only financially but in life milestones . Not a productive mentality at all, but just the reality of it. I do realize there really are lots of folks in the same boat I'm in, or even paddling along in a smaller dinghy with a leak and only one oar. We only know our own experience....

It took me probably 6 months or so to read everything from start to finish on the blog... maybe longer. (Disclaimer: I skipped a few when they were about installing your own shower or whatnot because I'm a renter and also probably shouldn't be trusted with power tools or strong adhesives). I feel like I found it randomly on a search about investing vs. saving vs. things like CDs, read for a bit, got hooked, but forgot about it, then remembered and came back for the marathon. All in all, I'm on board. When did you start reading?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lauranay16 on May 10, 2015, 08:25:16 PM
Hi! I am Lauri, I am 45 and newly single after 25 years. I have 3 grown kids and live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Getting to the game a little late on taking control of my finances but I have been very frugal all my life so I am half way there right?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: buffaloe on May 11, 2015, 06:10:04 AM
Hello, I'm Melissa and I am just about to move to Seattle for a new job and am hoping to make smart money decisions during the move so that I can reach financial independence in the next few years! I think I'm doing pretty well with saving, but I have very much enjoyed reading Mr Money Mustache's articles and have learned a lot that I intend to put to good use.  It's also inspiring to read so many success stories! 

And I'm also hoping to find people already in Seattle that I can dig some good recommendations out of ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jdgj on May 11, 2015, 08:51:26 PM
Erin, if you're savings are wimpy..

I'm fucked (and not in a good way).

How long did it take you to read all the blog posts? I just finished 2012 (and the first of Jan 2013).

Well, I guess it's wimpy in comparison to some of the high-earning whippersnappers around here (those under 30, who also all seem to be married, so there's that....). I'm bad about looking around at the other 30-somethings (especially the ones I went to college with. Thanks, Facebook) doing big things and feeling like I've failed, not only financially but in life milestones . Not a productive mentality at all, but just the reality of it. I do realize there really are lots of folks in the same boat I'm in, or even paddling along in a smaller dinghy with a leak and only one oar. We only know our own experience....

It took me probably 6 months or so to read everything from start to finish on the blog... maybe longer. (Disclaimer: I skipped a few when they were about installing your own shower or whatnot because I'm a renter and also probably shouldn't be trusted with power tools or strong adhesives). I feel like I found it randomly on a search about investing vs. saving vs. things like CDs, read for a bit, got hooked, but forgot about it, then remembered and came back for the marathon. All in all, I'm on board. When did you start reading?

About two weekends ago (I read them only on the weekends at the moment) for the heavy read-through, but I skimmed a couple of the first articles probably about a month ago , which hooked me.

Haha, same here on the renting aspect, although I am not opposed to power tools and such, if I were to get my own place. Had a fun experience with a utility knife about a year and a half back... not very pleasant, but manageable, and quite pale (no pun intended) in comparison to things one may read online!

I like your boating metaphor. I probably have the small dinghy, but while I figured out that the hole is patchable, I haven't found anything to patch it with just yet :P
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PencilThinStache on May 11, 2015, 10:33:23 PM
Hi, I'm PencilThinStache. I'm in my early 30s, in the Marines, and am quickly marching toward FI (seriously, no military pun intended). I've been reading MMM for a long time...I think a facebook post about "the true cost of commuting" brought me here back when I was making a horrendous (by mustachian standards) commute. Now I ride my bike or run to work most mornings. Used to have all kinds of expensive hobbies - bars, skydiving, retail - but have settled into a happy pseudomustachian existence. I have a huge mortgage (~$500k), but no other debt and around $200k in investments (personal loan to a trustworthy friend, betterment account, and Roth IRA with my bank). I suppose that's plenty for now. Just happy to be here :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sam E on May 12, 2015, 05:58:48 AM
Erin, if you're savings are wimpy..

I'm fucked (and not in a good way).

How long did it take you to read all the blog posts? I just finished 2012 (and the first of Jan 2013).

Well, I guess it's wimpy in comparison to some of the high-earning whippersnappers around here (those under 30, who also all seem to be married, so there's that....). I'm bad about looking around at the other 30-somethings (especially the ones I went to college with. Thanks, Facebook) doing big things and feeling like I've failed, not only financially but in life milestones . Not a productive mentality at all, but just the reality of it. I do realize there really are lots of folks in the same boat I'm in, or even paddling along in a smaller dinghy with a leak and only one oar. We only know our own experience....

I understand how you feel. I'm in the same boat, actually, making about the same amount you do. I also get intimidated by all the talks of 5 year or 10 year retirement plans and people who save 75% but still take home $20k per year. I just have to remind myself that while my retirement plan is 20 years long, I'll still be retiring 20 years earlier than normal people, and it's FAR better than my previous "plan" of simply thinking retirement wasn't even an option for someone at my income level.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Redstone5 on May 12, 2015, 01:21:33 PM
Hello,

I'm very excited to have found this wonderful group. My husband and my kids and I have been working very hard on paying back debt and getting our financial situation back on track. I've already cut down our grocery bill and I'm looking around for a second hand bike so I can start cycling to work. Thanks for all the great information and encouragement!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kevin S. on May 13, 2015, 04:38:10 PM
Hey there,
28 years old husband and father. Found out about MMM through a friend a few months ago.

I have felt trapped by "the system" for so long, and simply had no idea there was another way!

Looking forward to learning and sharing with the rest of the Mustachians.

This! x a billion!

I'm 33 yrs old, live in Denver, co - male - no kids, divorced.
I have been reading the blogs for a while and really started diving into them this last week. Looks like a great forum here and I hope to learn a lot!
Looking to be healthy financially...finally ! 



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LanceThrustington on May 14, 2015, 06:16:30 PM
G'day Mustachians

Lance here from Melbourne Australia.

I am 29 year old, work full time and recently bought a house with my partner (also 29 ftw)

I have enjoyed reading the forum so far and look forward to asking and adding about my own personal experiences

Cheers
Lance
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: firehongkong on May 15, 2015, 08:24:54 AM
Hello everyone. Its such an awesome community here with a wealth of good tips and advice.

I am 37, live in Hong Kong and this year I declared to my wife that we have manged to reach financial independence.

Thinking about the next step now IE leave the rat race, start a new career or just cruise along with what I've been doing =)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SticktothePlan on May 15, 2015, 10:22:59 AM
Hello! Been reading the MMM blog and forum for awhile. Just decided it is time for me to start contributing to the discussions. :)

I'm 36, live in Chicago with my awesome husband.  Hubs and I are debt free and focused on building the FU money for our future.  I get so inspired by the community here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dorje on May 15, 2015, 11:10:25 AM
Hi, Dorje here.

I'm a 40 yr old single male, I live in a house I bought about 5 years ago in beautiful Lafayette, CO. It's a modest ~1200 sqft home that I also run my business out of. I have a mechanical engineering degree from CU and am a serial entrepreneur which has left me in dicey financial situations my entire life. But, in exchange I have owned a few businesses and had a lot of great experiences pursuing my interests instead of working a daily grind.

Currently, I am running a business designing, manufacturing and selling high end audio products and plan on doing this consistently for a long time as I really enjoy it and am very good at it. It's sort of ironic that a pursuing an expensive luxury hobby led me to open a business in the field and then to this forum, and that my livelihood depends on folks that consume luxury goods, but everyone needs a hobby and listening to music is a meditative experience that is good for the soul.

So, now that my life situation is stabilizing and I own a business I am happy with I am attempting to improve my financial situation. Like most people I spend too much money on luxury items and expensive food and drink that isn't making me happy. Before I started my audio business I did some engineering consulting and had to go to court to get paid for a year of my time and ended up losing $100k even though I won in court (nobody really wins in court except for the lawyers). After that I spent even more money starting my current audio business. This has left me with about $30k in credit card debt (not bad when you think about how bad my financial situation has been the last 5 years). I shuffle the money around so I'm not paying high interest but I also have about $20k in student load debt that is around 4%. So I am starting from less than nothing but plan on becoming financially stable through spending less and making more!

I'm also Buddhist and I feel like waking up financially is part of waking up in general and leading a more mindful life. Buddhists have some ideas of what is "right action" financially, and I believe their concepts are compatible with most aspects of the kind of frugality endorsed here, especially awareness on what you are spending your money on and whether or not your spending habits are contributing to your happiness. Investing your money in ways that help others and alleviate suffering is also a key point.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jerusha on May 16, 2015, 04:18:27 PM
Hi,  I'm Jerusha, nice to meet you all.  I am from Adelaide, South Australia.  I have been lurking around the MMM blog for a few months reading the back catalogue and thought it was about time to say Hi.

I am almost forty and single with two sons, one of whom has Autism Spectrum Disorder (Aspergers).  I grew up  in a country town, living a very simple life, not very different from the lifestyle promoted on this site.  Somehow through the years I lost my way and found myself in an alien place surrounded by others with very different values and goals.  Following the disintegration of my relationship with my partner and diagnosis of my son with ASD, I have reassessed my priorities and feel a need to get back to basics. 

Many of you seem to have come to this site mostly with an interest in personal finance, FI and escaping debt.  And whilst I was also drawn here for financial inspiration, the reason I stayed was because the simple, active honest lifestyle that MMM preaches is what I aspire too. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: barreloflafs on May 19, 2015, 10:37:27 AM
Hello all,

I'm Carl...you know...Carl from NJ.  Right. That one...

Nearly 57 years old. Close enough. I work. I save. I hope.
Wife is 52.   A teacher.  With luck she will have a pension someday.  Our governor seems to disagree.
Baby graduated from college on Sunday.

Last night I told my wife (and I quote):  "3 years".
I don't think she believed me but I meant every word of it.
I wanted to say "2 years"....like I said..."i hope"....

best...........
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bambam100 on May 19, 2015, 11:39:08 AM
Hi, I'm Beth.  I've been lurking around here for a while.  I'm 56 and want to retire asap.  I've made some spectacularly stupid financial decisions over the course of my life, hitting bottom with a ch 7 4 years ago.  I find nothing shocking financially since I've been there and done that.  I'd go through the list but it would take too long. 

I admire and respect the people here who are FI or close to it, and hope to support those who are, like me, still figuring it out.  Over the past year, I've made many positive changes in the way I take care of my money-I actually started taking care of it!!  MMM has been a huge source of support for the lifestyle I've assumed so that I can achieve FI, though I'm not even close yet. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: socal0218 on May 19, 2015, 01:25:02 PM
Hello Everyone,
I'm seeking some advice for my particular situation.  If anyone could provide some suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.

I am 29, single living with a good family friend roommate in Southern California.  I have a relatively stable job making 90K.

I have about $50,000 in debt.  About half of that is a car loan debt. The rest is student loans and credit cards. In three months I will be moving within walking distance to work and selling the car and all the expenses that go along with it, about $966 a month for everything based on current usage trends.

That will cut me down to roughly $25,000 which I hope to aggressively pay off in a year.

I have gone to using cash to pay for things.  I had a couple recent big financial bills of $1000 vet bill and $3000 dental bill.  I have really bad teeth and there is always something that comes up with them.  The pet has been adopted by another family so that is another expense out of my monthly budget. It seems like there is always something that comes up that sets me from paying off the debt more rapidly.

My portion of the providing a roof over my head expenses is about $1,234.

I cook a lot more and bring my lunches to work often.  Though I like to shop at Trader Joe's and farmer's markets, which the food is of much higher quality, but pricier compared to the stuff you find in the big box grocery stores.  I guess I'd rather pay for food then related health concerns later. I spend about $350 a month on groceries and $250 eating out.

I don't like coffee. My Starbucks is a $1 soda from the gas station.

I have an iPhone 5 on a discounted no-contract cell phone service for $40 a month.

I have no desire to buy a house, especially in the real estate market where I am at.

How do people get ahead financially in high cost of living areas? Do I not make enough to live here? Should I make more money by getting a second job? I feel like I am challenging myself adequately in my current field, but there are other areas of life and work I would like to explore on a part time level. Does getting married help with personal finances much?

Seeking guidance and grateful…
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bambam100 on May 19, 2015, 01:51:44 PM

I have about $50,000 in debt.  About half of that is a car loan debt. The rest is student loans and credit cards. In three months I will be moving within walking distance to work and selling the car

That will cut me down to roughly $25,000 which I hope to aggressively pay off in a year.


Selling the car is a great first step, but losing the restaurant meals is even better.

This post feels like it belongs on a different thread...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mshea8105 on May 19, 2015, 02:46:27 PM
Hey Everyone,

I'm Mike, I'm 33 years old and live in Washington, DC.  I'm currently employed full-time.  I was a high spender who enjoyed the finer things in life but now I'm trying to focus on savingg so I can retire early and spend more time with my parents, brother and his family and travel the world.  I'm currently saving 70% of my income and have no debt.  I'm hoping to leave full-time employment by the time I'm 40 years old if not sooner.  I have a bf whom I live wight but he is on his own different financial journey so I'll be doing this alone.  I'm hoping to meet others in the DC area trying to live a frugal life and retire early. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vwjedi76 on May 20, 2015, 01:41:57 PM
Hi, I'm Mary.

I'm a noob.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: socal0218 on May 20, 2015, 03:23:35 PM
Hey I'm a newbie to this site and philosophy and I am eager to learn so much. I'm also new to forums so I'm not quite up to speed on how they work and what all the functions are. So if you see my comment somewhere that doesn't make sense I apologize.  I would like to connect with others to learn their story and how I can succeed on my own financial journey and eventually freedom.  I hope :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Skylark on May 21, 2015, 02:56:25 AM
Hello all,

I'm new here.

"Cometh the hour, cometh the man", or so it's said. So I'm very glad to have stumbled upon MMM, and this community. DH and I are recently FIRE but must work on our Badass-ity if we're to stay this way! It's early days yet so we are still stretching our wings in this new way of being. So far, so very, very good. We're learning that there's more freedom in not 'wanting' than there ever was in 'wanting and being able to afford'.

We're in the UK.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RocketSurgeon on May 21, 2015, 06:55:03 AM
Hello, my name's Bob.
I finally started saving and getting smart with money at 34, but better late than never I suppose!
Love the blog and the forum. It's been both helpful and inspirational. Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Urizen on May 21, 2015, 09:04:42 AM
Hello. Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: snogirl on May 21, 2015, 11:17:26 AM
Hi I'm Judy from VT, retired from the military in 2007, but due to poor choices/difficult situations still need to work! 
Over the past year (May 2014), I have done a lot of work to change.
It started with The Minimalist's 30 day challenge that went way, way, way beyond 30 days.
I got rid of approximately 75% of all of my stuff by either selling, paying forward, recycling or tossing.
Along with the stuff purge, I started journaling my spending & came clean on my finances via Julia Cameron's Prosperous Heart & Your Money or Your Life.
I ravenously search and read every possible blog I could landing here on MMM a few months ago.
Needless to say, thanks to Mr. & Mrs. MM & all of you, I am hooked!
Over the past year I have been able to pay off $29K of my $43k CC & car loan debt.
Since my money habits have changed dramatically, I am looking to downsize or work my current place into some investment opportunity.  I want to work to live, not the other way around.
Soon will post a case study so you all can give me some suggestions.
Thanks in advance.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SemiFruggal on May 21, 2015, 11:29:52 AM
Hi, I'm John from MA.  I'm a longtime lurker, sympathetic to this philosophy since before I even knew about MMM.  I'm a 50-year-old math teacher with a net worth probably sufficient for FIREing, hanging in three more years so that I can reach 20 years on the job.  At that point, I can collect a 26% pension immediately and my employer will pay 60% of my insurance.  That seems to me a nice bonus worth three more years at this gig.  My wife has been staying home with the kid for all of his six years.  He's in kindergarten now, so she's effectively a retiree.  She's not a spendthrift by any means, but she's (let's just say) less mustachian than I am.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Remben on May 21, 2015, 12:34:45 PM
Hi, Zibby from Czech Republic here...

Currently I'm employed as an application administrator (IT) in a big company. Nothing I'd be thrilled about - there's no fulfillment and I know I'm capable of bigger/better things than keeping alive someone else's application. The money don't reflect what I put in and therefore I'm on a way of becoming FI by leveraging the internet.

Looking forward to connect with you and contribute to the discussions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tester on May 21, 2015, 03:58:53 PM
Hi,

I'm Victor.
I am married, have a 3 year old child.

I started thinking about early retirement 5 years ago while I was getting myself deeper into debt :).
Then I found this blog.

After some time I moved to USA - 3 months ago.

Right now I am climbing out of debt, will see how fast will I be able to retire after that :).
I am 37 right now, I hope I will be able to do it at 50.

Although I must say that I like my job and the company I am working for - I learned a lot during the last 10 years working with this company and I am still learning.
I am a tester (software tester).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OurTown on May 22, 2015, 11:56:46 AM
Hi everyone, love the blog & the forum.  I had to start over about ten years ago because of a divorce and an involuntary career change.  We are on the right track now (I think).  I'm putting a son through college right now and hope to FIRE sometime after my daughter finishes college about a decade from now. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sukotto on May 22, 2015, 03:40:30 PM
Hi guys!

Stumbled upon this website a couple months back and I can really see how it clicks with my life.

A little about me:
-24 year old 3D Artist living in Las Vegas, I know a Sin City resident on a site about frugality and leading a simple life?
-Currently in repayment of student loan debt, hoping to have it paid off in 2 years
-FIRE resonates with me because I feel like I don't have enough in the day to do and learn what I want to because of work.

Hope to see you guys around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moostache on May 22, 2015, 04:43:11 PM
Hi everyone. I've been a site and forum lurker for a little over a year but I finally made myself register so I have the opportunity to interact with you.
Love the site and really enjoy all your posts.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hornbyisland on May 22, 2015, 05:04:43 PM
Hello!

I'm 25 and living on the west coast of Canada. I've been a saver since I was born, but never much of an earner, so I'm doing my best to play to my strengths and make the most of those savings. Asked for advice in this thread - let me know if you have any! http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/can-i-get-some-canadian-advice-about-my-confusing-investment-situation/

I'm in a stable (slightly boring) web development job, and a new but probably stable long term relationship with a guy I like quite a bit, a bike mechanic. He's a little older than I am, and has been better at earning money than saving it, but he's on board with the MMM philosophy and keen to retire with me in ten years or so, if we can reach our FI goals.

Hope to meet some cool people here. Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rightdecisions on May 23, 2015, 08:46:06 PM
finally made it in...took me over an hour trying to figure out what city mmm lives in. 


found this site via bogleheads.

Hoping to continue to make the "right-decisions".
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: androo63 on May 23, 2015, 10:51:01 PM
Hi, I'm Andrew. I'm a New Zealand-based blogger and contract writer. However, I used to be a high school teacher of Accounting and Business. I spent years teaching kids personal finance, and how to get ahead in life ... and then I mucked it all up myself. I lost my job in 2012 and ended up with $100,000 debt and no income. I have only just managed to work again (initially for myself), but I now have a major US-based company who employs me as their in-house journalist. So now I start again, although still with $100,000 debt sitting in the background. It is definitely time to practice what I taught the kids for all those years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alurblaze on May 24, 2015, 02:45:47 PM
Hi! I'm an international student from Russia in an Ivy League school. I randomly discovered MMM website and devoured all of it in two-three days. I've been brought up with the idea that you should invest and eventually reach FI, but never really got to mechanisms how to achieve it (apart from MLM that contributed greatly to my personal finance education). Thanks to this forum, I've been able to become more frugal (and I do find wastefulness I've witnessed in the U.S. ridiculous as is). How graduation is approaching soon, and I do want to start saving.

Current situation: full financial aid from university with room and board, no loans, no permit to work outside campus on F1 visa, and only those summer opportunities that cover living expenses. Hope there is someone in similar situation, not really present in both countries of residence, to share experience!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kerowyn on May 24, 2015, 04:01:06 PM
Hi! I'm Kero. I've been reading MMM and lurking here for a while and finally got myself joined up here.

I've been freelancing and working part-time most of my life and a few months ago started my first full-time job. I was excited by it, and the salary is good, but it turns out I hate it. Working in an open office layout, dealing with bureaucracy, the same type of work I like to do but with much more boring content... and the commute! Ugh! I'd love to go back to freelancing, but it isn't financially feasible right now (and I'd feel pretty stupid if I quit before a year, when my company's 401(k) match vests). I'm also recently married and we have some debt; we also want to have kids in a few years, at which point we'd love to have one or both of us staying home. So in order to pay off the debts as quickly as possible and build up a nice 'stache, we're trying to be frugal and I'm still freelancing on the side. Nice to meet all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fishnfool on May 24, 2015, 06:24:00 PM
Howdy, fishnfool here!

 Saltwater kayak fisherman to be exact.....aka reformed boat owner...lol   I have always been a frugal sort of chap, homeowner with a investment property and love to stretch a buck so to speak. I have lurked around this forum the past year and have enjoyed reading a lot of the posts and have gained some great knowledge from some of the MMM ideas. 

Aloha
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Warbler on May 25, 2015, 06:29:22 PM
I'm 5-10 years away from retiring with a pension, but need a 'stache for long term security and so my wife can retire. The FIRE principles will be just as helpful as if I were 25.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mwarren86 on May 26, 2015, 07:11:20 AM
Howdy, I'm Michael and I'm so glad I found this site!

I have been in the workforce for 5 years now, and since joining the "Real World" I've had this suspicion that something wasn't right with the system. I read some Dave Ramsey books and other financial blogs advocating non-traditional methods, but none of them gave me enough traction to make a difference.

I found MMM a few months ago and I feel like finally it's clicking. I've made modest efficiency improvements in my life and am starting to focus on paying down debt (all my wife and I have is student loans, so my hair is only a small blaze; luckily no bonfires).

I am excited to be in this adventure and join you guys in changing the world!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalBugle on May 27, 2015, 12:15:47 PM
Hi, my girlfriend recently discovered this site and it was our light bulb moment I think.
I am 38 and she is 36, been together over 8 years. We live in London, UK.
We have partied hard and had some expensive habits but over the last year or two we've started saving but with no goal in mind, till now that is!

Happy to be on the moustachian journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CashFlowDiaries on May 27, 2015, 01:12:11 PM
Hi Everyone,

I recently discovered MMM a few weeks ago and it has inspired me to document my journey to financial freedom.  I love MMM and want to incorporate many of badassity to my own life!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Making Cents on May 28, 2015, 10:38:39 AM
Hi All,

I found MMM a few months ago and all of your posts in addition to MMM's blog have helped me to cut our spending by over a third so far (aiming for half!) and increase our savings/investing from 15% to just over 25% (aiming for 35%) of our income. Thank you all for that.

I have always been reasonably frugal (except for foodie tendencies that are our biggest downfall). My DH is a spendthrift who is easily intimidated by numbers connected to money and frankly not all that excited about my penchant for budgeting! He's making great progress considering that though. We are in our early 40s and not in any particular hurry to retire as we both enjoy our jobs immensely (I would do mine for free, though with much shorter hours), but we do want to be less wasteful and to gain total financial security and self-sufficiency, freedom from worry, and the ability to weather any future challenges that may come our way. I'd like to have the option to retire between 55-60, though I will not necessarily take it.

More immediate goals include learning more about how to manage our investments to best advantage and developing a nice stream of passive income. I'd like us to have a rental house eventually, for instance.

I have been using Mint to track our accounts since a New Year's resolution in January and also racking up frequent flyer miles and bonuses that will allow us our family visits at holidays for free as well as a very low cost vacation to France (we hope) this December. We joined Costco and now shop in bulk (list only!) and switched to Cricket Wireless from a contract with Verizon.

I am also an avid veggie gardener, but since a move and summer commitments for a new job will not be able start our new "farm" (with chickens?) until next summer.

I look forward to picking all your brains some more on this board. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: student mustachian on May 28, 2015, 12:33:58 PM
Hi!
I am a student In Biotechnology who is interested in becoming a researcher. Now, research is my dream, so I don't really plan on RE, but I would like to have enough FU money to live comfortably without a job, because I'm afraid government funding is not going to be enough to fund research, and I don't want to work for a private company (this reason is important enough to me to sacrifice quite a lot of money for that)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SunnyArizona on May 28, 2015, 06:02:30 PM
As an introduction, I'm a family guy who works in the real estate industry. I survived the Great Recession / real estate appocalypse in Arizona without losing everything.  The experience left me with a deep seeded hatred for debt.  I want to pay off my home mortgage as quickly as possible and find a way to reach financial independence after that's done. Looking forward to learning from everybody and sharing ideas about how to save money.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: viking_mustasche on May 31, 2015, 11:52:08 AM
Hi,

Growing my mustasche in Sweden. Just like MMM used to back in the days Im currently grinding in a software engineering company. I hope to within a few years built up a large enough stash to reach financial freedom.
Have read most of MMM posts and thanks to him I changed my life plan.
I always been frugal, but MMM made me realise I had many clownlike habits and also made me realise I actually do not need to work to 65 to get a pension :). 

Happy to be onboard :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: codyandrew77 on May 31, 2015, 02:38:11 PM
Hi I'm Cody.
I am new here.
I like freedom.
I hate consumerism.
I like mountains and calm bodies of water.
I like TFSA's.
I like curry.
I hate debt.
That is all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself- RENEE
Post by: LWHEAT on May 31, 2015, 07:27:46 PM
MY NAME IS RENEE

My husband and I are in our early thirties with two great kids. We recently paid off all of our revolving debt and our cars. What we have left are out student loans and our house. We wanted to know what to do now. I would like to pay off my student loans, then invest for a few years hard core before paying off the house. I am open to any STRATEGIES. others are pursuing. Would love to meet people and hear about your particular journeys becoming debt free and retiring early which is ultimately our goal. Finally while in this journey we would like to hear about the practical steps you all took to live off one income and invest the other entirely. That is my our goal after we pay off the student loans.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Twoquestions on June 01, 2015, 09:37:05 AM
My name is Justin, I make software.

I'm interested in FIRE because there's so much stuff to learn and do, and nights/weekends aren't enough time to learn to do everything I'd like.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FP1987 on June 01, 2015, 12:44:55 PM
Hey everyone!

I'm Walt, I'm in my late 20's and I want to retire someday. I stumbled upon this blog/forum about 2 years ago and am finally joining the community!


Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: techpfblog on June 01, 2015, 12:51:15 PM
Hi Everybody! I'm Lia and I've been reading this blog for a year or two now. I'm a 23-year-old tech worker from Texas. Nice to meet you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: activex on June 01, 2015, 08:35:14 PM
Hi all,

found the blog about 2 months ago and just made it the the latest article, plus managed to complete the verification questions for the forum :D

I'm in my late 20's, from Germany, moved to Australia 5 years ago and now living in the Sunshine State (QLD).

Nice to meet you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tonysemail on June 01, 2015, 11:28:09 PM
Hi,

Happy to be here.  I'm from bay area, CA.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crujonez on June 02, 2015, 09:02:43 AM
Hi,

I made a couple posts on here but am new. I found MMM linked from another message board and have been hooked for over a week now.

From PA for now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: investbee on June 02, 2015, 11:21:14 AM
Hi,

I am Zad and I am 32 Years old and married. I am a software Architect. I am really happy to be here.  I'm from chicago, IL.

I found MMM when I was researching about keeping or cash out the whole life insurance policy for my wife and I from northwestern.

Thanks for all the great suggestions.

Zad
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: piccione88 on June 02, 2015, 04:43:32 PM
Hello, I am Brandon from Milwaukee. Three months ago I stumbled across this site, and a couple similarly themed podcasts.
 This has changed my life. I am 27 years old, and am up to my eyes in debt, and was living check to check, and barley paying anything off.
 My mindset changed in big parts thanks to you guys. I quit my local trucking job, get rid of my pricey apartment, car, and all other bills I could. Then I got a job over the road.
 I live in my truck, so I have next to no bills, and make more now than ever before. In these three months, I have saved up a 2000 dollar "emergency fund" and paid off 4k in debt.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Old Man Mase on June 03, 2015, 05:30:25 AM
Hi everyone!  I've been reading MMM and this forum for awhile now, but just now took the time to create a profile and say hello :)

I'm a 24 year old living in Missouri.  My wife and I are aggressively paying off debt (almost there) and looking to add substantially to our investments over the next few years. 

This forum is so inspiring and informative; I'm very happy to be a part of the community here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SawPalmettoFL on June 03, 2015, 08:22:30 AM
Hi, I'm Saw. 

I live near the beach.

I like trees.

Saw 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rockm87 on June 04, 2015, 06:17:34 AM
Hi from the UK!

Just wanted to pop in and say hey :-)

Have been reading and spreading the word for over a year now..

Currently paying off my debt (from £6k will be paid off by December).

Title: call me "Choppa"
Post by: choppa on June 04, 2015, 11:10:02 AM
Hi all.. Choppa here.

JUST registered and JUST placed my first post too :)

My name is choppa (not my real name of course)

I am 52.. Live in Dallas, TX area.
Divorced. No kids.. No mortgage. No dept except for my daily driver, a 2013 pickup (required youll see as you read)

My proffession is that of telecom engineer.

I have been saving the MAX in my workplace 401K plan, with a 6% company match. As I am over 50, I also contribute the additional 5K allowed by the IRS.

In addition, I save roughly another 15K per year to personal savings accounts and mutual funds

I live a very frugal lifestyle. I estimate about 20K per year is all I need to live on.

I currently have over 110K in mutual funds, 30K in personal savings and another 450k in 401K.
I own my own home, 100% mortgage free (dont live in it yet, but will upon retiring)

When I finally pull the plug on this workplace stuff, ill be retiring to my 100% paid for home in a small town in SE OK, where the taxes amount to less that a monthly car payment (430 per year)

so, living will be cheap..
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Great White Silence on June 05, 2015, 04:21:30 AM
Hi, I'm Great White Silence, but people usually call me GWS.

I'm 35, Dutch, married, I have two homeschooled kids (3 and 6 years old), and MMM inspires me very much. Not sure if we can retire in 10 years, but 15 years is fine too. We just keep on going, doing the best we can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BlastinNRelaxin on June 05, 2015, 02:15:39 PM
Hi and Good Afternoon from, now, Sunny California. I am a little late on this, but love the idea of this forum and want to contribute what I can.

My name is Dale and I live in the East Bay of California. My stats are as follows:

Glad to be on the forum and just this year started dwindling to a less expensive and more sustainable living; Especially the eating out and bar tabs.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Deckard on June 07, 2015, 12:00:48 PM
Good day, everyone. My name is Joe, I'm 29 and I work for a collection agency in upstate NY. I recently discovered MMM through a blog post over at You Need A Budget, and I've been hooked ever since. My wife is pleasantly surprised that I've been singing the praises of MMM around the house nonstop since I'm a relatively low-key person that doesn't usually get excited over anything. However, I've found that being frugal and saving money is something I'm really passionate about.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johngoes45 on June 08, 2015, 07:14:57 AM
Hi, I'm John from Austin. I'm 55 and will retire Sept 4th. Been saving 40% of computer engineering income for years. Started investing in rental real estate and estimated I could retire in about a year or two. Then, while researching "early retirement" I found MMM and realized we've long had the wherewithal to retire. I've dreamed for years of building furniture for folks but replacing six figure income with occasional furniture projects didn't make the wife happy until we started realizing the income we got from real estate exceeded our expenses.

Why retire Sept 4th? The last juicy hiring stock option vests Aug 20th and Sep 4th is the two week notice past that event. Didn't want to leave that chunk of investment worthy stash on the table...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wilson Hall on June 08, 2015, 12:49:11 PM
Hello everyone,

I have been lurking for close to a year and am finally ready to say hi! Married, mid-40s, and while unable to FIRE nearly as early as many of you, am excited to watch my 'stache and everyone's else's grow!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: K-Dogg on June 08, 2015, 04:02:36 PM
Hi Everyone!

I'm K-dogg. Been lurking in the forums for about 6 months. Last week I finally caught up on all of MMM's posts (I may have skimmed the ones about home renos). lol...

Also last week, I sent in my final payment towards my student loans and I am officially debt free for the first time in 5 years!

I'm from Alberta and work in the heavy construction industry. For the past couple years I've been moonlighting as a ghost blogger and content writer. One day I want to work from home full-time as a copywriter. MMM has helped me see the wastefulness in my life and I've been slowly cutting back and riding my bike more!

Hope to see you all around the forums. Let's do this!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nannooskeeska on June 10, 2015, 09:59:25 AM
Hello!

My name is Nannooskeeska and I'm a new Mustachian.

I just found MMM a week or so ago, and I'm up to posts in May 2012, so I guess you could say that I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately :)

I am 21 years old and going into my senior year of college. I live in Wisconsin, USA, and I absolutely LOVE cheese. I have ~25,000 in student loans right now, which will soon be increased to ~30,000 to pay for my senior year. My major is computer science (no minor) and I currently have an internship which pays $15.75/hr. I have about $1500 to my name right now.

Since I'm not even out of college yet, I feel like I'm going to be on the right track for FIRE within a relatively short time span!

I'm super pumped up about saving my money and living frugally in order to retire early! I'm also excited about spending time on the forum and getting to know some of you fantastic Mustachians!

See you all around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: greenfoxtwenty on June 10, 2015, 09:13:41 PM
Im greenfoxtwenty

Moved to canada last year from Ireland to begin a trade , was a former college dropout. My skills are still low in my trade, although im learning slowly but surely.

I want to be able to adopt MMMs values and principles over my lifetime so i can retire early and pass it down to whoever needs them.

Im 22. No debt and never have been in debt. Have enough saved to start investing, which is my next goal, and then figuring how to manage my funds appropriately over a long period of time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sweeney on June 11, 2015, 06:37:49 AM
Hi,
I'm Sweeney and I'm new to MMM. I'm mid 40's with 3 kids spread throughout high school down to kindergarten.
Moved to Des Moines about 2 years ago and the only remaining debt I have is a huge mortgage on the house.
I don't really see FIRE happening for me but I'm on the lookout for ideas and ways to cut expenses.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kraken7 on June 11, 2015, 05:03:55 PM
Heya! Kraken here. I'm a Canadian heading into my third year of university.
No student debt, just got approved for a credit card, and with some google map usage have realized I can bus partway to school, bike the rest, and have the same transit time as just bussing. No more waiting for that damn transfer!
I've never been extravagant in my spending, but reading MMM has shown I can definitely do more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zee Mustard on June 11, 2015, 08:59:54 PM
Hi!  I'm Zee.  Longtime lurker/MMM reader, but still working on my 'stache growing skills.  Happy to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moneywookiee on June 12, 2015, 01:36:22 PM
Hello everyone!

Been reading the Money Mustache bible in order to keep myself humble and gain investing tips.  I'm in my mid 30's living in Los Angeles.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eglyman on June 12, 2015, 04:06:26 PM
Hi guys!

Long time reader, finally making the account :) 25. Have a mini beard -- nurturing things along until I get my real stache. 25 living in Brooklyn, NY. From Las Vegas originally. Here for the advice, laughs and contribute too when I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SilveradoBojangles on June 12, 2015, 05:03:02 PM
Hi! I've been commenting here for a bit, but just saw this introduction thread for the first time, so I thought I would contribute. My husband and I are in our early 30s, no kids, and in various stages of PhD completion in quantitative fields, and I also work as a consultant. We live in an absurdly expensive but beautiful city, but we have been very good at keeping our expenses low. We are also lucky enough to have no debt, student or otherwise (because his grandparents paid for school and I paid my loans off already).

Our biggest spending vices are travel and good food. Luckily I love to cook and plan vacations, so I keep us on budget for the most part in those two arenas. While mustachianism comes natural to me, I never cared about money beyond having basic needs met because I didn't actually want very many things (I'm pretty happy with what I have). This blog has helped me understand that what I do want is freedom, and now my husband and I are willing to make some sacrifices to buy ourselves some.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ramza Beoulve on June 13, 2015, 07:56:05 AM
I'm age 28. I have a doctorate in pharmacy and a master's in healthcare informatics administration.

I'm still in that video game/technology stage of my life. My username is from my favorite video game of all time. My side projects are learning Japanese and web programming.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Steepslider on June 13, 2015, 10:41:44 AM
Hello everyone.

I'm Fred and live in Vancouver, BC. 

Retired 4 years ago, am a CPA was a CFO for 20 of my 35 year career.  Currently a part-time ski instructor at Whistler (really started skiing at 53), tech scuba diver, and currently going full-frugal as I wait for my home to be built.  Living in a basement suite 5 minutes from my new place saving $750/month and working out more (bonus on a bonus).   No debts but I've made mistakes.  My drive, credentials and voodoo to keep pushing up the hill, with a smile, have never failed me.  I have a biz degree from SFU and U of Colorado at Denver (Masters while working full time).  I love Craigslist "Free Stuff" and giving away my good no-longer-used stuff to college students that need them (mtn bike, laptop, smack upside the head.... ).  I've been a health nut forever and one of my favourite health & fitness expert is Ben Greenfield (http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/).

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrzenStache on June 13, 2015, 02:32:33 PM
Hi everyone,

I first discovered MMM a year ago, and have been slowly transitioning towards a more frugal and self sufficient lifestyle.  Been steadily replacing mindless TV and gaming habits with more bike rides and DIY projects around the house.  Definitely made some progress, but still have a long way to go.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Digital Dogma on June 14, 2015, 08:41:32 AM
Hello everyone!
I stumbled on this blog about 6 months ago and it clicked with many of the same life lessons that my father instilled in me from a young age. These lessons were re-enforced with my first job opportunity as a dog sitter at a young age, where most of my profits were converted into shares of index funds and forgotten about (by me...) in the middle to late 90s when the stock market was doing well. Fast foward a few years later when I own my first hand me down jeep, working low wage jobs on weekends for gas money, and facing a couple thousand dollars of insurance bills, Im up against the wall and thinking about asking my parents for a small loan.
Surprisingly I rediscovered that my past self issued me a loan using long forgotten effort which had grown to a sum that would keep me on the road for another year or two through the later half of highschool. Not only did I successfully avoid debt, but I was shown solid proof that delayed gratification can reap a reward worth waiting for.

Ive been a big Clark Howard fan for years as well, and I see a lot of the same intelligent analysis of how to most efficiently spend/save money and how to build wealth in the MMM community.

Clark, however, is such a nice guy hes not willing to lay out the gritty, ugly truth about human nature, conspicuous consumption, self-defeating weakness, and the simple fact that we all suck. And we need to train ourselves to be badasses.

So thank you for saying what we all suspect about ourselves when we are alone and our ego is taking a quick nap from defending every poor decision our lizard brain has convinced us was necessary.

Ive had a slow change in attitude in the last few months. Overtime used to be a trigger for a crappy weekend, now it brings the promise of working a day now to shave off a month of work on the back end of my career. Im currently wrapping up a 5 week period of working 7 days a week, 20 hours of overtime a week, maximizing my income while the opportunity is here. Its been the kick in the ass I needed to make my own brown bag lunches every day instead of eating at the cafeteria.

Ive cut my cable bill, cut my cellphone bill, cut my internet bill, reduced my grocery bill substantially, limited restaurant spending, made it a goal to use my costco membership far more often, expanded my cooking ability beyond the couple dozen dishes Ive always made, and increased my money market account balance while I dollar cost average my way to a million dollars.

I plan on reaching my goal in 10 years, currently 12% of the way there, and in no rush at all since Im enjoying the ride.

Please excuse any spelling errors, I have fat thumbs and Im using a cellphone to type with (which blows my mind after growing up in the 90s).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trebec on June 14, 2015, 09:11:04 PM
Im Alex and I found this before it's too late to make a change. I have started with as many changes as I can and am at least temporarily stuck with some past bad decisions related to vehicle purchases. I have however picked up a bicycle last week and rode 4 out of 5 days to work saving gas and getting a whole lot more exercise in the process. Glad to be here and learn the pursuit of FIRE. Thanks for having me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sana09 on June 14, 2015, 09:57:08 PM
Hello everyone.

I'm sana and live in japan.



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Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OttoVonBisquick on June 14, 2015, 09:58:05 PM
Hey there! I've only posted a few other times, but I'm loving this community already! I didn't know it, but after a week straight of poring over MMM posts and other finance blogs, I've realized that I'm really into personal finance (shocker, liking learning to manage money to become wealthier?!)

Anyways, I've posted a thread about my current financial and living situation here:
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/case-study-yuppie-denver-living-38791/msg696377/#msg696377

So feel free to comment on that, and I really look forward to meeting/talking to everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Panchos on June 15, 2015, 06:01:36 PM
Hi all, I'm Tim. I'm a 29 year old fire/medic. I found this site last summer and just recently got into the forums. My wife and I have always been financially smart, but this site kicks that mindset into high gear. I've always had a goal of being retired by 40 since I was in high school. I'm hoping to meet that or even knock off a few years.

A little about me.... I've been married to my wife for 8 years. We have three kids ranging from 4 to 5 months. I currently work full-time as a fire/medic with a part-time fire/medic job. I dabble on craigslist and flip various items at times. I enjoy being with my family and the outdoors (especially skiing and being on the water).

I'm interested in entrepreneurship, rental properties, and am always looking to learn more about stocks. Would love to connect with a great mentor on any of these subjects.
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gman on June 15, 2015, 07:36:45 PM
Hi I'm Gerard.  I am 55 years old and I just retired FI from my job as a computer systems administrator for the State of Wisconsin in May. I have been reading MMM for the last 5 months and have found my home with like minded persons. In the past I followed financial advice from Suze Orman and then Dave Ramsey  but after reading MMM have corrected some things :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: weseh on June 17, 2015, 09:46:51 AM
Hi all! I'm weseh. I have always had very Mustachian tendencies (cloth diaper, hanging laundry, biking, generally reducing waste) but something always seems to happen and I get caught up on the big stuff (we have way too much house and live in a HCOLA). I have 2 little kids, 2 dogs, and a husband. I've been reading MMM from the beginning to get myself motivated to cut more waste!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kofasetic on June 17, 2015, 10:13:31 AM
Hey Hey!!!
Been navigating the site for quite some time and finally decided to make a commitment

I own and operate a fitness studio in the lower westchester region of NY
At a crossroads regarding keeping studio or returning to employment.
Have tested the job market to discover what managerial positions are available which my skill level would be congruent and have been to several interviews with one offer and one no-go. (Salary was the issue in the offer. Not fair market value. Other, company, over-qualified)
Anyway, absolutely love the info here!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Scarvey on June 18, 2015, 09:30:56 PM
Good day All,

My name is Scott Harvey, living in Alberta Canada. I have been reading MMM for about 6 months and have made some changes to work towards a better life. I am married with a just about 2 yr old and #2 brewing. We spend to much money but are slowly working are way towards financial independence.

Just read the book (by MMM recomendation) "A Guide to The Good Life"  which has turned a new light on life for myself. Great read and easy life advice.

I look forward to reading and getting to know some on here, after I finally get through the post!

Scott
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ohnmur on June 19, 2015, 02:25:26 PM
I'm John, 59 year-old UNIX sysadmin, newly retired in Berkeley, CA, USA.  Thanks Mrs. and MMM for a blog that helped me retire now rather than later!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bigwhitedawg on June 21, 2015, 04:29:16 PM
Howdy -

I found MMM about a month ago and it was like getting hit in the head by a 2x4.  My wife was already living a mustachian way, but I was reluctant.  Now I see the excess and I don't like it.  I'm 41 and we have our first child on the way.  I haven't yet set a goal down for retirement, but it won't be more than 10 years.  We may be able to do it in 5, we've got a good starting point.

Thanks everyone.

Mark
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jarr on June 22, 2015, 12:08:20 AM
Hi. Jarr from BC. Just found this site a couple months ago. I thought I was doing alright with money and everything else before but now I can't wait to see what I can do.  Super inspired by MMM and all the community members and everything I've learned so far.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stacheasaurus on June 22, 2015, 07:14:24 AM
Hi! 22 (23 tomorrow :) ) from Philadelphia, PA, USA, North America, World, Milky way... etc. Starting my 'stache nice and early.  Been reading this site and forum for about 8 months, and loving the DIY nature every bit! Looking to learn all of the things.  Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zenzy on June 23, 2015, 05:09:55 PM
Hi I'm zenzy.  First post looking around and so glad to discover an active (not dead) forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Septemberist on June 23, 2015, 10:30:13 PM
Hi,
I am pushing 40 with a wife and two small children and have determined that it's time to grow up (at least a little bit).  We live in the PNW and enjoy spending time outside exploring.  I have been saving diligently in 401(k)'s, 403(b)'s, 457(b)'s, and Roth IRA's for about 15 years, and now I have a mess of old accounts that I am looking to rollover into Vanguard or good Vanguard-like funds, so I will be asking around.  I'm also curious to learn more about reducing my expenses and investing more in after-tax accounts.  I've been lurking on the website for awhile catching up on all of the MMM posts and now I'm excited to consume more good advice from the forum and hopefully contribute a little bit as well.  Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bdonney on June 25, 2015, 07:55:06 PM
What's up Mustacheans!
Found you like minded frugal bastards two years ago, finally people that "get it". I'm a 28 year old with a BS in Physics. Jumped from a couple different industries and am currently settling into controls engineering the last couple years. College made me frugal and MMM gave me the goal of what I need to do with the extra cash. I love working with my hands on my house, car, woodworking, writing music, brewing beer, computer programming, just learning new things. Gunning to get to financial independence as fast as possible so I can get back to more time for all of these things. Wouldn't have known how to do it without stumbling on his and in turn Jim's site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: squeakywheel on June 25, 2015, 09:26:02 PM
Hi Mustachians, I am a long-time MMM reader but as a full-time working mom, have not had time to post much. Husband and I are 3 years away from throwing in the towel. Kids are 13 and 17. I am grateful for all I have learned from the MMM blog and from reading the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ahoy on June 27, 2015, 03:03:45 AM
Hello, I've been reading this site for over a year now and finally signed up.  I am married with two daughters.  I have pretty much been frugal my whole life (apart from traveling). My family and I have just returned from nearly two years of slow travel.  I would like to do this again in a couple of years.  This site is inspiring and keeps us going....

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nyan Cat on June 28, 2015, 05:20:47 AM
Hello, everyone!

I am currently pursuing two bachelor's degrees in chemical engineering and mechanical engineering and am entering my last semester in college. I’m 19 (will be 20 in September) and love academics for its own sake, strange as it may sound.

When I’m not studying or lurking on finance sites, I enjoy travel, YouTube, all kinds of music, and anything even tangentially related to theme parks. I tutor on the side and love it, and I hope to become a self-published author soon. How do I do it all? Well, I don't have friends…

I’d like to give a big thanks to everyone who has ever participated in these forums for inspiring so many to pursue their dreams.

Okay, enough about me. Who’s next?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wilmabird on June 28, 2015, 11:45:14 AM
Hello!  I am early 30s living in central south Texas with my husband and young daughter.  We own a small/efficient house, one car paid off, my pre-MMM small SUV will be paid off next year.  We are overwhelmed with student loan debt, credit card debt, and have had our income cut by approximately 50% in the past year- but we are making more progress now than ever before (we actually have retirement savings!  AND an emergency fund now!).  Fairly certain we can have everything (except the mortgage) paid off in the next two years if we continue to go crazy with overtime.  I've been lurking in the forums for weeks so I thought I should pop in and say hello!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: littleteapot on June 30, 2015, 08:00:34 AM
Hi Everyone,

I'm Leah, I'm in my early 30s and I currently live in upstate NY with my dog. After a lot of hard work, working 3 jobs for 8 years, I've eliminated the $125,000 of student loan debt I had, and am living debt-free. Now it's time to catch up on the savings, since my net worth is pretty low and I'd like to own a home one day.

I never thought early retirement might be a reality for me, but that's why I'm here. I've been following the blog posts via email for a few months and started to have questions about my own situation, so I figured it was time to sign up. The savings posts are kind of fuzzy in my head, since I don't have the capital to work with. Nice to meet you and looking forward to hearing all of your stories and learning alongside you.

Leah
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rightflyer on July 01, 2015, 11:35:41 AM
Hi Folks,

I'm Paddy. Early 50's. Business owner. Ex-commercial pilot.
Living in Southern Ontario.

My DW and I hope to be FI next year.

Likely moving to Europe to refresh, revive and reinvent.

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rosy on July 02, 2015, 08:34:18 AM
Hi, I'm Rosy. We live in Florida with our two cool kitties, the house is paid for and we had no debt, until we bought a new car at -0- % interest. It bugs me to see that money flowing out of the house every month. I am already retired, he still has 16 yrs to go by normal standards. I'm here, because I want to find a way to revamp our finances so he can retire in 10 years max.

I've been cruising financial blogs for a while and like what I see happening here. I really like this forum for inspiration, badassity and the sense of  a nice online community. Looking forward to contributing, learning new strategies and challenge myself along with you.

Nice to meet y'all:)

Hi Folks,

I'm Paddy. Early 50's. Business owner. Ex-commercial pilot.
Living in Southern Ontario.

My DW and I hope to be FI next year.

Likely moving to Europe to refresh, revive and reinvent.

Cheers

Hi Paddy - I'm envious, that all sounds wonderful to me, like you made it already:) and are just finetuning and waiting for next year. More power to you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jts on July 04, 2015, 08:08:27 AM
Hi,

I've been reading the MMM blog and forum for a few months now. I'm currently in the process of paying off my student loans and should have those paid off within the year. If I get some overtime at work, I may be able to max out my 401K contributions this year as well! My boyfriend is also living frugally with me and is really into MMM so that helps stay motivated and on track.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ETwagon on July 04, 2015, 11:38:02 AM
Howdy,
           I discovered this site from a mention on a Youtube video. Great find, I dig it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stache-O-Lantern on July 04, 2015, 12:52:24 PM
Hi, I've been following the MMM blog for quite a while now.  I stumbled onto it trying to find a review of Lending Club from an investor perspective.  I've always been a saver, but MMM took me to another level.  Since the birth of our son 2 years ago, it's helped my wife and I both scale back to 30 hrs/week, while still stache-ing a lot.  Now I'm hoping to FIRE, possibly in 2023.  That should be possible, if i keep working at my current hours until then.  If i go back to full time after my son starts school, it's very possible.  But I really like working less.  So i'm thinking maybe I will go to part time, and work less than 30 hrs/week at my current firm, or go part-time/on-call with multiple firms.  That's possible in my line of work, and it could allow me to focus on the parts of my job I like.  It would be a sea change, because it would mean taking on health insurance separate from my employer, and perhaps less steady income if i did on-call with multiple firms.  But it would be a big step, perhaps even bigger than actual FIRE itself.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Susurrus on July 04, 2015, 02:45:43 PM
Hey everyone!

I'm Holly, currently a third year college student (thankfully without student loans). I'm naturally frugal and I've been interested in investing and keeping costs low for the past few years, so I already have a mini nest egg. When I discovered MMM I was shocked to read about the concept of early retirement, which I'd never heard of.

Now I'm really looking into the idea, and I'm getting very excited about the prospect of retiring as early as my 30s. I figured joining this forum would be a great way to keep my motivation and excitement high and to be part of a like-minded community.

It's nice to meet y'all, and good luck with your own goals!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Valetta on July 05, 2015, 06:58:13 AM
Hi everyone. I've been casually reading the blog for a few years but recently decided to dig a little deeper and read the forums too.

My name is Noel (pronounced like Noelle, I'm female), 33 years old and live in the Midwest. I've got a husband and two cats, no kids yet.

I have a job I actually love doing nonprofit fundraising/marketing/communications and that pays surprisingly well. Husband likes his job too and I don't know if he would quit even if he could (technically he could since my income is plenty). I'm more interested in financial independence philosophically - the freedom to do what I want, even if what I want is to keep working. To that end, both my husband and I are good savers - maxing out 401ks, Roths and owning a rental property.

I'm trying to get more intentional about how I manage all our savings and set some new financial goals so I think this is a good place to start.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: twojabs on July 05, 2015, 02:48:25 PM
Hi,

I'm MJ.  I'm 30, from Scotland (not so sunny), and live with my wife and kid #1 (20mths).  More children may be on the horizon in the near future.

I've always been careful with money but I heard about this place from a friend and checked it out and it cemented a lot for me.

I do have some problems, example, its way too easy to go to McD's or get chinese, but that is improving a lot over the last few years - something to work on :)  Plus sometimes i just cant help snack at night so maybe this is some what of a weightloss thing for me too :)

Be around :)

MJ
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Apple Tree on July 05, 2015, 08:52:01 PM
Hi, I'm David. I live in Las Vegas. I discovered MMM three months ago and have been planting the fruit trees for my retirement ever since. I am thankful for finding MMM as it has given me clear and awesome goals in my personal life. I love biking in the Vegas heat and seeing how hot I can let my house get. Looking forward to the next 50+ years of mustachianism.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Macaroni on July 05, 2015, 09:36:55 PM
Hiya, I'm Macaroni.

Having read SOOOO many 'financial advise' website, I stumbled upon MMM and finally!! Someone seems to be talking sense.

Unfortunately, I've had to admit to my husband that I have another man on the go - I have been so obsessed with MMM that I've hardly seen him or the kids this weekend!  ;-)
So I figured it was time to sign up and read the forum too   :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DCKatie09 on July 06, 2015, 07:41:49 AM
Hi everybody!

I'm Katie, live in the DC area with my husband, we've both been MMM readers for a few years now and have our financial house largely in order (on track to FIRE in 10 years or so), though there's always room to improve. I've been getting more and more sucked into the forums lately, so I figured it was time to stop lurking and jump in!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rufus.T.Firefly on July 06, 2015, 01:24:06 PM
Hey Everyone!

My name's Ben. My wife and I live in Triangle in North Carolina. We've been married for about 4 years now. I enjoy the MMM philosophy as a bit of rare financial sanity in our society. We already practiced similar values-based principles when we graduated, but felt pretty weird and unusual as a result. It is nice to find some camaraderie.

Looking forward to chatting in the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WingsFan4Life on July 06, 2015, 01:49:33 PM
Hi, I'm WingsFan4Life. I am from Michigan, now living in Kentucky with my girlfriend. She is currently has a larger mustache than me, riding her bike to work 3 miles each way. I drive to work 55 miles each way because we live in the town where she works and I got a job at a very large company working in the controller group for a manufacturing plant. We live in a one bedroom and pay $395 in rent which gives me a little stubble. I found MMM by browsing reddit/r/personalfinance and now here I am.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kitsunegari on July 06, 2015, 02:21:49 PM
Hi! I'm Kitsunegari from Canada.

Nice to meet you!
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: village idiot on July 06, 2015, 06:16:42 PM
Hello,

I'm Will. I didn't know there was a term for Mr Money Mustaching!

I enjoy taking personal finance to ridiculous levels as a hobby, and am glad to see there's a lot of like-minded people with great advice here. Thanks for this site!

PS, the registration process is a little ridiculous. It took me 20 minutes to figure out the answers to the two questions. But I'm also a village idiot.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirrel away on July 07, 2015, 06:50:05 AM


PS, the registration process is a little ridiculous. It took me 20 minutes to figure out the answers to the two questions. But I'm also a village idiot.

That happened to me as well.:P
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bobsuruncle on July 07, 2015, 01:49:02 PM
Hi I'm Steve, a retired Canadian.  I was introduced to mmm by my son, a committed mustashean who is well on his way to financial freedom by 40.  I had to wait til 60, having been indulgent.  Currently we are simplifying our lives and following many of the concepts in the mmm blog. Not due to financial necessity but more to lighten our footprint and de-stress our way of life a bit.  I've read all of the postings and pass along my thanks to Mr and Mrs 'stashe and the posters.  You're truly awesome.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: savn455 on July 08, 2015, 06:35:17 PM
Hello. I am Frank. Found this blog about 8 months ago. It made me realize how stupidly I have been living. Since then I paid down my mortgage from 42k to 18k. Hope to be debt free by March 2016 at which time my money goes towards retirement. Saving 4 55, which is only 4 years away.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Inquisitive1 on July 10, 2015, 10:18:56 AM
G'day,

I have been lurking as a visitor for a few months checking out some of the great posts. Thought it would be good to engage and contribute.

We live in Austinmer, just south of Sydney and have a fantastic 5 year old son.

Cheers,
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MelbyFI on July 10, 2015, 08:07:40 PM
Hey there, Team Stache!

Long time listener, first time caller here. I'm a late twenties lady Mustachian living in beautiful Melbourne, Australia.

I discovered MMM a few years ago, and have been slowly working towards a few goals since. Primarily these are becoming FI, aiming towards zero waste, implementing minimalism, and having fun with a bunch of great hobbies and people.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone on the forums.  So many inspiring people and stories out there!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nickels Dimes Quarters on July 11, 2015, 11:48:01 AM
I'm NDQ and I've been learning from MMM and everyone here for more than a year now. I owe everyone a big, badass thank you for all the information shared.

Two years ago, I had the horrible realization that while I was living comfortably on my income, I wasn't holding onto enough. Watching older relatives retire, but then be forced to take on part-time jobs (not by choice) was shocking. I started to see that I was going to have to get serious about buying income-producing assets if I was ever going to be able to retire. My goal is to end full-time employment in six years. During that time, I will be acquiring small, multi-family properties. I am ready to buy the first property, and I've been shopping in a very limited market area with low supply. Once the right property becomes available, I can buy quickly. I plan to live in one of the units.

Additionally, I have a good emergency savings set aside. I am maxing out my employer's retirement fund including getting the max for matching dollars, and I'm maxing out my HSA contributions. My co-workers think I'm nuts, so I know I'm on the right path.

From my interactions with others, what a lot of people don't connect is that this effort we are making to save money is directly related to buying income-producing assets, not just saving the latte money to blow on an extravagant vacation. I've started blogging my thoughts on this at https://nickelsdimesquarters.wordpress.com/ (https://nickelsdimesquarters.wordpress.com/).

NDQ


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AutoZealot on July 12, 2015, 01:31:24 AM
I always been concerned about having a plan to retire etc.  I've toiled reading financial blogs, and other forms of investment but I could never stick with it and make it my 2nd career (managing my retirement).  So I've been restless ... and frankly worried.

Financially, we're a in a pretty good spot (my g/f and I) but I've always felt like a whole pile of our takehome pay was somehow stolen from our bank accounts, it never felt like enough.  Having found MMM and all of you fine folks a few months ago, now I know why. 

I finally feel like I have a plan for the g/f and I to be comfortable and moving in a positive direction toward the big financial goals and it is exciting (though I've already read the threads about folks whom are in 'coasting' mode waiting for the math to work out so they can FIRE and am preparing for it).

I'm working on converting the g/f over to mustachianism and we recently decided to refinance our home to shorten the term to 10 years, my arbitrary FIRE date.  So that's definitely a win!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oneyearfromnow on July 13, 2015, 12:46:29 PM
Hi I'm Nancy.  When my husband showed me MMM, I knew I’d found my people. 

My parents grew up through WW2, so I've been raised to be frugal all my life.  Being wasteful was wrong.  “Make do and mend” was the motto.  Although there wasn't a lot of discussion surrounding finances – I knew that there wasn't much to go around.   

Now that I'm almost 50, I'm grateful for these skills I learned growing up.  I have a spouse that feels largely the same way I do - which is great.  We've been together for 24 years now – married for 20. 

We are debt-free, with no children and $1.8M in assets (which includes a very conservative value of $550K for our house). We are a one-car family, and drive a 9 year old Yaris (paid cash) with 125K in mileage.  We are in the very walk-able area of Wellington Village, 5 km from down town Ottawa. 

I’m an accountant, my husband is a software developer.  I walk 1km to my work, and he either bikes (20km), or takes the car if he is going sailing after work. 

My husband will be taking a “one year sabbatical”(a RE test drive) starting spring 2016 after the bonus’ comes in, and just before sailing season starts up again.  I’ll continue to work, because I'm finally with an excellent employer, with lots of perks, and job satisfaction.  That being said - I have been mentioning job-sharing quite a bit!  I'm hoping to make that transition within the next 3-5 years.

Oh – the “in one year” has nothing to do with OMY.  I tend to set personal goals with a year-long cycle.  I picked up the username when I decided to transition out of Office / Event Management and on to Accounting full time 6 years ago.  I took eight evening courses over the year to complete the certificate, and then landed the job I have today.

I look forward every day to reading the forums, and I would be especially happy to meet up with other Ottawa mustachians.   We have a broad variety of interests including: travelling, cooking, canning, beer making, wine appreciation, sailing, sewing, and knitting. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kouhri on July 15, 2015, 12:39:54 AM
Hi I'm Amy,

Long time lurker on the forums and read every MMM post from the beginning in a couple of weeks and keep pouring through the many gems on this site.

 I'm a medical student who wants to fight to get out of the mountain of (interest free mind you) I'm having to put myself in to get a medical degree here in little old NZ. No high-flying doctor lifestyle for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 69tr6r on July 16, 2015, 01:59:09 PM
Hi All, I discovered MMM a few months ago and have been reading and learning about finance ever since.  I was brought up very frugal, and remain that way today, so a lot of what MMM says is not new to me.  I have made some mistakes in life, but nothing too drastic, and wife and I are in good shape but nowhere near FIRE.  Part of that has to do with the 3 kids, 15, 12 and 9.  Anyway, glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wetz on July 16, 2015, 03:41:14 PM
This is my first post here.  I read all the MMM posts over the last 3-4 months.  I was already frugal but Mustachianism gave me more focused goals.  I'm starting to read other blogs like ERE but figured I should become a forum member and contribute when possible.  Mostly, I'm here to keep learning.  I'm excited to join the community.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chippy on July 19, 2015, 12:05:08 AM
Hi I'm Chippy and I'm new here!

I used to be in the rat race making good money, but then decided that making 100K/year was killing me, I was only spending 30K per year. I quit and am now back in graduate school, fully funded with a salary of 30K. I now only spend 25K per year and also get to study a subject I love while travelling the globe. (I'm almost done with a 5/6 year program).

I'm yet to hit 30 and I'm sitting on nearly $200K. While if I kept at my old job I'd likely be sitting on $500K, I'm glad I got to slow down and smell the roses. I'm aiming for the FI part rather than the RE aspect. If you are getting paid for what you'd do for free, then why retire? When I graduate, I'll almost certainly going to be able to get a job that pays $100K+ doing what I love. (Or get a job that pays $200K+ doing something I don't enjoy) 

My current goal is to get my fiancee on the same page as me. I've just convinced her to put her substantial cash holdings in a simple diversified portfolio. Major progress!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Indexmantra on July 19, 2015, 01:02:17 PM
Hello,

I am a new mustachian. I am fairly frugal, i keep investing costs low, and I invest in tax deferred accounts.

I want to thank Pete for setting up this amazing page!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: norcalmike on July 19, 2015, 11:55:56 PM
Great forum!
I have been researching how to fix my horrible financial situation for years now. Ive done a pretty good job on my own by living well within my means and focusing on saving over the past 6 years. The only debt I have right now is a student loan which id like to have paid off in 2 years or less.
I know nothing about investing outside of my 457b (which I know nothing about either). I hope to learn a lot from you Mustachians.

Cheers, Mike

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trufire on July 20, 2015, 10:57:59 AM
Hi all. I came across the MMM a few months back while searching for information on whether my wife and I can FIRE at the ripe age of 48...Information here reconfirmed that we are in an awesome situation financially but totally screwed up mentally. Our already stressful jobs were getting more stressful which was taking a mental and physical toll on our health. We both decided that it was time for US to take control our life instead of our letting our jobs rule. I FIREd a few weeks back and my wife will FIRE at the end of the month.  My wife and I are both looking forward to this exciting-at times mentally scary-new phase in our life.

I want to add that this forum contains a wealth of information. I am enjoying the discussions from smart people with different perspectives -almost always in a civil matter even when there is a difference of opinion. That is refreshing. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mommad on July 21, 2015, 02:30:35 AM
hi
I'm  single mom in San francisco in my early 40's, my child is under 2.  I having been reading about FI for a few years and I'm about 6 months from partial retirement (working 2-3 days a week) and 3-7 years from full retirement if I chose to.  I am currently working on decreasing my expenses.  I rent from a friend, owe about 9 k on a 2014 honda  civic at .9% and still drive to work(total driving <4000k miles a year).  My goals in the next 6 months are to cut 10% from my food expenses, pay off car and fix bike and get a trailer for the little one.  In the next year my goal is to increase saving 10%.  I maximize work 401k and get a match.  I have a 6 month emergency fund of my bare bones  living expenses and I have an investment account.  I hope to start a motif account during the next 6 months and build a dividend investment plan with that.  My current investments would support me retiring in  a cheaper area sooner though I have concerns because much of my investments are in retirement accounts and when I price health insurance for my daughter and I- its over 400-500 a month. i also want to  consider college savings for my little one as part of my plan.  I have only 14 k saved for her in 529 and would like to have closer to 70K by the time I retire for her in a 529 or 200k by the time she starts college in 17 years.  staying in san francisco may be possible with retirement if I can buy an owner occupied rental or find and inexpensive rent controlled place in a part of the city with good schools.  I'm an optimist
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shesabikelover on July 21, 2015, 09:06:16 PM
Hi everyone,
  I'm Lily,A bike enthusiast.Anyone who is interested in bike can chat with me.I am glad too know more about bikers,whether MTB, road bike or others.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GerryS on July 22, 2015, 10:54:18 PM
Hi,

My name is Gerry. My wife Erin and I live in San Diego. We have a 3.5yr old boy and a girl on the way in September. We recently found MMM, don't recall from where, and we've been reading the back catalog of blog posts.

I'd say we're on mixed financial ground and looking to improve.

The good: We both make great incomes. I've been investing in my 401(k) since my first "real" job at 22 and have maxed it out the last couple of years. My wife also invests in her 401(k); She's not maxed out, but she's getting her company match. She also participates in ESPP and she has been granted ISO on several occasions. We have a nice liquid cash stash built up with large savings from great commissions these past two years.

The bad: We put 20% down (~110K) on our house, but part of the the down was a 401(k) loan form my wife's account (40K). We own a condo purchased by my wife as a single gal back in 2006 at the start of the bubble using a lovely stated income loan. We have it rented out, but we have passive losses of $24K since 2012, ouch. I think we're going to ditch it. I have a bike habit and both my wife and I have an Amazon habit.

I hope to learn from the wise old hands here and put more of our incomes to work for us.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ender on July 24, 2015, 07:55:50 PM
Fun to see all the new faces, this thread is getting really long!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Seppia on July 26, 2015, 02:49:56 PM
Hello
New member here, a few quick facts about me:
- discovered MMM a couple months ago, funnily enough through a forum dedicated to a very much non-mustachian hobby of mine (watches).
- I'm European, living in NYC since 2010, married, 35 years old.
- always lived a financially healthy lifestyle (I think on average Europeans tend to live less on credit compared to Americans), never spending more then what I made and saving about 15% to 20% of my income.
- after being blessed with a job in NY and its consequent significantly higher salary (I wasn't making much back in Europe) I bumped up my savings rate to approximately 30%, but since current salary is much higher than pre-USA, most of my net worth has been made in the last 5 years.
We could do much better if we tried hard obviously.

Very mustachian habits me and my wife had even prior to discovering MMM:
- never owned a car in the last 10 years (living in Paris and NYC helps)
- never went out much to restaurants, max once a month, as I love to cook
- very rarely bought lunch when at the office, brought my stuff a good 80% of the time

mustachian changes we implemented after discovering MMM:
- cut cable (saving $80 per month)
- cut the 20% of the time both me and my wife were buying food outside when at the office
- alcohol budget has been dramatically reduced (have bought maybe 3 beers out in the last two months, shifted at home consumption towards beer VS more expensive stuff)
- 401k has been maxed out, automatic investment in vanguard funds has been doubled.
- cut a lot of "misc" spending (the occasional tshirt, movie, etc).

My weaknesses:
- I love watches. I have drastically reduced the "watch budget" but I cannot cut it out completely yet. This is a major weakness, even if I have a strict "one in, one out" rule I still probably will spend close to $1000 per year in this (used to spend around $3000).
My plan is to eventually cut it out completely.
- I love scuba diving, and that's an expensive hobby. A day of diving (just the dives + gear rental) costs around $100-150 depending on the location, and I dive around 15-20 days per year.
I will never be able to cut this, diving is one of my favorite things in life, one of my goals is to make this less expensive by becoming a dive master and eventually get paid to do it.

Hope I haven't bored you to death, looking forward to participate here!



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Seppia on July 26, 2015, 02:50:28 PM
Hello
New member here, a few quick facts about me:
- discovered MMM a couple months ago, funnily enough through a forum dedicated to a very much non-mustachian hobby of mine (watches).
- I'm European, living in NYC since 2010, married, 35 years old.
- always lived a financially healthy lifestyle (I think on average Europeans tend to live less on credit compared to Americans), never spending more then what I made and saving about 15% to 20% of my income.
- after being blessed with a job in NY and its consequent significantly higher salary (I wasn't making much back in Europe) I bumped up my savings rate to approximately 30%, but since current salary is much higher than pre-USA, most of my net worth has been made in the last 5 years.
We could do much better if we tried hard obviously.

Very mustachian habits me and my wife had even prior to discovering MMM:
- never owned a car in the last 10 years (living in Paris and NYC helps)
- never went out much to restaurants, max once a month, as I love to cook
- very rarely bought lunch when at the office, brought my stuff a good 80% of the time

mustachian changes we implemented after discovering MMM:
- cut cable (saving $80 per month)
- cut the 20% of the time both me and my wife were buying food outside when at the office
- alcohol budget has been dramatically reduced (have bought maybe 3 beers out in the last two months, shifted at home consumption towards beer VS more expensive stuff)
- 401k has been maxed out, automatic investment in vanguard funds has been doubled.
- cut a lot of "misc" spending (the occasional tshirt, movie, etc).

My weaknesses:
- I love watches. I have drastically reduced the "watch budget" but I cannot cut it out completely yet. This is a major weakness, even if I have a strict "one in, one out" rule I still probably will spend close to $1000 per year in this (used to spend around $3000).
My plan is to eventually cut it out completely.
- I love scuba diving, and that's an expensive hobby. A day of diving (just the dives + gear rental) costs around $100-150 depending on the location, and I dive around 15-20 days per year.
I will never be able to cut this, diving is one of my favorite things in life, one of my goals is to make this less expensive by becoming a dive master and eventually get paid to do it.

Hope I haven't bored you to death, looking forward to participate here!



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DGFT on July 26, 2015, 07:17:12 PM
Hi, I'm Diego, I am 28 and I'm from Brazil.

I just finished reading all posts! I felt it was apropriate to introduce myself after this long-awaited milestone for me. Also, I fell like writing about my concerns relaxes my mind away from them.

I am a petroleum engineer that works on offshore rigs. I made 360k R$ last year before taxes, but I'm expecting to make 200k R$ this year because demand decreased, and that will dimish the amount of hitches I will make (on the plus side, more time at home!)
I have a wife and a 8-months-old boy. We live in the relatively expensive city of São Paulo, where my wife (a physician) does an internship in pediatrics (is that word right?). We plan to move to a considerably cheaper city once she finishes it.

The main problem right now (for me) is that I kind of hate my job. Sometimes it doesn't look so bad (usually when I'm slacking), sometimes I want to leave NOW! I'm on a vicius circle of not being motivated, than doing a shity job, than get frustated on my performance, than willing to get out, then getting less motivaded... But I would take a long time to match this income in another career.

Our cost of living is arround 100k R$/year, including rent (no home equity), but I'm afraid it will rise significantly because of the baby (Though many of the baby expenses are already in that figure). Our networth is not enough to cover this, but my own networth (we keep our finances divided) is about 1M R$, which is close to what I need to pay half of our expenses... Except that I pay more than half of the expenses, since my wife makes a lot less than me right now, with the expectation to make much more in the future.

But the main problem is that we have diferent mindsets. I am spending less so we waste less and can be free. My wife is spending less because she fells in a constant shortage of money (She wouldn't be able to afford our lifestyle right now without my income) and see this period as a necessary strugle between us and a "shiny future" of truck commuting, resort traveling and expensive beaverages. "I want to be NORMAL" she says... She definitetly does NOT suport me leaving my job, even though she hates it too.

Oh well, I know that I am complaining from a privileged position, specially when compared to fellow brazillians who are strugling through the current recession of our country... So after all those articles about optimism and not worring, I fell I will be alright, no matter what happens!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Seattle Stash on July 27, 2015, 11:10:15 AM
Hello!

I'm 30 years old, married to a lovely man, and living in Seattle.

I've been religiously reading MMM for the past few months and slowly integrating the principles into my life. I had already started down this road a little while back when I used to read GRS. Although I had/have a nasty habit of just buying tons of crap!  A year and a half ago I sold my house to pay off my student loans, which got me debt free. And last month I sold my car and now I'm biking or busing to work. I have been trying to eliminate more "stuff" in my life that is holding me back and learning to cook more at home. I still have a ways to go with being frugal, like eliminating my gym membership (which I just got a few months ago, doh!), reducing my food budget, better travel hacking, and not buying tons of gear for my motorcycle.

My savings rate has been around 40% for the last three months while implementing most everything I read from this blog; and we live in a cheap apartment, and there are far fewer of these to be found in Seattle now, which helps a lot.

The only real problem is that my husband thinks I've joined some type of mustache cult and is nervous about how obsessed I've become about finances and saving and investing money. He is a frugalish person by nature (and has never been in debt), but hates talking at length about money. We manage our finances separately. Although, we are saving up to buy a house at some point in the near future.

I love the FIRE concept and the freedom that brings to your life. It took a big stranglehold of stress off from around my neck. I would love to hike the PCT, go on a multi-month motorcycle tour of the Americas, and if we have a child, to have the time to spend with them while they are little. It has been fantastic to have such a big perspective change on what I can do with my life, and I'm endlessly excited to see where it goes from here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Punky Bikester on July 28, 2015, 11:26:17 AM
Hi!

I'm a 28-yr-old, semi-recent transplant to the north-of-Seattle area. Just discovered this site a few weeks ago, and DH and I have been rapidly devouring the articles. We already thought of ourselves as fairly frugal, but we're definitely starting to focus more on our spending habits and on what our future goals might be.

Our current strengths:
-debt-free!
-short, bike-able commutes to both our jobs
-living off of just over one of our incomes without too much planning on our part

Weaknesses:
-bikes
-REI garage sales
-delicious PNW restaurants
-general lifestyle creep since both of us gained employment

We're looking forward to joining some challenges in the next few months to help us kickstart our mustache growth!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zephyr911 on July 28, 2015, 11:30:44 AM
I just noticed I had 999 posts and figured I'd introduce myself with #1,000... better late than never xD

I'm finally getting my shit together after a seemingly interminable period of being an adult, gainfully employed, theoretically trying to FIRE, and making so many dumb mistakes that it was never going to happen. The good news is, with a confluence of helpful factors, things have taken off like a moonshot, and at 37, I think freedom at 40 is still in play.

I started reading about investing in the spring of 2000 when I was about to graduate with my EE - back when The Motley Fool had a strict "teach a man to fish" policy instead of selling expensive managed funds (sellout bastards). I read a lot about retirement planning and strategies, and proceeded to spend a decade making lots of money and blowing it on dumb shit. I went to Iraq in 2008 as a contractor and made well over $150K in a year, most of which went to paying off my second divorce and other consumer idiot failures. I lived off the surplus and some odd jobs until, nearly broke again, I landed a stable DoD job - where I still am now, almost five years later.

Truth be told, defense is not really my world, but I keep ending up here, just making the best of it. I have great respect for people who do this stuff their whole lives, but I've never felt quite at home for various reasons, and I finally decided to get serious about writing my own ticket to another destination. The first year at this job, I made six figures and barely saved anything, even with two paying roommates. The next year, it got a little better. My courtship with my now-DW catalyzed a moderate spending reduction in 2012, and the following year continued that trend. Then, a bunch of things happened all at once. I missed out on a ridiculously good real estate investment in early 2014 because I was too cash-poor to move in time. Finding MMM and meeting two likeminded investors soon after that, I co-founded a rental LLC and got licensed in real estate, all the while working on flexing the BA muscle. Ever since then, it's been all about steepening the growth curve and opening up more options. SR is past 50% and climbing, NW just passed a quarter million, and 300 is in sight this year.

My FIRE plan has many moving parts and I'm still trying to sort out my priorities. I grew up in Hawaii and we both love it there. My family has mostly converged in the PNW, and we also find that attractive. Neither is cheap. We could stay right where we are and take advantage of the borderline criminal surplus between our wages and LCOL, pump up the Stash till we're FI, and visit whenever we want, while continuing to work part-time and easily covering our costs so the accounts can keep growing. It's all a question of values that we're still working through. Throw in my very real desire to grow the Stash far beyond mere FI to leave a legacy of social and environmental change, and it gets even more muddled.

Fortunately, we have time to ponder this all. I'm committed to current business ops for about 3 more years; my pessimistic forecast at that point is 6-700K NW, plus a six-figure LLC share paying out at least $1500/mo. Even if we decide to make a HCOL jump, we've already set ourselves on the path toward affordability well in advance, downsizing and shedding needless clutter - which has been, in and of itself, a liberating experience. The last year has been one of excitement, growth, exploration, learning, near-constant fatigue, and amongst it all, a higher level of happiness than ever. I'm glad to be here, and I appreciate all of you. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Seppia on July 28, 2015, 03:12:59 PM
Wow zephyr that's an awesome story
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on July 28, 2015, 03:30:50 PM
Welcome to the community, you ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: noora on July 29, 2015, 02:03:41 PM
Hello! I'm Nora; I'm a twenty-five year old from Chicago. I've recently started working as a dog walker/house sitter/bike delivery lady. I made some silly choices as a teen and young adult which resulted in me racking up debt (approx ten grand). I pretended my debt wasn't a problem for a few years until I came across MMM. Since then, I've significantly reduced my cost of living and started working more. I'm now on track to get all my debts paid off by next summer :)

I love biking. I have a vegetable garden that I am always working to expand and make more efficient; I started my first compost bin this week and I'm super excited to be able to make my own potting soil in a few months :) I love hanging out with the dogs at work. I read a lot, mostly philosophy, "spiritually", and self-help/self improvement.

Hope you're doing well!

-Nora
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: K-ice on July 29, 2015, 02:57:20 PM
I am in my 30’s married with one LO.  My SO and I already do a lot of Mustacian things. I love this site now that I have found it!!

We are known as, frugal/hippies/handy(wo)men/international (wo)man of mystery/ amongst our friends. I have a good career I was passionate about, but it is not quite turning out as I had hopped. Spending time with family is becoming more and more important to me.

I am above average at saving (ok maybe just average for a MMM) and here to learn more about investing. I love crunching numbers in excel (sometimes work related sometimes just for fun). Depending on how much I think we need (and how much I improve in investing) we could be FIRE in 2-5years.  I have always been debt free except for a mtg. We have owned a rental property for about 10years, so I know a little bit about the highs and lows of that. I speak 2 languages and I am learning a third, I love to travel and plan at least a 10K budget for that once FIRE. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dan_Breakfree on July 29, 2015, 08:29:48 PM
Glad to join this incredibly well educated forum. Quick history:

- Graduated in 2004 with a Finance degree, proceeded to go $50k in debt one year out of school with new car and student loans
- Discovered Dave Ramsey, paid off $50k in debt in two years (done in 2007)
- starting blogging in 2009, with pretty regular blogging since 2011 on personal finance
- took a 9 month Round the World trip with my wife in 2013

I've always been interested in personal finance and eventually breaking free (even the name of my blog, breakfree.me). However, it wasn't until the last few weeks when I became a regular reader of this forum did I really start think timelines and strategies. Ideally, we could FIRE within a year, but I don't think wifey will be quite there yet mentally... but either way, we've made some major changes the last few weeks that will enable us to get there faster. Looking forward to interacting!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on July 31, 2015, 10:58:03 AM
Hello, finally decided to create an account. Not sure how much I'll post, but it's nice to have another forum to frequent. Especially one that aligns with my financial way of thinking.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lancchick on July 31, 2015, 12:39:04 PM
Hi everyone,

I found MMM after Googling "Retire at 40" a few weeks ago. I finally got around to reading some of the blog posts and now I'm hooked! I've been married for nearly seven years to my husband who is nearly twenty years older than me. So, he came into the marriage with a lot more than me.

We are childless and own our lovely home. My husband has always been a natural saver. It took me a few years to get around to that way of thinking despite the fact that I always believed in being debt free. My car is 14 years old.

A few months ago we started a conversation about "what the heck are we doing with our money and our lives?" I'll be emotionally ready to quit my job in a couple of years. My husband is starting to embrace the idea of a brand new lifestyle. I'm excited to start this new chapter! And I'm happy to be a part of the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ottoford on August 01, 2015, 06:44:30 AM
Hi -
I'm Sue.  I've been reading the blog for a while.  I'm up to August, 2012. 

In the meantime my husband (43) and I (42) are making the leap.  We are from NY metro area (high taxes).  We've discussed downsizing for years.  We bought a small home (800 square feet) with a full basement further north in NY (low taxes) and just this week put our larger house in the NY metro on the market.  I am self-employed and work from home so that will remain the same.  My husband will be leaving his civil service job soon and leaving a lot of his pension behind as well in order to reduce stress and work on growing a second home based business we have had for 7 years. 

When we look at the $, it all seems to work out, but as long as the house sits on the market unsold it will be nerve-racking.  While we can afford to support both homes on just my current salary it will be nice to cut the ties with our old home and have that extra $ cushion working for us.

I look forward to reading more.  Hopefully I will get to 2013 blog post sometime soon.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jt togs on August 01, 2015, 11:18:54 AM
Hi, I'm JT.  I love the blog and think I've found my tribe.

I've recently begun telling friends and family that I plan to "retire" in the next 1-5 years.  Retirement for me means leaving the rat race behind and venturing off in a new and more fulfilling direction.  At 44 I've had a solid, good paying career with work and people who've more often than not challenged and inspired me.  But, newly and amicably single, my perspective on life and work, is shifting. And has shifted. Profoundly.

It's really financial independence I'm seeking.

Thankfully I've got a good foundation in 401k's, carry no major debt and live pretty modestly.  But, as I'm learning here, I've got money leaking out everywhere which could and should be working for me.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights here, warts and all.  I hope to do the same.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LaineyAZ on August 01, 2015, 11:55:00 AM
Hi from Phoenix,
Have been lurking for a while but have now officially joined.

I'm an empty nester, consider myself "frugalish" but not as hardcore as I need to be.  Am about 2 years from retirement/Soc Security so I need to turn up the focus.

Am appreciating reading all of the stories here, very inspiring!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: markarsenal on August 02, 2015, 01:58:59 AM
Hi, I'm Mark.

I was led to the blog by the website for Andy Schell's sailing podcast, 59-North. In an interview he said his financial philosophy was basically summed up by MMM, so since I'm trying to become a badass sailor like him, I thought I should take a look.

Lots meshed with my own philosophy, and lots of links to other sites felt like meeting friends I never knew I had. Also, as an American who recently moved to Canada, I enjoy the binational slant to much of the feedback (the latest post is about the Toronto RE and rental market - what other financial blog from an American has that awesomeness to help me out?!).

I've spent the past couple weeks reading pretty much every post (ones about home improvement I tended to skim over coz I live on my boat; ones about cars I skipped coz I don't have a license).

Now I'm ready to leverage the community here to get some advice on the odd curve balls he hasn't covered, and maybe now and then to toot my horn about how badass I am now and then.

Chrz.
M
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Krcavi on August 02, 2015, 03:57:07 AM
Hello!
27 old European here, wife and 2 kids included, joined the community for exchangig advices, thoughts and learning.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MotivatedMother on August 02, 2015, 01:55:24 PM
Single parent living in expensive Bay Area, CA, self-employed.  My goal is to retire when my child finishes college.  (Still about 10 years away).  The only way to make it all happen will be very frugal living and creative economics, so here I am!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BrandonP on August 02, 2015, 05:25:05 PM
Hello all!

I've been reading this site for several months now, and just decided to join.

I've always been fairly frugal. I was very fortunate growing up in an upper middle class family. I was certainly looked after very well with family vacations, nice presents etc. However, I pretty much always knew the value of money and that it didn't grow on trees. A common saying was look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.

When I was in my teens, it really confused me when I heard stories about people using their credit card to go on holidays they couldn't afford. Or buy new TVs. Or new sofas etc. If you can't afford, you save for it. Because you end up paying way more for it on credit. It just did not make any logical sense!

I saw this even more firsthand, when I worked for a credit card company, and it just shocked me how many people spend money they don't have. In a lot of cases, just to have 'nicer' things.

My situation at the moment is that I'm in a really good job. I've had around 20 jobs, and this is the best one. It is close to where I live, and it is a 15 minute commute on the tube to work. My rent is super cheap. Living with a friend and one other person.

I know this website is about early retirement, but I'm very happy in my job. Maybe in a few years that will change, so I am saving a good portion of my income.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JJ360 on August 02, 2015, 05:27:54 PM
Hi! I am a 32 y/o new mustachian. Well I've always been pretty mustachian but now I have a game plan and hope for a much earlier fire than I thought possible! Really excited to be here. I was introduced to this site by a friend I graduated school with who's is planning on FIREing soon with 7 figures.

I got into index funds, Vanguard and bogglehead stuff right after graduating at 26. I went through a pretty rough patch for a while that set me back bad with a divorce, job loss and other problems. That's all turned around and I'm been back working for a few years now, saving and investing. And now being even more frugal. Conservatively I think I can fire in 18 years, maybe 10-12 if I get at it hard. I'm actually having a little trouble figuring out projections with an early morgage payoff. My personal capital app says my savings rate is about 50% which seems a little better than I thought it'd be. I'd like to see it better, but there's not a whole lot of easy fat to trim. Car being paid off in a couple years will be about a 5% boost, house in 8-12 will be huge. I recently bought my first house a years or so ago, fairly mustachian, small, a foreclosure, close to everything I need, aka work, food, gym. But honestly I'd still be in my one bedroom apartment if my parents hadn't pushed me to buy a house. I like it though and it's more than I'll ever need. Im lucky to have a good profession that I enjoy, if I keep my schedule full (5 1/2 days a week) I should make about 140k. My only other big hobby is the gym, I've been a musclehead gym rat since I was 14/15. Any weights, bodybuilding, nutrition advice hit me up! I had some good cheap basic cooking ideas I plan on sharing.

Really excited to be here and working towards FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. OTT on August 02, 2015, 08:28:25 PM
Hey everyone, I'm a long-time reader of the MMM blog.  Finally joining the forum to see if I can contribute to the discussion.  I'm early thirties and married with one kid.  We're financially secure, but have a ways to go to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Daox on August 03, 2015, 10:17:59 AM
Hello, I've been reading MMM for a couple years now.  I'm 32 years old and married.  My wife and I got the money saving thing down fairly well.  We live off of basically $20k/yr plus the house payment which brings it up to more like $35k/yr.

I've saved into a 401k for as long as I've worked, but only in the past couple have I really started to push the savings higher and higher and look into other investment ideas.  We're currently on track to be FI by the time I'm 45 years old, but I'm always looking for ways to reign that in through tax optimization (loving the new forum!), extra income, or finding new ways to cut costs.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: origamitect on August 04, 2015, 09:08:27 AM
Better late than never I guess!  Hi! I'm Amy.  My husband and I are both 42, both careers in the building industry, both recovering from expensive divorces that left my 401K empty and paying on a LOT of debt occurred by the previous marriages.  I have $116,000 in student loans, and we owe $225,000 on our house - I have knocked out all the rest of the debt over the last 5 years including our cars.  He has an 11 year old son which I have taken on as my own.  We were both hit very hard by the recession - he is in the Sheet Metal Union and is *just now* getting to work more than a couple days a week.  I am an architect for a small firm that hired me at a discount when I got laid off in 2008 with the rest of the employees at my previous firm.  We have been working at starting a metal fabrication/design business to supplement our income.  We have until recently been doing a lot of "robbing peter to pay paul" budget shuffling - but after selling my old house we were able to pay off more debt and can now at least keep up with everything.   I found this blog when I started panicking that I had ZERO retirement savings, and very little savings of any other type, and was not seeing how we could put anything extra towards retirement.  He does have a funded pension and 401K through the union, but politics may affect its solvency in the future.  We have a steep hill to climb, and some major changes and decisions to undertake - but we're reaching for maximum mustache!   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: reese_c_c on August 04, 2015, 09:34:48 AM
Hi, I'm Reese
Age 29
Married w/ 3 kids (5, 2, 0.4)

Wish I would have found MMM about 10 years ago!

Look forward to taking this journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalWad on August 04, 2015, 08:11:26 PM
I'm just me
A budgeting badass
Motorcycling on a mountain pass
Connoisseur of sassafras
Watching this wad of cash
Growing in mass

When I was 21 I pulled into a gas station, on the way back from some spendthrift adventure. Second year away from home, first year with enough freedom in the military to be out on my own off base. That freedom was bought for $11,000. $11,000 isn't a huge stack of bills in itself, but by power of the alchemist mages of Bankoom, they used their awesome magic to transmute that little pile of green into a Ford Mustang. $250 a month for the car. $250 a month for insurance. Restaurants every weekend, drinking most days and nights.

After two years in the Navy, I'd earned $50,000. I pulled into that station, having to dig for change in every cranny I could find to pay for gas just to get back home. I didn't have a dollar to my name, and nothing to show for the cash gone except the clothes on my back and a car I couldn't afford to drive. By the end of that year, I was $24,000 in debt. Two years later, the debt was gone and my wad had grown to $35,000 in savings. A year after that, $50,000. The trend continues.

The pinpoint of the V from changing my downward spiral into debt and endless consuming to joining the frugal horde covers  the span of time in my life it took to read Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Revisited, then the discovery of The Millionaire Next Door and Your Money or Your Life.

I've been a mustachian since before I knew there was a term. It just seems I've finally caught up to the rest of the awesome people who've found the same ley line to follow. This is going to be great. I hope I brought enough root beer for everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: theaveragearchi on August 07, 2015, 10:36:34 AM
30 year old architectural designer here, married with 1 kiddo.  I actually left the traditional workforce 4 years ago and started my own design firm, and my husband has always been self employed as a massage therapist.  Because of the choices we made we have actually been decently frugal, but have struggled to save, and since I've been reading the MMM blog I realize that we are losing money in some really bad places (ie. coffee out, and too many clothes and impulse buys). 

Unfortunately I came into self employment in debt as opposed to via retirement (bad choices as a student), and since I am still a part time student while working, paying off that debt has been harder than anticipated.  But over the last couple of months I've made some significant advancements in actually paying off my debt, while still maintaining a balance in my back account throughout the month.  Now the goal is onwards and upwards, pay off my entire debt in two years or less (about $20K), put more money into our investments, while actually saving for the stuff we want (like trips and new shingles for the house).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sjalabais on August 07, 2015, 11:55:11 AM
Overly mustachoed Norwegian with wife, two kids. I found this blog and forum and am happy to see that most matches my own financial philosophy, and it expands it. This is great - the discussions I've read so far witness a good tone and a high density of information. Still trying to decipher some of the acronyms. I am looking forward to be learning a lot around here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TonyV. on August 07, 2015, 03:19:24 PM
Hi everyone! My name's Tony (as you can see by the username attached). I found this incredible blog on Yahoo! of all things. Who would have thought that a financial link from Yahoo! would lead to such BADASSITY?! But here i am, and just in time! I'm a couple weeks away from being debt free (no house yet though) and was looking into allocating my extra money into investments as well as finance a new truck. Like i said, just in time, huh? I started reading the blog from the beginning and I have made it into the beginning of 2012 so far, which has changed my whole outlook on things such as a new truck and some other unnecessary expenses which will allow me to invest a lot more than previously planned. MMM as well as Mrs. MM have already had an impact on my thinking about consumerism and I'm just getting started! Today i actually became a member and checked out the forum. There are A LOT of people here!! lol I can't wait to actually get to know some of you through this site and maybe attend an event around my area (Topeka, KS).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoonShadow on August 07, 2015, 03:22:22 PM
Hi, I'm MoonShadow.

You'll get over it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: P0IS0N on August 08, 2015, 01:40:05 AM
Hi everyone! I'm P0IS0N.
I joined this forum after reading some really helpful blog entries and forum posts. I'm an expat, currently being courted by two IFAs, trying to push their ILAS plans (one with RL360, another with Friends Provident). I didn't wanna sign anything until I got documented about these schemes, and after reading a few posts here, I realized it's better to keep away from these things.
I'm still looking for more info on other money-saving options, so I thought I'd join the forum.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Need2Save on August 09, 2015, 10:25:50 AM
I guess I've put this off for a while, but it is interesting to read through what others have said, so maybe someone gets something out of our story.

My DH and I met before we both finished College (working at the same chain-restaurant, truth be told!).  We were both raised by lower-middle class families with parents who did not go to College. We are the first ones in our families to both go to college.  I'd say our families mostly lived paycheck to paycheck but when there was a little extra cash for some reason, spending that on a family experience like a vacation was important to us (my family anyway).  My mother taught me early on (in middle school) even on modest means how she budgeted monthly and 'paid herself' first. These were 2 extremely important lessons before I was even working (aside from baby-sitting $).  At one difficult time, I know my mother collected assistance to help buy food for our family of 6 (4 kids) and she often worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time to make ends meet.  She's basically my hero!

We bought our first home together at age 23 before we got married (I asked him to marry me and we were pretty smitten with each other so confident the marriage would last).  We did get married at age 24, had our first son at 25, then quickly at age 26, son #2.  Now a-days it seems like marrying and settling down before age 25 is unheard of and many of our friends did not have children until way into their 30's or not at all.  Our sons are right on the cusp of heading off to college! 

Early on, we both detested debt!  We paid off our student loans before the two kids came around and used my last working bonus to pay off our last car loan so I could take a few years off and be home with my sons when they were young.  I would not have traded this time for any amount of income!!!  When they were both in elementary school, I returned to work and was lucky enough to find a PT gig in my field which allowed for me to be home when they got home from school (thus avoiding any day care costs).  As they aged and were able to be on their own after school, I increased to FT.  I used this time to focus on building College Savings for them, paying down our mortgage (our only debt) and working myself up the ranks at work (to earn my family more money).   DH is an Electrical Engineer and super smart and dedicated! 

If we had not upgraded to a larger house, we would definitely have paid off our original mortgage twice over by now.  But we have honestly enjoyed the bigger house and bigger yard and we love our neighborhood very much.  Although when the two sons are gone, we know this house will be more than we need so we'll be downgrading near or at ER. 

Although we are not reaching ER in our 30s (or even 40s, by some of our choices) like many here, we are projected to have more money then we will probably need by the time we call it quits and hope this legacy provides some security for our two kids and their families.   We should also be able to pay for their in-state college tuition without too much difficulty based on what we've already saved up for them. 

Despite living on only my DH's income for at least 6 years, we have never carried credit card debt in almost 20 years of marriage and always found a little extra to send to the mortgage to pay it down.  We feel extremely fortunate but also have worked very hard to earn the extra income that will allow us to both reach ER and also really enjoy life now.  Best of Both Worlds if you ask me! 

I found MMM about 2.5 years ago but only recently starting posting. We have learned a lot here and thank all of you for what you share!!!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Barbarossa on August 09, 2015, 08:31:46 PM
Ahoy Mustachians!

Newby here, discovered MMM just recently and devoured every single post and lots of the forum.  This is great!  I had no idea there was a collection of such like-minded folks online.  I "think" I'm doing ok, but thought I'd post and see if I can get any new perspectives.  I've lived the MMM life for the most part, I think, although I've learned a lot of new ideas here already, and I absolutely freaking love MMM's atitude. 
I'm writing this both to get input and to lay it out so I can look at it all in one picture.  So here's a quick and unorganized look at my situation:

Several years back my now ex-wife and I saved up, bought a 40 foot sailboat, lived aboard and sailed around Florida and the Bahamas for eight years.  We could live, with our son, on about $500 a month on the boat.  (We met retired folks in the Bahamas living on $10,000-$20,000 boats, less than most spend on a a car, for part of the year, while "the SS checks are piling up in the bank."  True Mustachians!)
We'd sail a while, come back and work during hurricane season, and go again.  It was great, and we'd still be doing it except life got in the way.  Elderly parents needing care, divorce, that kind of thing.  Earlier in life I quit a very good job at 30, went back to college for ten years, got a couple of degrees.  Was almost as much fun as sailing.  So I've had a nice share of my "retirement" already, in that respect.
Two grown daughters and adopted a son late in life, at 47.  One of the best things that ever happened to me, but now I'm paying child support for 7 more years. After the divorce I lived on the boat awhile in Key West, then intentionally bought a small brick house in a small town with a mild climate (next to the Smokies) across the street from a 15 mile greenway in a beautiful park that takes me downtown, library, grocery store, PO, all that, only three miles from my house.  I bike most everywhere but work.  Put LED lights everywhere in the house, added insulation, etc etc and etc.  Electric runs about $26 a month except in winter (heat) and late summer, when I run the A/C sometimes.
All this even before I found MMM!  So I think I'm on the right track.  I did lose a lot of cumulative income over the years in college and sailing.  I would be where MMM is today, solidly FI, except for those years. No regrets, though.  I haven't worked fulltime since 2004, because I believe the mantra "You can always make more money, but you can never make more time."
Now I'm 59 and I feel like I'm "this" close to being free again, but not quite there yet.  I don't want to "retire" and do nothing, I want to do things like buy plane tickets to the Bahamas now and then and maybe buy another boat in a few years so I can sail there again.  I probably could quit now and putter around the house the rest of my life on $20,000 or less a year, but that's not ok.  I'm healthy and want to travel and sail.  I also want to continue to help my youngest daughter through college, about 3 years of that to go.  That expense varies depending on her income, but I figure $5000-$7500 a year.  These are loans she will repay.
Now that I'm "older", I don't feel as much confidence quitting a job as I used to.  My profession is limited and definitely not hiring old guys.  The young guns are taking 100% of any openings that come up.  I have a decent position now, but if I quit I'm done in this field except for a little pick-up work here and there.

My finances:

Income: $90,000 a year from part-time job.  15% going into 401K, 5% match from company.  Put $6500, the max, in my Roth this year.
Savings:  $450,000.  Some in cash, some in rollover 401k, some in current employer 401k above.  Invested in stock market funds through work 401K, Fed-tax-exempt CEFs in the cash account, some high-yield dividend CEFs and I trade options in my tax-protected rollover accounts.  I've done well with the option trading the last ten years or so, but it's hit or miss, not something I can depend on to pay the mortgage every month.  I am in the process of figuring out what I'm making in dividends, etc, per year.  I have been just throwing it back into the pot.

Mortgage:  $650
child support  $780
no debt except mortgage, $100,000 on $150,000 house.  3.1% interest rate.
Mustachian vehicle, a used Toyota Rav, paid for.  I drive my cars ten years at least.

I do commute 30 miles, and I'm hoping to shorten that in the next few months.  Eat out very little.  Maybe one movie out a year.  Make my own wine.  Have made a living as mechanic, electrician, welder, carpenter, entomologist, truck driver, race car driver, roofer, plumber, heat/A/C, chemist, sailboat Captain, writer, landscaper, pharmacy owner and pharmacist.  So I'm fairly self-sufficient when it comes to fixing things.
I basically live all the MMM tricks that I know.  I do have one guilty pleasure, a street rod in the garage, worth about $15,000.  It only gets about 5000 miles a year.
I am, thanks to discovering MMM and getting inspired, now working on an actual budget.  I make more than I spend, but not sure where the heck it's all going. 
It looks like I need a budget and I need to increase my dedicated savings.  I do not know how much of my income I'm saving.  Working on those.
The thing is, I dislike my job.  The  job itself, the commute, and the time it consumes.  I'd rather spend more time the next two years with my son, now 11, than work constantly and hope that I get to spend time with him later.  I've learned the hard way that sometimes there is no later.  In three years I'll hit 62 and I can start my SS, at which point I'll have enough income to feel "safe" enough to quit this job.  All the years before, with all those jobs and life changes, I got by on what I made at the time.  To a guy approaching 60 that now seems a little scary. 

However, this is the first time in my life I've had enough money for it to actually bring in a decent income on its own.  Pretty heady!

One last, but important thought.  My parents and my childhood were happy but frugal, we were poor and self-sufficient.  I ate Ramen noodles for ten years in college, did without health insurance, drove a $1200 car, wore the same shoes for years, etc, an experience which made me EXTREMELY grateful to be in the position I am in now.  (I still ride the bicycle I bought in 1992.)  When I write that I make $90,000 a year working part time I have to look around to see who they're talking about.  Is that really me?  So to even think that I'm approaching FI is a breath-taking concept.  Writing this out has made it clear to me how lucky and well-positioned I am.

Thanks for any thoughts or comments.  I'm sure I'm not thinking of everything.

And a big THANKS to MMM!

B
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on August 09, 2015, 09:48:03 PM
Welcome, Barbarossa!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bernieb on August 10, 2015, 06:39:52 AM
Hi There,

We are in eastern Canada.  Fairly frugal and with about 10 years planned to retirement.

looking forward to getting some tips through this website from like minded people.

bernieb
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on August 10, 2015, 08:32:40 AM
Ahoy Mustachians!
[...]
Several years back my now ex-wife and I saved up, bought a 40 foot sailboat, lived aboard and sailed around Florida and the Bahamas for eight years.  We could live, with our son, on about $500 a month on the boat.  (We met retired folks in the Bahamas living on $10,000-$20,000 boats, less than most spend on a a car, for part of the year, while "the SS checks are piling up in the bank."  True Mustachians!)[...]

I've been thinking about a sailboat a lot lately. Might move up my timeline a bit. I really look forward to hearing more about your story.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Veloter on August 10, 2015, 10:37:47 AM
Hi,

Oh how I wish there were internet and this site when I was younger.  I am the poster child for doing everything wrong.  Spent our 20s, 30s and 40s buying whatever we wanted, going into debt for new cars, toys, just CRAP.    Finally got a LITTLE smarter in our 50's and need to turn things around.

The good news:

- We moved away from expensive SoCal and moved where the COL is better.
- DH retired at 60 with a generous pension
- No debt except for house


Bad news:

- We will always have a mortgage :(
- I am still working as health insurance is ridiculous
- Our savings isn't what I would like it to be at this stage

My other issue is that we are not on the same page financially.  DH thinks if there is money in the bank it can be spent.  He is still buying useless crap and wanting to eat out all the time.  We argue about it all the time and it's wearing on me.     I would really like to hear from other people who have a hard time getting their spouse to see the light.





Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoonShadow on August 10, 2015, 12:34:53 PM
Ahoy Mustachians!
[...]
Several years back my now ex-wife and I saved up, bought a 40 foot sailboat, lived aboard and sailed around Florida and the Bahamas for eight years.  We could live, with our son, on about $500 a month on the boat.  (We met retired folks in the Bahamas living on $10,000-$20,000 boats, less than most spend on a a car, for part of the year, while "the SS checks are piling up in the bank."  True Mustachians!)[...]

I've been thinking about a sailboat a lot lately. Might move up my timeline a bit. I really look forward to hearing more about your story.

One of my retirement dreams is to buy a used sailboat & small outboard, and spend a year cruising the Great Loop.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Loop

After that, maybe see the islands.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TooManyGuitars on August 11, 2015, 02:29:41 AM
Hi, I'm new to the MMM community.  I'm 41, live in Perth with my wife and 2 daughters, and have been a classic high earner / high spender for most of my adult life.  DW and I decided it was time for changes about 15 months ago.  We read some books, cut some costs, and have not borrowed a cent since.  But we were still focussed on affording lifestyle inflation without debt.  We found a financial goal list from January over the weekend - on it was things like moving into a nicer house, having a fancy Land Cruiser, more guitars, etc.

However, we discovered MMM about 4 months ago and  it has changed our lives even further.  With a couple of changes we have in flight now, I think we are on track for FI in about 10 years.  And we have (mostly) lost those desires for fancy things.

MMM is also a topic in my team at work, we have all embraced it and discuss mustachianism at our weekly team meetings now.  The office is still full of antimustachians of course...but my team is focussed. 

I'm wondering how many other Perth MMM readers there are?  I hear there are meetups...would love to meet some others. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on August 11, 2015, 08:40:21 AM
Hi, I'm new to the MMM community.  I'm 41, live in Perth with my wife and 2 daughters, and have been a classic high earner / high spender for most of my adult life.  DW and I decided it was time for changes about 15 months ago.  We read some books, cut some costs, and have not borrowed a cent since.  But we were still focussed on affording lifestyle inflation without debt.  We found a financial goal list from January over the weekend - on it was things like moving into a nicer house, having a fancy Land Cruiser, more guitars, etc.

However, we discovered MMM about 4 months ago and  it has changed our lives even further.  With a couple of changes we have in flight now, I think we are on track for FI in about 10 years.  And we have (mostly) lost those desires for fancy things.

MMM is also a topic in my team at work, we have all embraced it and discuss mustachianism at our weekly team meetings now.  The office is still full of antimustachians of course...but my team is focussed. 

I'm wondering how many other Perth MMM readers there are?  I hear there are meetups...would love to meet some others.

If you want to find others, a good place to start is the Mustache Map (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/mustache-map!/). And then check out the Meetups and Social Events subforum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sam on August 11, 2015, 10:04:58 AM
Hey!

I’m a 27yr old based in the south of England!

Looking forward to future financial independence.

Sam
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsDutch on August 11, 2015, 11:15:33 AM
Hey guys!

I'm 25, live in the Netherlands and am expecting my first child in a couple of months. Found MMM about a week ago and am devouring the blog from the oldest post first. We are currently rock bottom and very eager to reach financial independence so hope to learn and accomplish a lot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Barbarossa on August 11, 2015, 04:18:10 PM

I've been thinking about a sailboat a lot lately. Might move up my timeline a bit. I really look forward to hearing more about your story.

One of my retirement dreams is to buy a used sailboat & small outboard, and spend a year cruising the Great Loop.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Loop

After that, maybe see the islands.


It's a great life.  Very Mustachian, if done right.  I've done about half the Great Loop and it's almost as good as the islands.  I'll do it all again once I get positioned right!
email me if you want to chat about it.  tpbnna1  at gmail. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ClassyCat on August 11, 2015, 05:49:51 PM
Hi everyone! I recently discovered MMM through an article I found and have read through all his blog posts ever since.

I'm 24 and graduated from college in 2014 with my Bachelor's in Computer Science. After being at my first job for several months, I began wondering "Is this really what people do until they're 65?" Because of that, I'd been looking for useful financial info beyond the standard "have a budget, save 10% of your income, blah blah blah" stuff. MMM is exactly what I needed, and it's really helped me define some concrete financial goals for the future.

Anyway, I've made a good deal of MMM changes lately (bought a bike, to start) and am pretty excited to continue down this road.

PS, my avatar is a bee that I cross-stitched. I was determined to learn something new this year, and he's the first thing I made.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on August 11, 2015, 07:10:11 PM
Good for you for starting the MMM way so early!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aetherie on August 12, 2015, 07:15:54 AM
Hi ClassyCat! Welcome to the forums. I'm also a 2014 CS grad. Good luck with those concrete financial goals - we'll be cheering you on! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ms. Maggie on August 12, 2015, 02:51:52 PM
Hi y'all!

I discovered (and obsessively devoured) the MMM blog this summer, and am excited to join the forum! I am a violinist and music teacher in Boston, and just survived my first "musician summer" (aka no paychecks) without Ramen or complete financial meltdown thanks to the Mustachian principles! I come from a long line of consumer suckas, so I'm looking forward to gaining inspiration from you all, and sticking to my new Mustachian guns.

My current goals are to pay off my student debt/credit card and engage in activities that are meaningful and financially sustainable. See you all around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LadyMaWhiskers on August 13, 2015, 03:43:24 PM
Hi - I'm Jen

I'm in Northern CA, a single mom to a fun little 8 month old boy. Very minor badassity in play right now, but taking steps in that direction. Product Manager by day, and landlord as well. So excited to have found the MMM site, BUT, I must say this...

I am feeling frightened of the vast population of farmer diplomats in my immediate area. I'm on the SF peninsula, walking distance to groceries, mass transit, etc. There is a mix of of suburbia and open space foothills around us. There are 3 farmer-diplomats on my block alone, out of about 30 houses. What, the fuck, are they all doing? I don't see any produce or livestock moving around. Are they operating an alternative economy underground. I really am feeling an arresting terror as I come across them. Is this a phase? Will I progress from fear to disgust or amusement? I don't think I ever really noticed them until MMM pointed out the farmer diplomat species. In the neighboring towns (much richer than my town) the pure diplomats travel by Tesla and employ large staffs to tend their grounds. And some of those staff live in my town. But the farmer-diplomats - holy hell! What are they doing?

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on August 13, 2015, 08:38:20 PM
That's a great story, Uturn!  Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kazyan on August 14, 2015, 01:07:40 AM
-
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zephyr911 on August 17, 2015, 01:05:16 PM
Hello all,

Joe here.  45 y/o man who found this site because I am tired of my cube.
Who in a cube isn't!? Thanks for sharing your story and good luck with your plans! --a govt guy

Hello everyone.

I'm Tanner--a 22-year-old recent college grad who is probably about to land a job as a nuclear engineer halfway across the country. The circumstances of this job are nearly ideal. Aside from it almost being my dream job, I have ~13k in student loans, and I wish to retire by July 11th, 2026. That date is chosen because I'll be 33 years old and 1/3 of the way to my next birthday, giving me the remaining two thirds of my life to do with whatever I please.
------snipped for brevity-----------
The future is bright.
Damn straight it is! Good to have you here.
Quote
Sorry for blithering my life story, but, I'm having one of those moods. It happens when you're soul-searching by reading a finance blog.
No apology required. Enjoy yourself here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoonShadow on August 17, 2015, 02:11:58 PM
Hello all,

Joe here.  45 y/o man who found this site because I am tired of my cube.
Who in a cube isn't!?


A 45 year old man?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zephyr911 on August 17, 2015, 02:19:25 PM
Who in a cube isn't!?
A 45 year old man?
A 45-year-old man you know?
I mean, my CWs don't constantly complain about being in a cubicle but I'm pretty sure, all else being equal, they'd prefer not to be.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: A Definite Beta Guy on August 17, 2015, 06:40:41 PM
Good Evening, folks.

I've read the blog for a while now, since Marginal Revolution linked to Mustache earlier this year. I can't say I'm a full Mustachian (don't flog me please!), but I am a big fan of the frugal community and a focus on creating value for less. Oh, yes, and whenever MMM describes his life as glamorous, which is exactly how I feel whenever I leave the cubicle farm and come home. Glad someone else thinks his life is awesome and doesn't complain about every little problem.

My Wife and I married last year and bought a home this year. We've tried to keep frugal as possible, but right now we're only saving 25% of our 12,000 gross (or 31% if you include the 401ks, I suppose). We've been blessed and plan to add a few more lives to this world, so we're looking to build some good habits and kill a lot of bad ones. Seems like this is the right place to get your head screwed on straight.

Thanks for your time, and your ideas.

-ADBG
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kingsmen on August 17, 2015, 07:40:08 PM
Hello!!  My name is Ryan.  I can't believe there is a whole community of people who have beliefs similar to mine about money and material possessions.  I've always been a little Mustachian, but this forum takes itto the next level.  I'm excited to learn new insights from fellow Mustachians!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: IslandGirl on August 18, 2015, 06:48:51 AM
I am a born and bred NYer stuck in Northern VA. My husband and I are not yet FI, but well on our way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: suffiansamuels on August 19, 2015, 03:20:01 AM
My name's Suffian, i'm a broker for those who are interested in investing in precious metals and gemstones
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cadman on August 19, 2015, 07:15:59 AM
Hey Guys,

C here. I’ve been lurking the past two weeks and figured it was finally time to join up. A little background (this is new to me so excuse me if it comes off as humble-bragging). I’m 33, married, no kids (and no plans to) and have been working for the same company for almost 15 years (thankfully interning counts toward service credit/pension). The cubicle life has never really cut it for me but the pay is good and in that Midwestern tradition, you’re supposed to hold on to steady employment until you hit social security, right?

A little background- I think we’re in pretty decent shape compared to others in our age bracket. Bought land instead of a house 10 years ago on a 15 year contract, then built a house/shop ourselves with sweat equity while the land pays the taxes and insurance. Two car loans both under 2% interest that will be done soon. Been contributing to my 401k from day 1 and have about 10x my annual spend saved, but now realize I need to be maxing out these pre-tax advantages…NOW. Wife has some CC debt from before we met that we’re paying down, otherwise no student loans, cable TV, silly spending or granite countertops : )

Anyhow, MMM’s blog hit me like a ton of bricks. Rather than wish and wonder about starting a business so I could be my own boss (and in this area, getting off the ground is $$$) it never occurred to me I could retire early.  It was a wakeup call and finding this blog/forum has spurred me into action!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ColoradoEng on August 19, 2015, 10:11:24 AM
Hello all,

I've been reading MMM for a few months now and I decided to finally join the conversation!

I'm a 27 married engineer living in a house we own in Parker, a suburb of Denver.  I've always been more frugal after I bought a brand new truck out of college.  Seeing the payments destroy my monthly savings made me pay it off as soon as possible, and I have been saving the best I can since then.  I feel like we are off to a good start but MMM has made me realize we could do a lot better.  My wife isn't on board the frugalness train quite as much as I am but she has done well with budget and investment changes since I started reading MMM.

I'm excited to start talking to some like minded people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bauhauss on August 20, 2015, 10:42:24 AM
Hello Mustachians fellows!

I am 31 years old, male, civil engineer, from Brazil. I'm not married yet, but on a long-term relationship with a woman I love. I'm self-employed now, due to brazilian corruption and crisis, jobs are scarce these days, and entrepeneurship is very tough here (bureaucracy, high taxes).
I'm a MMM reader for some time, and now I decided to join you guys.

My best wishes to us all  through IF journey.

Best wishes,
~bauhauss
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LAGuy on August 20, 2015, 02:48:35 PM
Hiya, I live in Los Angeles, CA. 41 male. Been lurking here awhile and signed up to plumb some of the excellent minds here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: runningthroughFIRE on August 21, 2015, 01:44:31 PM
I've posted elsewhere prior to this, but I figure I should introduce myself here.

Sometime early last Fall a long time member of this forum and college friend of mine seemed to decide that I wasn't entirely a spendypants sucka, and dropped a few hints about this blog.  After mentioning it probably 3 or 4 times, he'd had enough of me dragging my feet, and just linked it to my facebook page.  I read the entirety of the blog in roughly a semester, and started lurking the forums for a few months after that.

Now I've graduated with my undergraduate and masters in accounting, scored a job as a financial analyst, and moved out to Indiana to begin life as a big kid.  I've got just under 20k in student loans that I just made the first (early) payment of 5k to yesterday, with the rest to be demolished within the next year and a half.  I'd like to be FI and have my F-U account locked and loaded by 32, but I'm not ruling out the possibility of working longer for funzies after that.  10 years is a long time, and my favorite thing about this lifestyle is the freedom it brings (and I get really fired up about tax optimization - I'm weird).

I might not be posting much in the immediate future, since I start training to kick the CPA exam's ass next Monday, but I'll probably be lurking around a bit.  Thanks for being here, everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kaikou on August 21, 2015, 03:34:49 PM
Hi Everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on August 21, 2015, 04:00:22 PM
Hi Everyone!
You missed the second part of the post. You said hi!! That is amazing, but I'd love to hear more things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jgallet88 on August 23, 2015, 10:43:31 AM
Hi I'm Julia. Been reading a lot of blogs and articles- really excited to be a part of this
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vanchica on August 24, 2015, 03:27:08 AM
Hi, Vancouverite here- just digging out from under what another financial advice writer calls "stupid tax". Came over looking for sidehustle ideas, found one thread, hope there is a corner full of such threads here someplace! I'm still reading the blog, only dipped my toe so far but LUV it.

See you around the forums!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sabby on August 24, 2015, 06:28:01 AM
Wife and I entered the 30s, after finishing our PHD, and business school respectively, with no debt, but also no savings! Reading the forum, and the blog, is helping us take a more active role in controlling expenses, and investing, retirement or otherwise. With couple of life changes in the near future, we're targeting low hanging fruit for now.

Hoping to write a case study, and be a more active participant on the forums. And of course, help others wherever possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jakcorb on August 24, 2015, 08:37:53 PM
Shiiiit! If the MM would have been watching his stats closely the past couple of months, he would have seen a tiny dot located in the Great White North slowly progressing through the list of all blog posts... Today is the day that I can finally say that I have read all of MM's posts! Shiiitt! 

I am Seb btw... Living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Capital of the Ford F150 Truck, or so it seems. According to some fellow Yellowknifians I spoke to recently, this humble blob in North is also home to the world's busiest Tim Horton's Fast Food Franchise, a true accomplishment... Shiiittt! Car clowns alert!     

I love this city though for it's non-existing commutes and super-wages... The nature around here ain't bad either.

Now that I'm cured from my self-imposed binge-reading MMM habit, I hope to start a new habit of creating content for my own humble abode on the worldwide web. See y'all around! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoski on August 24, 2015, 09:43:10 PM
Hello Folks!

I ran into the MMM blog about 6 months ago totally by accident. It was good timing because my wife and I had just paid off a big line of credit and started making extra payments on the mortgage. Currently we are hoping to be mortgage free in two years, and start really stashing it after that.

The blog has really helped us to define our financial goals in a practical way, with the focus on our savings percentage and 25 times that as a rough and ready retirement number. Thanks, MMM, for your badass laser beams cutting through the fog with goals we can achieve (with a little "voluntary discomfort"). It's more fun now that we know what we're aiming for.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MaybeBecca on August 25, 2015, 07:17:24 AM
Hi, I'm Becca.

Not sure how I found MMM (probably Reddit), have read the whole deal from start to finish, some things way more than once.

Now, I'm trying to get out of my cubicle hell and into financial independence as soon as is reasonable for my situation. 22, married, we'll be paying off the $20k of high interest student debt by the end of this year, then focusing on getting rid of PMI on our mortgage next year (probably one of our worst financial mistakes... Ah well). Excited to best my financial demons.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Karina on August 25, 2015, 11:46:53 PM
Hi
My name is Karina. I am freshly divorced and starting a new life. I want to be financial independent, so there is a lot to learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fishindude on August 26, 2015, 06:17:52 AM
Hi -
55 Year old guy from the midwest. Happily married 30+ years, kids are raised and on their own and life as an empty nester is good.
We have done well, own a business, lots of real estate, carry no debt and are financially secure.  Going to part time work soon, then full retirement in a  few years.
Looking forward to a whole lot more free time to spend fishing, hunting and generally goofing off.

Enjoying life and want to continue earning money with assets as well as preserve things to pass on to next generation and make their lives a little easier.
Can probably learn a thing or two here, as well as lend a little advice.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PFHC on August 26, 2015, 08:00:51 AM
Howdy. :)

35, married to my fun adventurous grounded best friend. Two absurdly awesome squids, 5 and 3. Debt free, but not mortgage free. Stubble stash haver, but getting better. Even with the stubble, 7 years out from FI. When the stash comes in, that could get better.

Started maximum stash spending habits as a young 20 yr old. Never had good saving habits. Lived an awesome life on pennies and never cared. Went to college at 25, graduated, got a great job, acted like an excited dumbass and bought a ton of dumb shit I never needed, got married, had squid #1. Started with $20k savings and ran a $500/mo deficit until I was a maximum sukka with $280,000 debt and $500 cash in the checking account.

Some intense shit went down, we got out with our credit intact, and our asses chastised. Got hired for an insane job, moved, and started over, stubble stash style. Four years later, our financial situation is significantly better, but we can get a lot better on our spending and exploring other money making schemes (see my other post). That's why I'm reading MMM straight through and why I subscribed here to learn from all you bad asses.

Psyched beyond psyched to be here collaborating with all of you. :)

Would love to hear from some fellow Maine mustachians, especially the midcoast region.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tigerpine on August 30, 2015, 06:25:19 AM
Hello, I'm Tigerpine.  I found MMM through Yahoo! of all places.

MMM seems to coincide with my own thoughts about money, although you might not think that given my current financial situation.  But the past is done, and I'm trying to learn from it and do better going forward.   Honestly I had never thought about ER until finding his blog, and I may not be able to achieve that with the time I have left, but at least I should be able to achieve a good retirement when that day does come.

The best piece of advice I've gleaned from MMM:  reduce your spending.  Spending is the biggest obstacle to FI.

Thank you for letting me in the fold!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jupiter on August 31, 2015, 03:48:28 AM
Hey guys, (please note wages and prices in australia are a lot more than in the US so if anything seems crazy... that's why)

I'm a 21 year old guy from Australia who plans to retire at 30. (I use different names on all forums I visit and am an identity protection freak). Before you guys say "yea right!" know that I've been following the MMM way since I started working at 18 without even knowing about the existence of this site. I've got a full time job 39 hours per week earning 36K per year after tax plus 2 smaller jobs bringing my total working week to around 60 hours (which sure I'm not happy about but through saving 80-90% of my total income I will 100% retire by 30 with approx 1 million net worth.

How much have I saved? More than I've earned (thanks to the forex world which is risky and something that I'm slowly withdrawing my capital out of). My net worth was 150K last week but due to a bit of a "crash" (a trade went bad with the EURUSD as it rose up like crazy for days) I'm now at 145K. Looking at the big picture though my forex investment earns me decent money and that $5,000 was only a lose of 2 months of profit. Looking on a month to month basis 95% of time I'm making money although I'm pretty keen on taking it out bit by bit as it grows. 80K of my capital is in forex (which has grown to 105K but I'll be withdrawing 40K when it gets to 120K). The other 40K is in a property (585K 1 bedroom ground floor unit) - yes.. property prices suck around sydney.

I am making repayments on my property (loan isn't fixed) which I bought to host a business from which will earn me 1-3x more (depending on amount of business) income that I earn at my current job.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: calimom on September 01, 2015, 08:09:25 PM
Hello, all! I found the blog in a roundabout way and have been reading here for a bit, finally joined and started posting, but thought it would make sense to introduce myself.  In order to do so, I need to back up a bit to the summer of 2007:

Life was pretty sweet.  I'd been married to my lovely and handsome DH for almost 7 years.  We had a then 14 year old daughter from his earlier marriage and our son had just turned 5, and our baby daughter had just had her first birthday.  DH worked as a software developer for a midsize firm in San Jose and by mutual agreement after child #3 was born, it was decided that I'd be a SAHM for a few years.  The software salary was pretty decent, and although we paid a freakishly high rent for a small ranch house in Menlo Park, we were still living below our means and had a reasonable stash, which included the proceeds of a little condo DH had owned before we married (we outgrew it), wedding presents, bonuses, etc.  We'd hoped to purchase a house, but the Silicon Valley real estate climate was crazy.

And then DH was killed by a drunk driver on his way home from work one night.  Nothing ever prepares you for such a shocking, life altering event.  At the age of 31 I was a widow with 3 young kids. (the driver, btw, is still in prison, serving the remainder of a 10 year sentence)

So, to fast forward over some unpleasant emotional and legal stuff,  I was faced with the decision of what to do.  Stay in expensive Menlo and get a job at Google or Yahoo?  Or move elsewhere with a much lower COL and move forward?  At the urging of relatives, I chose Door Number Two and packed up my kids, our Rottweiler, bunny and kitten into the newly purchased Passat wagon (that replaced the car destroyed in the crash)  and headed up to a small corner of California where we moved into a 1970s house on 3 acres, bought at a distressed price from owners going through their own financial crises.  Remember:  2007.

Regarding finances, the news was not dire, but it wasn't great.  We were underinsured.  DH had a life policy through his work that paid out a year of his current salary.  There was that.  He had a smaller policy through our credit union for $50K, so there was that.  From State Farm, our auto insurance carrier, there was a payout for the car, and because of the due diligence of my dear mother, a death benefit for Uninsured Motorist (which the other driver was) deep in the fine print.  Another $100K from that came about 6 months after our move.  DH had about $30K in a rollover IRA, payable to me; and my own was around $8K.  In addition, the kids were eligible for Social Security Survivors' Benefits, to the tune of, at that time, around $2500 per month.  No real debt, though the house purchase and moving expenses were quite a hit.  DH's company paid our health care premiums for a year, and then I'd be on my own.

I've heard of worse stories in my years of widowhood, to be sure.  There was some breathing room, and I am to this day grateful for that.  But even living a frugal life, I worried about basic living expenses for so many years, college costs, and in the future, my own retirement.  I knew I needed to work at some point, but at what?  After a few halfhearted job interviews that were so depressing - one job was so low paying that after daycare for a toddler, and aftercare for my son, would have COST me money, I stumbled upon, by sheer luck (and I was needed to a bit at that point) on a small business was for sale.  It was so perfect for me, a tropical interior landscape company.  I actually had had experience as a floral designer so was able to pick it up pretty quickly.  The owner was selling because she and her husband were FIRE to Hawaii.  She felt her clients and part time employee would be in good hands with me and with a small down, allowed payments for 18 months.  And it fit in with kids' school schedules, the baby was only in need of care a few hours a day. 

Fast forward, if anyone's still reading, to today.  I still have the little company, and have "grown" it (horticultural humor) somewhat, and I enjoy it very much.  With some of the life insurance, I purchase, along with a relative, a duplex and entered the landlord biz.  We are in the middle of a flip of a townhouse, and should do pretty OK with that.  The other $$ I've been able to finally invest - it took awhile to figure out what to do.  The kids are all bigger:  9, 13 and the oldest just graduated from art school, where she went on full scholarship.  I'm so proud of all of them, and their dad would be too, if he could see them now.  Rebuilding a life after a tragedy is hard, but can be doable.  We're an active family who hikes, bikes, camps and enjoys the beauty of Northern California on a regular basis. 

Moving into the future I want to sort out my options regarding investment strategies, frugality while living well and enjoying this rebuilt life I've been given.

Whoever stuck around to read this, thanks.  I think I needed to get it out there.  I've been enjoying reading some of your stories and hearing solutions, this is a very helpful place on the interwebs.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kaikou on September 01, 2015, 08:09:59 PM
Hi Everyone!
You missed the second part of the post. You said hi!! That is amazing, but I'd love to hear more things.

tbc...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on September 01, 2015, 09:57:41 PM
Calimom, you have my most deepest sympathies. Nothing can ever prepare you for anything that horrible, but I am heartened to hear of you and your families success. Thank you for sharing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SleepyHeadP on September 02, 2015, 10:49:19 AM
Howdy, SleepyheadP here.

I'm a 30 year old newly married lady who lives in the ridiculously expensive SF. Moved here with my man back in 2011 for a game gig. Stayed there till this year and was laid off with a decent package. Used that to pay off all student loans that I and my estranged mother took out and am looking at a debt free situation. However I have yet to find another job 6 months since the lay off and I'm starting to finally dig into my savings to help cover rent and other living expenses.

The job I had was pretty stress inducing and despite it being a good thing of not being there anymore I've been pretty aimless with my career now. I'm not sure if staying in the game biz is what I want and if not then what is it that I want (or really think I can pull off). Needless to say the whole losing job/jobless/aimless situation hasn't helped my mental state at all and I have been depressed for a while now.

So I'm going to start actually posting here and hope to gain some type of wisdom to get unstuck from my current situation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsPrettyInPink on September 02, 2015, 07:38:48 PM
Hey Y'all!

Mid-westerner from Ohio here!  Stumbled upon MMM somewhere between finance blogs and Dave Ramsey forums.  Lots of motivation and activity here and I like it!

Currently working through 26K of consumer debt and also 80K of student loans (undergrad/grad combined). 


Nikki
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Feminine Mustique on September 03, 2015, 10:18:08 AM
Hi! I've been interested in simple living and early retirement for years. Then my husband and I had a couple of kids and I fell asleep for several years. I'm just waking up and wondering how we ended up in this larger-than-we-need home in the suburbs, with me driving a big ole SUV.

I guess I haven't been asleep entirely, because in the interim I've managed to launch a modest freelancing career that enables me to be here when my son gets off the bus, and though I'm barely making enough to cover my daughter's preschool, I've always wanted to be a writer and I still can't entirely believe I'm getting paid to do so. My hope and expectation is that my career will continue to grow, and in a few years when my daughter is in public school, that $ will be stashed away.

So I'm trying to get my lifestyle more aligned with my values, and finding this community very inspiring. I'm also trying to get my husband on board, as he has a stressful job. But he is much more focused on what he wants in the moment and less able to see the benefit of saving more now. It's a big tension between us.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: surlygirl on September 03, 2015, 11:09:40 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm a 38yo divorced single mom of a 13yo DS trying to figure out my way to FIRE.  I was introduced to MMM through the Dave Ramsey forums a few years ago.  Though I know that folks here aren't usually a fan of DR, there are a lot of DR followers who are also Mustachians :). 

I live in the Denver metro area, and used to work in Firestone, the neighboring town to Longmont where the MM's live.  I kept hoping to see Pete riding his bike down the streets of DT Longmont, but never had any luck. I work in IT and am currently a Director at a software company.

I'm the kind of person that loves the encouragement and inspiration from a community, and I'm hoping that y'all can help me kick it up a notch and turn my dream of FIRE into a reality.  I make a good 100K+ salary, but am a bit locked into a living situation that's not very conducive to the Mustachian lifestyle due to the kiddo and proximity to XH.  However, the end is in sight when DS goes off to college in a few years and I can downsize from my current behemoth 1500sqft 3br/2ba home (totally ridiculous for 2 people!) that's 20 miles away from where I work into something better sized and more centrally located.  There's plenty I can do in the meantime to get me closer to the day when I can kiss corporate America goodbye and set my own schedule.

Despite my screen name, I'm neither grumpy nor surly, just a fan of Surly bikes. 

My only debt is the mortgage, and I've hit the "normal" guidelines of having double your annual salary in retirement savings by age 40, but now need to focus on non-retirement savings for income between ER and when I can tap into my retirement funds.

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kittenwhiskers on September 03, 2015, 07:57:23 PM
Hi, I'm Heather, and I love kittens. I'd like to retire early so I can spend all my time fostering kittens. Or whatever else sounds good at the time. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: heitzrun on September 04, 2015, 06:00:57 PM
Hi Everyone,

I'm Bill, Married w/ one 2 year old and one on the way.  We've been doing Dave Ramsey for 5 years. They took down their forums so now we're Mustachian's. We're finishing up 23k in student loan debt.  We live in a small town in Minnesota.

I like the articles on the blog.  I guess we're looking for support and ideas.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsPrettyInPink on September 05, 2015, 06:39:13 PM
Hi Everyone,

I'm Bill, Married w/ one 2 year old and one on the way.  We've been doing Dave Ramsey for 5 years. They took down their forums so now we're Mustachian's. We're finishing up 23k in student loan debt.  We live in a small town in Minnesota.

I like the articles on the blog.  I guess we're looking for support and ideas.



Hi Bill! 

I was very shocked to see the Dave Ramsey forums go down.  I see that directed everyone to their Facebook group. 

Welcome aboard and congrats on the family!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: surlygirl on September 08, 2015, 07:54:20 AM
Sounds like we have a few people here who are looking for another forum since the TMMO forum shut down.  Glad to see a few names I recognize :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: burkevalocks on September 08, 2015, 05:21:57 PM
Hey everyone my name is Alex I am new to this forum but I cant wait to contribute to you all, and hopefully help me out when I need it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ender on September 08, 2015, 05:24:38 PM
Hi Everyone,

I'm Bill, Married w/ one 2 year old and one on the way.  We've been doing Dave Ramsey for 5 years. They took down their forums so now we're Mustachian's. We're finishing up 23k in student loan debt.  We live in a small town in Minnesota.

I like the articles on the blog.  I guess we're looking for support and ideas.

Small town in MN huh? :)

I did the Dave Ramsey --> Mustachian journey a few years ago myself and an from a not-so-small town in MN origianlly.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsChewieBear on September 08, 2015, 06:00:47 PM
Hey, everyone. My husband and I hit a very rough financial patch due to some serious medical problems I had in 2012 (no emergency fund, so we ended up putting necessary expenses on credit cards because I was in the hospital and couldn't work), and we are still trying to dig our way out. Wish I had found your site about five years ago. We're slowly making a little progress, but I'm looking forward to learning more. I have been loosely following Dave Ramsey, but his website no longer has forums, and I tend to do best when I have a network of people I can talk to about certain topics.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tigerpine on September 08, 2015, 06:07:21 PM
Good luck, MsChewiwBear!

Credit card debt is hard to get out of due to the high interest rates, but it's good that you're making progress!  I wish you and your husband the best!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MsChewieBear on September 08, 2015, 06:21:07 PM
Thanks so much!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PFHC on September 08, 2015, 07:06:40 PM
Hey, everyone. My husband and I hit a very rough financial patch due to some serious medical problems I had in 2012 (no emergency fund, so we ended up putting necessary expenses on credit cards because I was in the hospital and couldn't work), and we are still trying to dig our way out. Wish I had found your site about five years ago. We're slowly making a little progress, but I'm looking forward to learning more. I have been loosely following Dave Ramsey, but his website no longer has forums, and I tend to do best when I have a network of people I can talk to about certain topics.
Wlecome, MsChewieBear! I'm still a new guy, but there is tons of good info here and the posts I made have gotten great responses. Best of luck with your debt. Follow the things you learn here and it will be gone in no time!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Urchina on September 11, 2015, 12:58:21 AM
Hi! I'm Urchina. I live in coastal Southern California with husband and kids, have two part-time jobs that I enjoy, and currently use MMM (as well as the RE forums) as a vaccine/antidote to the, ahem, somewhat incredible consumption patterns present (though not universal) in my current hometown.

I enjoy my work so thoroughly that I'm not sure I'll ever retire (adjunct faculty at a community college -- such an awesome job!), but I think my husband may want to stop working eventually, so we'll plan for that.

Onward!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mmuhlenkamp on September 11, 2015, 01:15:17 PM
Hello all, I've been reading the MMM blog for a little while now and starting to lurk in the forums (so much info everywhere!).

I'm nowhere near full on Mustachian, but this site has challenged me to think more about what I spend my money and how I'd like to get to where my husband's work is optional (mine kind of is already). I work part-time from home (graphic designer/photographer) and my husband is a full-time engineer type. Me being part-time helps cause I take care of most of the chores and house maintenance, and make a bit of extra money when I do have work. We live well within my husband's means and have zero consumer debt.

I'm not great with investing type stuff (my eyes glaze over once that's mentioned) so I'm more concerned with getting more paid off on our mortgage and student loans paid off since those are things that are more tangible to me.

We have a decent savings account and we've gotten to a point that when something breaks or needs fixing on the house it's not a huge deal because we have the money for it already. The peace of mind with being more financially stable (if not quite totally free from the rat race) is a great gift to ourselves.

I look forward to learning more and hopefully I can give back some advice as well :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Monocle Money Mouth on September 12, 2015, 08:20:17 AM
Hello!

I don't have any dramatic turnaround stories as my wife and I have generally avoided debt . My wife and I never had any student loan or credit card debt and my wife paid off her car about a year ago which leaves us with only our mortgage. Mostly I have been waking up from a slumber where I wasn't paying much attention to how our finances worked or where our money was going.

My interest in personal finance was piqued in April when I became frustrated with how slowly our mortgage payoff was going. I found an amoritzation calculator online and was appalled by how long it would take us to start paying more in principal than interest each month. I took a look at my savings account at my brick and mortar bank. It was paying pennies every month for a pretty decent chunk of cash. I moved most of it to a higher yield online account and threw a large chunk of it at my mortgage. I reduced my interest burden on the mortgage quite a bit, and earn much more on my emergency fund money. After that, I forced myself to examine some other parts of my finances that weren't optimized. I signed up for a rewards credit card. I have been in the habit of paying for everything with a credit card anyways. If I have to pay for boring stuff like groceries, gas, or unexpected repairs, I might as well earn a few extra bucks back every month. 

With all the money I threw at the mortgage, we were able to refinance to a better rate and shorter term. We went from a 30 year 6.24% mortgage to a 10 year 3.39% mortgage with the same monthly payment. I did all of this before I found Mr. Money Mustache mind you. It was nice to find a blog and forum that confirmed that I was on the right track to getting out of debt and finally being financially independent.

My short term financial goal is to get my house paid off in the next 3 years or less while putting as much into my retirement account as possible. After that, I want to work on early retirement. MMM has shown me the way forward and that I don't have to be stuck in an office job for the best years of my life. This blog and forum have been great for keeping me motivated with my goals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tessiebee on September 12, 2015, 09:35:23 AM
Hello all! I'm a newbie from the UK and I have been reading the forum for a while before joining. I love the open, honest and no bull attitude of the site and while its USA specific I feel a lot of the basic tenets are applicable worldwide. Thank you for everything
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mitko on September 12, 2015, 10:42:43 AM
Hello, I am Mitko,

I am 28, and making good salary but have not saving much. Started reading MMM blog as it was interesting and I tended to agree with the ideas, then gradually read almost all articles and got convinced that I was doing the math wrongly.

Excited to optimise my lifestyle to greater freedom. My largest costs are the rent and going out and travelling.

I actually want to do a lot more of traveling (it is *worthed* for me) and have a lot of free time for side projects, so mustachianism seemed like a fun viable way to get this.

Reading though the forum it seems that this is positive community.

I am excited to join the community :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr. Michael on September 12, 2015, 05:43:32 PM
Hello everyone,

So glad to join the MMM forums and see thousands of like minded individuals striving for more by living off less.

I recently took an early retirement from the normal 9-5 at age 36.  Ironically I work more now then I did before, but at least it's on passion projects of mine (family, blogging, investing, etc.). I'm fascinated by the relationship of mind and money.  I own a few rental homes, invest in dividend stocks, and P2P notes.  My equity is healthy, but cash flow is tighter now without my FT income... trying to ratchet down my monthly expenses by 30% this year.

Good luck to everyone on your journey to FI! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xdragoox on September 12, 2015, 08:02:32 PM
Howdy Y'all!

MMM has inspired me to pay down my debt.

My story: I graduated with a Biz degree from a top 10 University.
I tried to be responsible for 2 yrs: worked 8-5, bored to tears,  decided at age 26 to pursue a dream.
Moved far away from home for 6 yrs and achieved most of my dreams, but they weren't financially smart.
I had crazy adventures, pursued a passion, and learned a lot.

Now I'm divorced and in debt, paying child support and working a blue collar job. Hurrah!
I never thought my life would turn out like this.
I'm in my early 30's and wide awake now.
My kiddo is the true source of my inspiration to get outta debt and save enough to leave something behind after I'm gone.

This is where I'm at in life and I'm not ashamed of it.
I'm done making excuses and blaming others.
This is my burden and I take full responsibility for it.

The good news is that I've already made some exciting first steps, including paying off 2 credit cards, and I hope to learn from all the Mustachians on here. Onward and Upward!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GingerGirl on September 13, 2015, 11:39:47 AM
Hello everyone.

I am a separated mother of two teenagers, trying to get out of debt. Just wanted to introduce myself, and look around at everything. There is a lot here to take in!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Physicsteacher on September 13, 2015, 01:35:25 PM
Hello Mustachians,

I'm a married 29 year old spendypants. I teach high school science in a tiny, high poverty (85-90% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch), rural school district in Arkansas. My husband is also 29 and is a journeyman electrician. Last year our gross income was $70k, but my husband recently got a raise to $20/hour and has been getting quite a bit of overtime and I took on some extra responsibilities at school that came with a $3k stipend. Our only dependents are two cats.

We have no debts. My degree in physics at the state university was covered entirely by scholarships, and my husband's degree in math was covered by his generous parents. We own a 2011 Nissan Versa and a 2002 Ford Taurus, both of which we drive way too much. We rent but are saving for a down payment on a house within the next couple of years; we might not buy yet but want to be in a position to do so. We're also on track to max out our Roths for the year, and I will qualify for a tiny pension at age sixty even if I quit teaching at the end of this school year. Overall, we're probably doing better financially than your average Americans yet are still deserving of a ton of face punches.

Our school counselor was forced to resign three days into the school year, and that has served as a catalyst for reevaluating my relationship with money. She was a caring, dedicated person, and that didn't seem to mean anything to my employers.  Now everyone at my school is stressed out all of the time, and I think it would be drastically less worrisome if we were financially independent. I really love teaching and might not choose extreme early retirement, but I want to have the option. Few things could be as liberating as having F.U. money. Also, while my husband loves that his job consists of playing with power tools all day, he's come to the realization that older guys in his field usually either end up transitioning to office jobs or find other employment. The guys over fifty who can handle and still want to spend forty to sixty hours a week doing heavy lifting are few and far between. So I'm no longer happy with being on track to retire comfortably in our mid sixties. 

We need to stop being satisfied with doing ok, step off this hedonic treadmill, and get serious about getting our lives in order. I'm hoping the Mustachians will offer their sage guidance as we do so. (Now bring on the face punches!)



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on September 13, 2015, 02:19:06 PM
Hello Mustachians,

I'm a married 29 year old spendypants. I teach high school science in a tiny, high poverty (85-90% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch), rural school district in Arkansas. My husband is also 29 and is a journeyman electrician. Last year our gross income was $70k, but my husband recently got a raise to $20/hour and has been getting quite a bit of overtime and I took on some extra responsibilities at school that came with a $3k stipend. Our only dependents are two cats.

We have no debts. My degree in physics at the state university was covered entirely by scholarships, and my husband's degree in math was covered by his generous parents. We own a 2011 Nissan Versa and a 2002 Ford Taurus, both of which we drive way too much. We rent but are saving for a down payment on a house within the next couple of years; we might not buy yet but want to be in a position to do so. We're also on track to max out our Roths for the year, and I will qualify for a tiny pension at age sixty even if I quit teaching at the end of this school year. Overall, we're probably doing better financially than your average Americans yet are still deserving of a ton of face punches.

Our school counselor was forced to resign three days into the school year, and that has served as a catalyst for reevaluating my relationship with money. She was a caring, dedicated person, and that didn't seem to mean anything to my employers.  Now everyone at my school is stressed out all of the time, and I think it would be drastically less worrisome if we were financially independent. I really love teaching and might not choose extreme early retirement, but I want to have the option. Few things could be as liberating as having F.U. money. Also, while my husband loves that his job consists of playing with power tools all day, he's come to the realization that older guys in his field usually either end up transitioning to office jobs or find other employment. The guys over fifty who can handle and still want to spend forty to sixty hours a week doing heavy lifting are few and far between. So I'm no longer happy with being on track to retire comfortably in our mid sixties. 

We need to stop being satisfied with doing ok, step off this hedonic treadmill, and get serious about getting our lives in order. I'm hoping the Mustachians will offer their sage guidance as we do so. (Now bring on the face punches!)

Both arebelspy and his wife were teachers, and loved it. They also retired earlier this year at 30. Look into them. Also feel free to join in the Cycling challenges!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RonMcCord on September 13, 2015, 04:52:07 PM
Hello, I'm Ron and I want to get into the FIRE lifestyle though I make less than most here.  I graduated school with an IT degree debt free thanks to a combination of going to a local state college, scholarships, and living with my parents.  However, when I got out, I couldn't find anything in my field because every job required 3-5 years experience or were upper management positions.  Right now, I'm 25 and I work for a small local business making $16k (just below living wage in my area), and though I like the work, I still live at home and would like to eventually move out and be independent.  I read all sorts of articles and was convinced that there would be no way for me to get out of my current predicament, then I read this graphic novel called Poorcraft which teaches a lot of the Mustachian principles, and it showed me that there were other options.  So I started looking around online and found the ERE and MMM blogs which go even further and saw even more options.  I'd like to get out on my own soon and become a full-fledged Mustachian, and I'm hoping to find people who can help me get there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on September 13, 2015, 06:09:12 PM
@RonMcCord: Have you tried networking with people in your chosen field via Meetup.com or the like? That would be a great way to find out about other jobs and find out how others have moved up to better jobs. If you have a degree in IT, I have seen a lot of peeps start out in the call center. I would think you have a ton of options, I wish you luck.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RonMcCord on September 13, 2015, 06:47:25 PM
@Thinkum: Meetup isn't really popular in my area. My boss' uncle is in software development though, and I contacted him on LinkedIn about career advice. I'm getting an A+ cert right now and that may get me a help desk job.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spiderman on September 13, 2015, 11:31:03 PM
Hi checking in from Plano, TX. I found this site from the bogleheads forum. I have been binge reading the posts from the beginning. We are a family of four. I thought we were pretty frugal but reading the forum and the site has opened my eyes to how much money we have been losing. Hope to learn a lot more in the coming days.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Adram on September 14, 2015, 06:08:36 AM
Hi all, I'm Adam from South Australia and I found this blog a few weeks ago and am about halfway through reading all the posts from way back.

I can't remember how I found it but whoever posted the link that got me here, I am forever grateful.

We have a pretty good joint income but were only saving about 20K in our offset account per year, despite my desire to pay the mortgage off ASAP.

Upon reading the first few posts I went through my CC statement and discovered I had spent 10K in the last year just on eating out at restaurants. And that's just my card, we didn't look at hers. Other junk spending was in there also.

Since then I have cancelled our pay TV saving $74 per month, moved our insurance to save another 30 per month, started shopping together and reduced our grocery shop by about $30 per week, stopped eating out almost totally (once per week max and only at cheap places is the deal we made together) and cooking much better food at home.

Currently moving our mortgage to get a rate reduction of 0.25% plus $2000 cash back. Also looking at changing the missus' phone plan to save another $30 per month, mine is a work phone.

Have also sent off the Vanguard application last week, and cancelled some credit cards so we have only one joint card, apart from one with interest free for a year that has a 12K balance that I keep rolling over. Luckily my missus is pretty keen on retiring ASAP so we are feeling like a team.

So I feel like we are making lots of progress quickly, should be able to save $50K per year, and once the mortgage is paid off that will skyrocket.

Planning to retire in 13 years max and hopefully 10. I credit this all to MMM, so happy I found this blog. We have started cycling to the store also :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pinkleaf on September 15, 2015, 05:44:43 PM
Hello everyone!

DH and I are mid 50's and I'm embarrassed to say, have zero set back for retirement. We did Dave Ramsey a few years ago, paid off all debt except the house and then got lazy. (I'm so dang mad at us!)

I started working with YNAB 7 months ago and seeing much improvement in controlling our spending.  I need help figuring out how to proceed on a few things but I wanted to say hi before I started asking for help.

I didn't come over from the TMMO forums but want to especially say hi to those that did!  That had to suck big time for you when you saw it go away.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: InvestingforFreedom on September 15, 2015, 09:51:27 PM
Hello my countrymen,

Dan from Colorado. Stoked that MMM is right up the road in Longmont. I've been lurking for several months now and figured I should join the conversation.

Keep it simple for now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: therixonator on September 16, 2015, 10:32:46 AM
Hello Mustachians!

I'm James, I'm from London, England. My friend recommended this site to me a few weeks ago when I mentioned some of the money saving ideas I'd been putting in place. I've been totally hooked ever since, I've already munched my way through 200 blog posts and put a few more changes in place too. I'm 35, married, no kids. We're already quite thrifty but I never imagined that I could retire so soon. This blog has really opened my eyes to the possibilities and I've already got lots of plans swimming around in my head for FIRE. I've so far calculated it as 9 years and 1 month away, but I might be able to do it sooner. There are a few choices ahead though so I'm going to post a question to the Mustachians and see what they say.

Many thanks to MMM for all the great advice he's posted on here over the last 4 or so years. You've helped so many people realise the rat trap they are in and allowed them to help themselves out of it. Really sterling work, if the Queen finds out maybe she'll give you an honourary knighthood!!

James
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jim Fiction on September 17, 2015, 01:13:01 PM
Hello esteemed Mustachians!
My name, is case you hadn’t gathered already, is Jim! Although contrary to the surname in my screen name I am a real, live, flesh n’ blood person!

A little about me. I am married to my wonderful wife (Mrs. Fiction) and live in Connecticut. I just turned 31 last month. I am a bit late to the game in many respects, but better late than never, I suppose.

My financial picture isn’t pretty, at the moment, but I have a little bit of momentum building. It took me awhile to find a career. I worked in the restaurant business for 15 years while I figured stuff out (mixed in with some personal/health issues). I wasn't making a lot of money during those years and compounding the problem was a nasty habit to overspend and a love of material goods. It took awhile but I eventually was able to sort things out. Eventually I went back to school and finished my bachelors, and I am a few months away from finishing my masters. This year I first interned and then started full-time at an accounting firm. The pay is pretty good for someone fresh out of college - I just wish I started earlier in my life - so much lost earning/saving time! Many of my peers (people in my age group) are several levels, and thus several pay-grades higher than me.

I actually found the site/blog last fall, and started putting some of the practices into place then, and was able to make some headway on my debt situation. However once I started the internship, it along with school and wedding planning sapped all of my time and drew away my focus. I still don't have much free time now, but since I have the day off to go to a wedding rehearsal later I thought I'd taken a moment to introduce myself.

I am Jim and I am back into debt-crushing mode! Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: avocado on September 17, 2015, 07:56:24 PM
Hello all!

I found out about this blog while reading a landlord website a couple of months ago (biggerpockets.com). I had just had a deal fall through on a rental property that I was trying to unload and was researching possibilities. While researching I heard about this site and read a couple of blog posts, did a few calculations of how much my debt was actually costing me, and then I was really bummed that the deal had fallen through b/c the cash would have solved my hair being on fire.

My monthly profit from the rental was $800/mo, whereas my consumer debt (cc's, car loan) was $1200, and if I sold (owned the house free and clear) I could eliminate ALL consumer debt and have an extra $400/mo, PLUS we would be able to get rid of our full coverage insurance ($50/mo) and just go with the state mandated coverage.

Not even 4 hours after realizing my hair was on fire, I got a call saying the deal was back on. Sweet!

In the next 2-3 weeks, my wife and I will have $0 consumer debt (we had $55K in credit cards and car loan at the start of the year). Now we can start focusing on student loans ($93,000). I bought a bike and I've ditched driving my son to school everyday, saving $10/wk in gas. My 4 yr old son now begs to go everywhere by bike, which is frickin' awesome to hear. I'm looking forward to doing more errands/appointments by bike and saving even more money.

Really excited about what's ahead! FIRE seems very, very possible!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sjalabais on September 18, 2015, 05:31:19 AM
Employing more senses to live life is usually cheered upon by the kids - very cool! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TVRodriguez on September 18, 2015, 12:48:22 PM
Hello from South Florida.  I found this site through comments on the SimpleLivingForum.net boards, espcially from lhamo.  Nice.

DH and I have been fairly simple livers, especially compared to our peers (he's a physician and I'm an attorney).  His frugality was one of his attractions when we first met 15 years ago.  If people meet us outside of work, they are often surprised to find out what we do, as they expect more ostentatious cars, home, lifestyle.  We live in a 1250 sq ft house and drive old paid-for cars.

We had borrowed a lot for school (about $325k between us).  As soon as I'd finished paying off my student loans of $65k, I married DH 11 years ago and got started on paying off his loans of $260k, plus business loans of $65k.  Once those were gone, we switched to paying off the mortgage.  We paid off our mortgage ($335K house) in just under 10 years, with the last payment in June of this year.  That's $660,000 of debt payoff in our 11 year marriage (not counting my loans).  Our income has had its ups and downs, and we have experienced lifestyle creep for sure, but we're working on that.  Both of us work for ourselves and basically work part-time b/c we prefer a low-stress lifestyle.

We have 3 kids, ages 8, 6, and 4.  I'm 41, DH is 51.

I've found this site helpful to keep us focused, especially now that we are debt free.  It was easy to see the debt shrink and get a charge from that.  I find this site (and the simple living forums) run a strong counterpoint to the typical South Florida lifestyle of spend-all-you-earn, you-deserve-it, $300K-income-and-$0-assets, etc.  DH is a big DIYer and iconoclast, so this stuff is right up his alley.

New goals:
-fully fund kids' college funds,
-plow more $$ into retirement accounts (tax-deferred and taxable),
-reduce unnecessary spending,
-grow more of our own food,
-overall, waste less.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: somebody8198 on September 19, 2015, 09:12:10 AM
Hey everyone,

I am new to the site but have been reading for a few years. I love the MMM writing style and the articles really cut through the consumerist mentality that drives so much spending in the U.S. I truly believe that most people in this country COULD be financially secure if we could just reign in the bad spending habits.

I have lived a sort of proto-Mustachian lifestyle since 2007, when I graduated college. I learned the importance of low spending from my father. I watched the job market slowly circle the drain from 2007 on and then crash, while my coworkers squandered their incomes on expensive cars and nightly trips to the bar. This helped to realize the wisdom of saving as much as possible, and ignoring the typical "but you deserve it!" nonsense. Since reading the blog I have started investing more while maintaining my low spending habits.

I pay more for rent now than I did 7 years ago because I live alone, but otherwise my expenses are more or less the same. I rent an apartment by myself. I am unmarried and I don't want children but I would like to be married someday... provided it's to someone who shares my goals and spending habits! :) My goals are to have enough money to work without a regular salary by age 50 (in 20 years) and to have enough money to survive another major job market crash, which I think are completely achievable by saving 50% of my income and investing it wisely.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanaDuh on September 21, 2015, 02:55:28 AM
Hello -

My name is Karl, and I'm new here - both to the forums, and to the concept of actually making plans for my future. I've always been of a frugal bent, so I'm finding a lot of kindred souls in the posts as well as the MMM blog.

I'll probably be making a more personal (and detailed) post [elsewhere] to ask for input on how I might approach my own unique situation and get started at 'making my money work for me' rather than just sitting in a savings account and doing nothing.

For now, I'm glad to be here and I hope to make some friends.

Regards,

Karl
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Crabbie on September 21, 2015, 09:13:10 AM
Hello from Montreal!

Not really sure how I found my way here, probably randomly browsing investments sites and such. Been lurking for a few weeks, but I thought I should try joining the conversation. Always planned to retire early, saved in my 20's with the expectation of retiring around 40 although now with recent job changes/promotions I may end up doing it a lot earlier. I enjoy my work, so another few years isn't a big deal.

Stats:

Age: 35, wife is 33
Kids: 1 (1 yr old)
Estimated Net Worth: $700k cash (invested in index funds), $300k house (Estimated value - mortgage, 4 unit complex, we occupy 1 unit).
Yearly Income: $400k (very recent surge in income)
Estimated Yearly Spending: $30-40k
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on September 21, 2015, 02:21:10 PM
Yearly Income: $400k (very recent surge in income)
Estimated Yearly Spending: $30-40k

(https://ameasuredlifedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/com_hem_sommar_2010_omg_cat_stoppweb_16x9.jpg)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LifeAtTheLodgeHouse on September 21, 2015, 07:57:01 PM
Hello fellow Mustachians!

I am a turnaround story. I was a spendaholic who spent my twenties up to my eyeballs in debt and swimming in overdrafts and credit cards. I am 31 and have spent the last 4/5 years completely clearing that debt and now saving for a deposit with my husband. When we buy I want to be putting down as much possible cash as possible. I then aim to be clearing the mortgage within a few years. I promised my husband we would be mortgage free by 40 but between you and I, I plan for this to be a few years earlier than 40 (IF we stick to MY plan ).

I actually came to mustachianism very recently where I am ashamed to say I was still a spender/hoarder. I found it through minimalism where I realised I was drowning and struggling in piles of stuff and then buying more stuff to help with the stuff. I had a MASSIVE clear out and donated lots to charity and am now in a better place. What the minimalism taught me was that I don’t need stuff to make me happy, quite the opposite actually.

We earn average salaries and I went a spell without working (not through choice) and I realised I think I’d like to always work – but not full time and on my terms. I’m an accountant so there always tends to be contractors at year ends etc etc so would like to work contracting but know we have finances in place to know that it is a choice not something we have to do.

Also planning for a family in next year or so which I aim to do frugally. Children don’t need much! It does not need to be the best or designer! Foraging and walking or playing on the beach are going to be my goals!

My work place is very frugal, EVERYONE brings in packed lunches, people make their own coffees, don’t flash cash etc, they often BRAG about how little they spend so it has actually really helped working here with my new life goals! Today I actually stopped bringing in my fancy coffee to make at work which is $8 a bag, when I get FREE coffee – what am I doing?!? I'll still have my nice one I make at home so I don't need then fancy coffee at work!

My only hurdle I foresee is turning Mr Mars (the husband) into a Mustachian! He lets me deal with all the finances but he is a little resistant at times. He also wants to enjoy things whilst we are younger blah blah but I think we still CAN do everything but we just need to be super smart and sneaky about it! He likes to spend on bike things as well!

He is currently working away and I am literally begging him to bring the free toiletries home with him that he NEVER uses but I will!!!

Currently looking into cycling to work and saving on petrol!!! I have a bike and most of the stuff so think we will make big savings this way!! BIG, HUGE!  And the health benefits cannot be quantified! Going to do a test route at the weekend! ;o)

Wish me luck! x
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BeFalterm on September 22, 2015, 02:39:38 PM
Hi! I'm Bettina, single, no kids, 53, live in NYC, pay mortgage on a studio co-op apartment, otherwise no debt. Just had a career change and want to retire at 62 at the latest. I feel like I'm in fairly good shape but of course there's always new things to learn and have found MMM so informative and helpful. Maybe I'll learn enough to be able to retire while I'm still in my 50s? I posted for the first time today with a question about my 401k rollover.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: primozaj on September 23, 2015, 11:04:02 AM
Hello,

I just found this site yesterday via a link on the Google Fi phone posted on Facebook and I've been pouring through the posts, though today is my first day with the forums.

Since I started working in my current job in 2000 I've held the goal of being retired by 57 which is the earliest I can retire by "their" rules.  Since then I've gotten married; bought, sold, bought, bought, rented houses; and now we are dealing with a serious illness of my wife.  Throughout this I have been having a sinking feeling that I will never be able to retire.  This site already has given me hope and ideas for freedom.  I am taking note of poor spending habits and by changing those I feel I can get to the bottom of the debt that I do have.

I just wanted to introduce myself here and  then I plan on heading over to the "Ask a Mustachian" thread to ask for some advice.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Quokka on September 24, 2015, 06:20:02 AM
Hi All,

Another Aussie here, have been reading some of the posts and it looks like there are quite a few of us!

I'm a 37 year old engineer, married to another engineer (35) with a baby boy.

Didn't make much money in my 20s but I've have been saving and investing since getting my first solid job around 7 years ago and we're in reasonable financial shape. Have been reading the ideas in the blog and this forum, and I'm intending to step up the pace now that I've realised that the goal might not be as far away as I thought. If we can avoid any speed bumps such as unemployment, we might be FI by 45ish.

Looking forward to some fun and useful discussions!

Q
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zephyr911 on September 24, 2015, 10:19:22 AM
Lot of new people recently - welcome all, and enjoy yourselves. :)

Hello from Montreal!

Not really sure how I found my way here, probably randomly browsing investments sites and such. Been lurking for a few weeks, but I thought I should try joining the conversation. Always planned to retire early, saved in my 20's with the expectation of retiring around 40 although now with recent job changes/promotions I may end up doing it a lot earlier. I enjoy my work, so another few years isn't a big deal.

Stats:

Age: 35, wife is 33
Kids: 1 (1 yr old)
Estimated Net Worth: $700k cash (invested in index funds), $300k house (Estimated value - mortgage, 4 unit complex, we occupy 1 unit).
Yearly Income: $400k (very recent surge in income)
Estimated Yearly Spending: $30-40k
Fuckin' A! Won't take you long at that rate! lol
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shzm93 on September 25, 2015, 11:18:13 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm new and very excited to have found Mr. Money Mustache's blog. My husband and I spent several days scouring through most of the posts here and running some numbers. If we tweak a couple of little things we should be track to "retire" when my husband is 30 and when I'm 25. I'm not taking anything for granted though (we have a slightly-less-than-six-figures income, 2 investment properties with a 3rd purchase planned for 2016, no debt, and a good-sized cash reserve for a young couple) so I'm trying my best to pare things down. My biggest spending weaknesses: fast food and clothes. Ugh, it's SO easy to spend on those things but the costs add up! However, we are currently traveling/living abroad for a year which is teaching me a lot about how it's possible to live with very few material possessions. I hope I can keep that lesson in mind once I return to the States, and find other ways to cut back as well.

I'm excited to be part of this community and to learn from and be inspired by all of you!

-S
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Paul | pdgessler on September 26, 2015, 12:03:54 PM
Hi all, 25 year old married engineer from Milwaukee, WI here.

After college graduation (May 2012), I didn't think too much about my student loan debt (~$25k) since it was deferred further by attending graduate school on a teaching assistantship. Graduated with my Master's degree in May 2014, got married, and started my career. Life rolled on. Around March 2015 I decided to start seriously attacking my student loan debt, and I've now paid off two of three loan accounts in seven months. Found MMM in mid-July and dove in, reading all the articles in order. :-)

My wife and I are already pretty frugal, but I'm always trying to find ways to increase my "badassity". I take the bus or ride my bike to work and try to use my car as little as possible (usually less than once a week). Just last night I used the UMGD to give myself a haircut for the first time. My wife approved, so I guess I did at least a half-decent job on that! haha! I also have a few side gigs, all things I enjoy that bring in some extra bucks on a semi-regular basis.

Looking forward to hopefully meeting some Mustachians in the MKE area (already seen there's a few of you out there) and using the forum to keep myself more accountable.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ktk.ace on September 27, 2015, 02:50:55 AM
HI I'm John from Taiwan and  is an avid motorcycle enthusiast. 

Currently doing my own business on ebay and yahoo auctions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cheshires_Coins on September 28, 2015, 09:31:03 AM
Hello everyone. I'm 23yo, from New Zealand, have been reading for a while and made maybe two posts about a year ago but never officially introduced myself on this thread, have made the decision to get a bit more involved in the forum and thought that doing an intro post here would be a good start.
I'm most of my way through a BA/BSc conjoint degree, working 'part time' (nearly full time hours though, night shift!) in an unrelated field (and actually quite enjoying that job) and really just trying to absorb as much as I can r.e. financial information. I don't come from a wealthy background (am only the second person in my family to go to university, my mother doesn't own her first house yet, nobody in my family really seems to be able to give me advice, you get the idea) and had real 'class shock' when I visited my partner's family for the first time. I had been reading MMM before that, but the difference really threw me, and made me realise that I'm just not going to get the kind of financial backing or education that he has benefited from and am going to have to make an effort to do it myself.
Currently flat-sharing with my partner, his best friend (who he is looking at buying a house with soon), another good (older) mate of ours and his (adult) son, all pretty decent creative types in our own ways, and looking at growing my savings up again following 6 months studying in the UK (where I was not legally allowed to work due to visa conditions), as well as unexpected  BS that left me and my partner effectively homeless for a few weeks when I returned to NZ (long story, we're okay now).
Dreaming of FI, building my own tiny house, and getting a small plot to grow my own vegetables on and maybe a couple of chickens, and doing a bit of freelance graphic design/web design on the side if the projects are interesting (art/design is my true passion but realised after year 1 of art school that I DEFINITELY did not want to make it a career, now studying Biosecurity)- all before I've even really started my career. I want to make sure that I start out right and keep goal-oriented through my working career.
Currently have a $45k+ student loan (interest free) through our government scheme which gets paid off through deductions from salary (my pay already partially goes towards it even while studying) joined Kiwisaver (our government-based retirement scheme) as soon as I had a job that made me eligible to receive employer contributions (matched to 3% of my pay) and aiming for a career in public service through local council or one of the Ministries (the main employers for biosecurity workers). No credit card debt, hire purchase debt or any personal loan debt, no overdraft. Looking at getting a small personal loan (towards a motorcycle, due to parking costs car commuting here is awful and our public transport system is still being overhauled, plus Auckland is super-sprawling) purely to pay it off to increase my credit rating, and thinking of getting a credit card for similar reasons.
I think I'm still at the 'peach fuzz' stage of Mustachianism, but I'll get there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sing365 on September 29, 2015, 12:22:13 PM
Hi all!

I'm 30yo, married, no kids (yet). My husband and I are both MBAs/professionals. I have been lurking here since April 2014. After following MMM for a while, I realized that we had enough "FU money" for me to quit my soul-sucking job. The stories on the forum really inspired me to pull the trigger, which I did in June. It sounds kind of crazy now, but before MMM I never even realized there could be an alternative to working as hard as possible for as long as possible. I also read YMOYL, which had a huge impact on me. 

We're now planning a move to a lower COL area (from Bay Area to Colorado). We're working on building our frugality muscles - quitting my job has been a real wake-up call on our wasteful spending. I'm hoping to find a more meaningful job with better work-life balance. We're also hoping to have a baby soon.

Finally, I'm interested in effective altruism. I think Peter Singer's The Life You Could Save might have been what prompted me to start researching frugality in the first place. I do feel an ethical obligation to become more frugal and to use my "spare" resources to help others. I'm also interested in reducing my environmental impact.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Daisy on September 29, 2015, 03:21:18 PM
Finally, I'm interested in effective altruism. I think Peter Singer's The Life You Could Save might have been what prompted me to start researching frugality in the first place. I do feel an ethical obligation to become more frugal and to use my "spare" resources to help others. I'm also interested in reducing my environmental impact.

That's beautiful. I'm going to have to read that book. Your thoughts on this align with mine.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Micona on September 29, 2015, 05:08:38 PM
Hello everyone!

My name is Mike and I am from Michigan. I'm 33, just under a year of marriage and have no kids.....yet. While I have always been pretty good with my money, things got a little too lax the past couple years. It's time to tighten things up!

I recently came across the MMM blog this past week and was given quite the rude awakening so to speak. After reading a few blog entries, I realized that I've been wasting a lot of money through out the years despite thinking it was all well spent. I've now been glued to reading all of the information I can and have already begun taking steps to add a few whiskers in my stash!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dalegendman on September 29, 2015, 06:50:22 PM
Hi all!

My name is Andrew. I'm a 21 year old from the DC area. I recently finished college at a local state school. I have no debt but a very low income from an internship. Live with parents and am still looking for that first "real job."

I've been lurking on this blog for a few months and, honestly, have no idea how I stumbled across it. I figured I'd start jumping into some conversations. MMM has given me a real punch in the face by showing me that working till I drop doesn't have to be my life story, and how wasteful a lot of spending in our society is. Before coming across this blog I knew general financial tips like "spend less than you earn" but I assumed that working until you were 65+ was a given unless you hit the financial jackpot via the lottery, inheritance, or extraordinary luck and skill in business.

Even though I'm not making much money now, I'm glad that I have a clean financial slate and can put myself on the right track and avoid some of the money-sucking traps I already see my peers starting to fall into.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VTD0918 on September 30, 2015, 10:02:41 AM
Hello everyone, I am a California state employee, 28 years old with 1 child, no debt, with a NW of $110k, currently making $60k a year. We are living off of my fiancée income (he doesn't make much..less than $25k a year) and investing my paychecks. We rent from his parents so this has helped us a lot in our savings. Plus, the convenience of having his parents there helping us with our daughter...watching her while we are both are at work. I can't thank them enough and is a luxury for us since we don't have to pay for daycare.

I just recently  got serious with my FIRE plan beginning of this year.  This year, I will be maxing out my 401k, 457, and IRA accounts. Anything left over goes to my taxable account at Vanguard. I will continue to contribute until I hit my FIRE goal of $1.5M. I will have a pension that I can tap into when I'm 50 years. I don't count on SS being there when I'm old enough to receive so I don't count it in my FIRE plans.

 Not sure how my fiancé thinks about being retired early but I have express my plans with him and since I handle our finances he's the type of person that will be on aboard with whatever my decisions are with our finances. He is only a couple years older than I am but he have said he would still be working when I retire early. That's fine by me.

I would like to FIRE between 2026-2028. Looking forward to using this forumn as a resource to learn about how ii can improve my financial investments. I love how this community all have a common goal that I can relate to.

Thank you!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Haimons Mustache on September 30, 2015, 01:05:56 PM
Hello all! Finally got around to registering on the forums due to some changes I made today and felt the desire to share. I'm on target to hit the maximum in my 401(k) and Roth IRA for the first time in my life (42 years young) and am quite excited about it. I'm estimating to be FIRE ready in about 11 years, sooner if I can get my wife on board.

I've always lived a relatively mustachian life, not always by choice, but finding this community really put it all into perspective and streamlined all the things I "thought" I knew.

For that I thank you all.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FiftyIsTheNewTwenty on September 30, 2015, 10:06:14 PM
Hi!  I've been lurking for over a year, finally jumping in (it was inevitable).  I'm staying anonymous for now, but my handle is my story.

All my life I've been mustachian in spirit, but wiped out several times by business losses, medical bills, and taking care of non-mustachian family.  Currently rescuing Mom from financial ruin due to sudden and rapid onset of Alzheimer's, plus helping sister left homeless and penniless by soon-to-be-ex-husband. 

Right now I'm living with family in the Southeast until everyone's on a better trajectory, after which I will return to the DC area.  I've been there a few years and really enjoy it -- lifestyle and career opportunities greatly outweigh the expense, especially with the mustachian niche I've found.

At 50 and 51, my sister and I both need to create financial security for ourselves, while providing for Mom as her faculties fade.  It's not a pretty picture!  But I believe it's more than doable.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jengod on October 01, 2015, 12:03:55 AM
Been hanging around the forums for a few months but just found this introduction thread.

Am 38, husband is 39. We could probably FIRE now (paid-off house, $1m+ in investments) but DH is involved in a startup with friends and likes it for the time being. I am currently a SAHM who might start working again if/when I ever manage to get the kids (boys, 5 & 2) set up in school. (We are considering homeschooling them.)

We are a blend of spendypants and stoic/spartan. We have a weird hippie minimalist semi-DIY thrift-store lifestyle, but we are extravagant on date nights and the kids' education and other experiences. We grow some food in our city backyard and have chickens and all that, but also have two cars and take vacations and so forth. Really enjoy the MMM POV and the wisdom and suggestions from forum posters about further decreasing expenses and hedonic treadmill problems and socking away more in tax-advantaged and other investment accounts.

Hobbies include watching tiny house videos on YouTube, studying permaculture principles and reselling vintage children's books on Amazon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: steviesterno on October 01, 2015, 06:02:06 AM
Hey all,

Im Steve in Texas. This year I got married and we're expecting our first in January. That got me to really think about long term ideas and finances. I've been reading this forum for days and keep getting inspired, and excited to know that we're already doing some of the right things. I am fortunate that I've found a job I really like, and I already get paid full time wages for 4 days of work and 8 weeks vacation a year. (work in higher ed). My goal would be to work this same way but without needing money. unfortunately, I didn't read this 10 years ago. I'm just starting out on this adventure, but I want to be free to travel and relax, I want to retire my wife when she wants to since she doesn't love what she does, and be free to do whatever I want by the time our kid(s) go to college.

Some stuff we're doing in the right direction:
Bought "less house" than we can afford, fixed it up, and it's in a great district. The market is so crazy here that we lived for free since we moved in 10/2 last year.
mostly DIY in the house, collect rain water to garden, working on adding garden and vegetables
already commute MUCH less than average for the DFW area at 15-20 mins.
Buy only used cars
putting 20% my salary into Roth and 403b
Get free continuing ed through my job, and added 4 letters to my name last year
combined we get amazing health care , 4-6 % salary company retirement match
are good cooks and like to be at home
Paid off our wedding in cash last year.
no CC debt
have some equity in the house, other investments, but not much
combined salary of $109,000 now with her raise, but going to take a hit while she's out with the baby.

But the bad...
took out car loans for the used cars, still owe $15k between the 2. working on paying them off early
weren't able to put 20% down, but the PMI cost on top of the mortgage to buy was still cheaper than renting. going to fight that this year as the home values are up.
My student loan debt SUCKS. Since I started my own businesses after school and work now in education, I still have to pay back $230,000. that's going to be the biggest thing to tackle. man it's scary typing that number. It's the first step though.  My goal is to get to a NW of zero in a reasonable number of years. don't know what that is. 10? 20? Time to get reading...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Le North Dreamer on October 01, 2015, 11:41:44 AM
Another one from Montreal (South-shore in fact).

Got deeply into studying personal finances over the last year and ended up reading most of MMM's blog. Finally decided to enter into the forum. Never really though about FI and ER before, but it turned out to be a life goal for my girlfriend and I.

Current life situation:
Age 26, SO is 26 too. no kids.
Both professionals, not enjoying the work much
Gross yearly income is around 180k (Canadian, of course)
Estimated Net worth: around 30k (small investments 7k , equity on triplex 45k, but 24k student loans)
Estimated Yearly Spending: $50-55k (I know its a lot, mainly because we have horses - boarding, not at home)
Identified spending problems: Horses, rented car, bus commuting to work. We took care of the other main categories and are aware that we could go further into cutting luxury.

We currently rent a small apartment but recently bough a triplex and will move in one unit in 2016.

I'm planing to change job next year (currently a lawyer) and become an independent financial planner and moneycoach (and try to put some fellow Canadians on the FI track), so gross salary might take a huge dip, but overall life happiness should be quite better!

Glad to be here, surrounded by like-minded people.

Best,
Alexno
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chrisgermany on October 03, 2015, 06:40:02 AM
Hi from Germany!

I read Your Money or Your Life back in 95.
The ideas made sense.
We had already started to track expenses in 82, so we knew where the money went to.
We are also LBYMs, with a travel bug. As we had good jobs we could have a reasonably good life and save to make ER happen.

Later I found the Simply Living Forums and the ER forums.
We ERed in 2013, DH was 61 and I was 55.
We still are happy as 2 clams.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dreams_and_discoveries on October 04, 2015, 09:35:38 AM
Hello from London

I'm Lou, 34, and I've been a lurker here for a few months, thinking it's now time to dip my toe in the water and say hi.

The MMM philosophy appeals to me massively, some strands come naturally to me, but I do struggle with others. I'm never going to live in a small flat or cycle everywhere, and I'm fine with those decisions. I'm now making very reasonable money, and trying to get myself to a 50% savings rate - mainly going into my SIPP pension (very tax efficient for freelancers like me) and some unwrapped investments.

Have a hard goal to retire by 50, and would love to bring that in, but this would need some sacrifices, that I'm not sure I'm ready to make yet. I adore London, and it seems madness to pass up on the opportunities here when I'm young (ish). Have a serious theatre habit to maintain, and ever increasing wanderlust.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: meyling on October 07, 2015, 09:45:28 PM
Hi!

My name is Meyling, and I've probably been spending way too much time reading MMM's blog posts since I heard about this site, so I decided I might as well join the community. I graduated college last December, so this year for me has basically been all about learning how to be a real adult. (So far it's way easier than college!)

I think I've always had a frugal mindset. My grandma likes to mention this story a lot. One time when I was around 5 or so, I was at the store playing with a toy I wanted to buy. I asked how much it was, and it was $5, but I thought it was worth only 99 cents, so I decided that I had played with the toy enough, and didn't want it anymore. My parents went and bought it for me anyway, and when I found out I was so disappointed and frustrated that I started crying.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TechMike on October 08, 2015, 11:46:07 AM
Hello everyone!

I'm a (n almost) 30 year old from the Denver area. I work as a systems engineer, and my wife just started a Ph.D. program. We also have two little kiddos (3yr/1yr). We only really recently got started focusing on frugality and building our 'staches. I'm glad to run across MMM and all of the badassity that he and you forumites exude. I'm glad to join you.

We just refinanced our mortgage into a 30 year mortgage from an FHA mortgage to drop the crappy PMI (thank goodness for Denver's crazy real estate market). We also have substantial student loan debt from our undergrad degree. Fortunately though, we just recently finished paying off a car loan and medical bills. Regarding the car loan, thanks to all the wonderful advice, I realize how silly that car loan was to get. At the time it seemed like a great idea.

We have a dream of retiring 10 years from now, and I'm still crunching numbers to see how to make it possible. I hope to continue to learn from all of you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ceridwen on October 09, 2015, 07:14:47 AM
Hello! I've been lurking on the boards here for a few weeks and thought it was time to introduce myself.  33 year old Canadian, married mother of 2.  I've just returned to work following my second and final maternity leave (14 months, thank you Canada!) and this has lead me to really start thinking about our financial future.  Ultimately, I want to reduce my hours to part-time so I can be at home more for our kids.  Annual household income of 150K CND.  200K in savings.  250K in RRSPs.

DH and I have always been good with our money, but we don't invest and that's my primary reason for checking out MMM, after hearing about it from a friend.  I don't know if early retirement is the ultimate goal yet, but I'm very excited to start thinking about it.

Things we've done right:
- Bought a small house with a fraction of the mortgage the bank was willing to give us.  Will be paid-off in 4 years :)
- No consumer debt
- Student loans were minimal and paid off within a year of graduation
- Bought our only car in cash (need it for daycare run)
- Commute to work by train
- Max out our RRSPs and RESPs each year
- Contribute quite regularly to our savings
- Generally frugal lifestyle, especially when compared to our peers (but not MMM level frugal, yet).
- Kids wear all hand-me down clothes.  We don't even buy them toys because grandparents do enough spoiling as it is.  So really our only costs so far are feeding them and daycare (which is thankfully government subsidized in our province).

Things we need to work on:
- Getting a better overall handle on our finances.  We need goals.
- Investing our money instead of keeping it in savings accounts
- Open some TFSAs (I know, so terrible we haven't done this yet)
- Ditch cable.  DH is really holding out on this one because of hockey. 
- Get DH to bring his lunch to work more often
- Lower our insurance costs by increasing our deductibles

Looking forward to learning a lot from everyone! We are really nervous about investing because DH once lost a small inheritance (5K) to Nortel, and that left us feeling pretty burned.  But reading more about things like ETFs is giving us the courage to give it another try.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: epiben on October 09, 2015, 08:52:45 AM
Hello All,

I have just started my ride on the money mustache train.  So far it has been one month and I've really started to re-consider how I handle my expenses.  In my first month I was able to save about 40% of my take home pay.  Granted, this is short of my goal, but this is a good start.  My second child was born during this time, so that drove up costs a bit too, but I'm sure I could find any excuse for any given month, so I'll just say I can do better. 

The best part is that I really started to pull myself up by my mustache straps and have itemized what comes in and what comes out.  Although I had unknowingly been following a lot of mustachian ways of living (I have done all the work on our home myself, have all of my debt paid off with the exception of a mortgage, etc.) I really paid no mind to where my money was going to.  It turns out I was easily burning $600 on things I couldn't even remember.  What a waste! 

So, here I am, a month later, kicking myself for all the waste, but happy that I've cut it out of my life.  I have goals set, and I'm looking to hit 50% savings next month.  I'd say wish me luck, but luck is for fools.  I just better do it, right!

Thanks!

-Ben
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stephQ on October 09, 2015, 01:53:17 PM
Hello! I'm Steph, a recently married 32yo currently living in So. California. DINK, debt-free & looking for ways to increase our savings rate. Grew up having spendthrift parents who didn't really emphasize the importance of saving. Started reading personal finance books in my early 20s out of curiosity and started applying principles of saving chunks of my salary automatically once I started working to max my Roth IRA and 401k. Stumbled upon the MMM blog through reddit a while ago and obsessively read through all the MMM articles. I was amazed there was a whole community of like minded folks who also were saving huge portions of their income and living on a lot less. I've been a long time lurker of this forum without posting anything, till now :) I really appreciate the advice found here from all the members and hope to be more inspired!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jan62 on October 10, 2015, 03:43:45 PM
Hi,  I'm Jan and I've been reading MMM for a few years and finally decided to join the forum to find some like - minded people.
In our mid 50's, have been paying off credit card debt this year which is almost done. My focus will then be on paying off our mortgage asap. We have two investment properties and money in super for retirement. 
The last few years a lot of people have been laid off at work including half my original team. More getting laid off at Christmas - not me but realistically I wouldn't be surprised if it happens in the next few years. Our loose plan is to pay off this mortgage and then sell up in 4-5 years and downsize.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2 wheel $ machine on October 10, 2015, 05:21:58 PM
Hello all, I heard MMM on the Art of Manliness podcast last month Sept 2015. I checked out the website / blog and am completely sold out to the MMM philosophy. Doubt me ? I now ride my bike to work in the (clown) car driving capital of the world, Los Angeles CA. Thus my nick name 2 wheel $ machine.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tamster on October 11, 2015, 09:38:35 AM
Good morning. I've been lurking and reading blog entries and forum posts for some time. I am 44, divorced, with two awesome boys. I happily tallied up my savings rate for this year (projected and so far) and it will be 60% ~ other than my parents and sister, there is really no one else to appreciate, hence my registering this morning. :) I'm learning a lot and hoping to learn even more. I have changed around my investments through my reading (netting some decent dividend income), and finally quit my part time job that was sucking the joy out of my life. It was very liberating.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 10gallontank on October 12, 2015, 05:03:29 PM
Hi Everyone!

I've been lurking this forum for a while and have started reading MMM about 1 year ago. In spite of not knowing what college was even about, I graduated with little debt and paid off my student loans in about 6 months (woot!). Now I'm trying to get used to the idea of white-collar work - and justifying the ridiculous dolla dolla bills it grants. Growing up, work was defined by actual labor, not coming up with ideas (but I am thankful that I have a job that I am actually good at. Gotta count those blessings.)

Some background, my family immigrated from out of the US and have farming backgrounds, which has a whole set of of challenges for 1st-generation-1st-born me. There was no guidance on how to prepare in high school for college, how to play the college game, the ridiculous activity of "networking", how to "office job", etc. But it did teach me to value my family, nature, and hard work - and not to take on debt. (It was my Dad's advice to say NO to $100k of student loans. Thanks Dad!)

So now, I am so happy to have found this community so early in my working life. With no debt to my name (nor assets), but full support of my family, I hope to FIRE by 2025. Or at least move on to work that actually accomplishes something. I'm hoping with everyone's help I can learn more things about the world and figure my way through it.

That excitement!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AmandaS1989 on October 13, 2015, 09:24:30 AM
Hello all!

I've been lurking for the past week or so and finally decided to join in on the fun! I found the MMM blog last month and have decided to start saving up for FIRE! I'm 26 and hope to have my FU money fully funded by the time I'm 45. I do not want to work forever and be a wage slave. If I work when I'm retired I want it to be because I WANT to, not because I have to.

I am currently in the process of paying off my last three CCs (about 3k in debt) so I can really start throwing some serious money at my SLs (63K worth). I have also started my 401k (4% on my part and 4% employer match) and have also started a Roth IRA with Betterment. I only have a little over $500 in my 401k and only $125 in my Roth with $1000 in my savings account but its better than where I was 5 months ago when I started my first full-time job as a staff accountant.

We've gotta start somewhere right?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeelweel on October 13, 2015, 09:56:32 AM
My name is Jake and I'm ready to retire in about 10 years if possible. A couple of issues:

1. I only make about 32k annually. No college degree and need to find a way to step that up.
2. I have no clue how to invest in anything because I fear losing it. But I DO want to invest. Need some help on that please. :)
3. My wife and I are expecting our 1st child next month (Wholly S*&t!!!) and she'll be out of work for a few months.
4. Have debt but it's minimal.
5. I have the frugal gene in me but could use some polishing. I've cut cable and stream.
6.I have a decent inheritance coming to me and want to know the best advice on where to put it.
7. I have no savings or 401k. My wife doesn't either. :(

Can anyone help? Y'all (yes I'm Texan) rock!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grantmeaname on October 13, 2015, 11:21:48 AM
Jake, maybe you should make a case study thread for advice. There's a great stickied thread that explains what to put in it to be sure you get the most useful advice possible!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ioakoutsiouk on October 14, 2015, 06:00:23 AM
Hello to everybody.

John, 30. Engaged to the Mrs., 26. Both computer engineers. Found this forum and the blog 2 days ago. Since then so much more things make sense to us. Without actually knowing about it, we have been living quite a part of the Mustachian life. Other parts we have been missing wildly, mostly because of our ignorance. This will lead to some hilarious statements you will see below, I swear these are true. Plus side that will make things interesting: We are from the other side of the Atlantic. Recently (5 months ago) moved to the Netherlands and we are currently planning to stay here at least for 6-8 years. we are currently behind the retire-early train, as we were ignorant to much things that would accelerate our plan a lot earlier, but we have recently decided to chase after the 42-44 year old retirement. Here's some of our info:

Couple net income: 60.000 euros (approx. 69k USD). Yep it is low, we are on the beginning of our engineering careers anyways, and salaries in most of Europe are on a low standpoint for the moment. Expected to rise by 3000 annually.

Zero property taxes. That's precise, we own nothing that is taxable. No car, no house, no land.

Bank assets: 80k euros (92k USD) currently sitting completely idle (yep, that's one of the big things we have been missing -  not a single little plan for any kind of long term)

No kind of any debt whatsoever. No mortgage (obviously), no credit cards, no nothing.

We are living quite the modest life. We haven't have a TV for the last 12 years. We don't have expensive subscriptions to anything. I really really dislike new books and at the same time I love used books. I also never keep books at home, once we read them we give them away (that's right, we give stuff away all the time, we have a soft heart when it comes to taking other people's money for something that should be free in the first place like books). We use our bikes all the time (we're in the Netherlands, right?), rarely go out. I almost never shop for clothes but I do waste money on my personal computer and for my hobby of assembling and painting futuristic toy soldiers. Mrs buys clothes, but never expensive shit. We do on average 3 trips abroad per year, 2 to visit family and 1 to take some personal time. On that last one we were currently spending ridiculous amounts because it felt like we deserved it (more stuff I wisened up from during the last two days alone). With a rough estimation I would say we get by with spending 23000 euros per year. So we are saving 55% more or less.

Looking at the above, someone would say we got off to a great start and the mustachian dream can be seen in the horizon. The problem is I am not seeing it. My bank assets are too low to invest, or maybe I'm a coward. I also hate the fact that practically 50% of our yearly expenses go to pay for house rent. We plan to move in a much more affordable house come new year which would save us about 4200 euros per year (4800 USD). I am also wildly considering purchasing a house but I think I am too chicken to do it. Currently we are bleeding 1100 euros per month to stay in a 55 sq meter (500 sq ft) little apartment. Yes, I am aware that I do this wrong. I actually got aware of this 2 days ago, thanks MMM.

So my main question is: How do I un-coward myself to actually start doing smart choices when the purchasing prices are high?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: runningthroughFIRE on October 14, 2015, 07:42:32 AM
Hello to everybody.

John, 30. Engaged to the Mrs., 26. Both computer engineers. Found this forum and the blog 2 days ago. Since then so much more things make sense to us. Without actually knowing about it, we have been living quite a part of the Mustachian life. Other parts we have been missing wildly, mostly because of our ignorance. This will lead to some hilarious statements you will see below, I swear these are true. Plus side that will make things interesting: We are from the other side of the Atlantic. Recently (5 months ago) moved to the Netherlands and we are currently planning to stay here at least for 6-8 years. we are currently behind the retire-early train, as we were ignorant to much things that would accelerate our plan a lot earlier, but we have recently decided to chase after the 42-44 year old retirement. Here's some of our info:

Couple net income: 60.000 euros (approx. 69k USD). Yep it is low, we are on the beginning of our engineering careers anyways, and salaries in most of Europe are on a low standpoint for the moment. Expected to rise by 3000 annually.

Zero property taxes. That's precise, we own nothing that is taxable. No car, no house, no land.

Bank assets: 80k euros (92k USD) currently sitting completely idle (yep, that's one of the big things we have been missing -  not a single little plan for any kind of long term)

No kind of any debt whatsoever. No mortgage (obviously), no credit cards, no nothing.

We are living quite the modest life. We haven't have a TV for the last 12 years. We don't have expensive subscriptions to anything. I really really dislike new books and at the same time I love used books. I also never keep books at home, once we read them we give them away (that's right, we give stuff away all the time, we have a soft heart when it comes to taking other people's money for something that should be free in the first place like books). We use our bikes all the time (we're in the Netherlands, right?), rarely go out. I almost never shop for clothes but I do waste money on my personal computer and for my hobby of assembling and painting futuristic toy soldiers. Mrs buys clothes, but never expensive shit. We do on average 3 trips abroad per year, 2 to visit family and 1 to take some personal time. On that last one we were currently spending ridiculous amounts because it felt like we deserved it (more stuff I wisened up from during the last two days alone). With a rough estimation I would say we get by with spending 23000 euros per year. So we are saving 55% more or less.

Looking at the above, someone would say we got off to a great start and the mustachian dream can be seen in the horizon. The problem is I am not seeing it. My bank assets are too low to invest, or maybe I'm a coward. I also hate the fact that practically 50% of our yearly expenses go to pay for house rent. We plan to move in a much more affordable house come new year which would save us about 4200 euros per year (4800 USD). I am also wildly considering purchasing a house but I think I am too chicken to do it. Currently we are bleeding 1100 euros per month to stay in a 55 sq meter (500 sq ft) little apartment. Yes, I am aware that I do this wrong. I actually got aware of this 2 days ago, thanks MMM.

So my main question is: How do I un-coward myself to actually start doing smart choices when the purchasing prices are high?
92K (USD because honestly I don't have a good conceptual understanding of value in euros) is certainly not too small to invest.  Depending on your bank's interest rate, you could be losing upwards of 1.5-2K a year to inflation alone.  As far as getting the courage to take the plunge: Knowledge. Get some books on investing, and head over to the 'Investor Alley' section of the forums if you have questions. Welcome to the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wpgdude on October 15, 2015, 11:35:59 AM
Well I discovered MMM sometime this past spring, and have loved reading his ideas and sharing thoughts with friends.  I'm 39, my wife is 42 and we have a 5 year old.  I never really gave retirement much thought until 5 years ago when my father past away at the age of 64.  This past spring my mother past away at the age of 63.  She managed to retire only a year before she passed away and regretted it during her past two months in hospital. 

So my eyes have been opened.  While I truly love my job as a high school teacher, I have my heart set on retiring at age 52 at the latest. (Retire when my daughter graduates from high school.)  We have been living somewhat frugal since my daughter was born as we dropped from 2 incomes to 1, with my wife being a stay at home mom.  Between my pension deductions, we save ~25% of what I bring home, not MMM standards by any means, but ahead of most of my friends. 

We have no debt, except for a mortgage (~190k on a 350k house, housing prices are much higher in Canada!).  I am now debating between accelerating our mortgage payments from 15 years left to under 10, or investing that money and making sure that our mortgage gets paid off from these investments before the day I retire.

I so appreciate all of the writings by MMM, it helps to give clarity on saying no to many not frugal things in life.  I know that I could reduce our spending further, but I am happy with a goal of retire at 52 and enjoy some luxuries (NHL hockey tickets) vs retiring even earlier. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: twisler13 on October 16, 2015, 01:35:37 AM
Hi Everyone,

Its the first time I've really been to the forum side of the site, but i have been following Mr Money for about a year or so now. I have made some major changes in my life because of it and on track to get student loans paid back and start investing. I am 25 and I have a 4 year old who is pretty awesome. We live in the flathead valley of Montana so in the Kalispell area. Would love to get to know some of you guys just to have some like minded individuals to talk with.

The Mrs and I work at home for Apple, so that has been a fun way to cut the costs of transportation down dramatically. We actually used to have a 2012 dodge charger which was amazing, but I came across Mr money and decided to sell it(actually made a profit thankfully) and went and bout a used 2005 Prius which has been amazing at the pump. So that was my first big step away from the traditional lifestyle and been following it getting better and better at little things all along the way. Cut cable, paid highest interest credit cards first moved the rest on to interest free until it was paid off, looked at the costs of our food, cut cable and bought an apple tv and hooked it up with netflix, etc We are actually hoping to get our first house so we can stop paying everyone elses mortgage. So I can't thank Mr money enough, and i am sure I can learn even more from you guys! 

If I can ever help with anything feel free to let me know, if you are nearby and want to meet up or just to have someone to chat with just reach let me know. :) ill be on here just watching and refining my mustache

Marcus
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AmandaS1989 on October 16, 2015, 05:58:19 AM
Hello Marcus and welcome! Those are some awesome changes you've made. The little stuff really does add up. It's great that you and your wife can work from home. Some days when I get up at 6 am to make my hour commute I wish that I could do that too. Good luck on your journey to FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Eric222 on October 19, 2015, 08:04:38 AM
Hi!  I'm Eric.

I've spent most of my life as a consumer sucka - always justifying it by the fact I've been in 'training' or 'school', etc.  That was bad enough, but then I decided to get married and have two kids during medical school and residency.  Follow that by a bad divorce during residency, and I got pushed over the edge financially.  I spent a lot of time feeling like I'd been unlucky - but that isn't true.  I made poor choices and only by owning them and looking forward can I fix it. 

Thankfully, and embarrassingly, my parents came to my rescue and allowed me to use their collateral to borrow the money needed to survive the divorce, get 50/50 custody of my kids, and get back on my feet.

I've been cutting expenses, and it was enough to get to being able to start to pay back some of my massive debt, but at my previous pace I was looking at working until I'm dead.  I'm not just on fire, I'm rolling in lava.

I stumbled across this blog a few weeks ago and realized I can do more. 
Here are the steps I've taken:
1)  Dropped collision coverage on my Toyota Matrix (I already had an appropriate car) and switched to a cheaper carrier (Geico of course).
2)  Dropped my rental insurance.
3)  Got a BJs (local Costco equivalent) membership for cheap through work.
4)  Paid off the installment plan on my phone and am switching to Ting, which will be more than adequate for my needs.
5)  Got a bike lock for my road bike that was collecting dust in my house.  I biked to work today for the first time in years.  It was 30 degrees out and it felt great!  Embarrassingly, it took less time to bike than to take the bus or drive.  I should have figured this out years ago. 
6)  I'm having a no restaurant November - this needs to extend to a no restaurant for years, but one step at a time. 
7)  Winterized my apartment to the extent possible.
8)  Bought LED bulbs for my commonly used lights ($13/6 bulbs FTW). 

Next steps are to turn these changes into habits and to spend less on groceries.  It is only myself and 2 kids (half the time - I suppose I have an average of 1 full time kid?)  I still spend $500/month on groceries. 

Now to stay the course.

Thanks for reading,
Eric

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: adieli on October 19, 2015, 02:26:52 PM
Hello everyone!

We are a Mustachian-wanna be family with 2 kids from South Fl.  Hope to learn a lot on this forum from more experienced folks.  Soon will post a case study to get a much needed advice.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Szilveszter Hansen on October 20, 2015, 07:29:34 AM
Szilveszter Hansen

Good day.

My name is Szilveszter Hansen, a fellow adventurer on the path to total freedom. While I do not wish to divulge too many personal detail, suffice to say I am just beginning to come into some money in my life and I am trying to make decisions that are beneficial both for me and those close to me. My plans are as of now, still secret but I believe you will hear a lot more from me once I put them into action.

For now, I will summarize the current situation. I live in an unspecified european country. I am somewhere in my mid 20's.

Assets:
Apartment, worth approx. EUR 185,000
Savings, currently all liquid assets, approx. EUR 72,000

Debts:
Student loan approx. EUR 13,100
Mortgage, approx. EUR 85,000

Net worth:
approx. EUR 160,000

Income:
Approx. EUR 2,200 (after taxes)

Fixed expenses (rent, food, insurance, etc.):
Approx. EUR 600

Savings goal (monthly):
Approx. EUR 1,000

Looking forward towards contributing to forum and lending my expertise.

In haste,
Szilveszter
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RapidLionInvasion on October 20, 2015, 03:10:25 PM
Hello! I posted on the celebrations thread before I saw this thread but hello! I'm 17 years old, I am absurdly interested by these financial talks, and I hope to start solid on the beginning of my own life as I begin college next year!

I do not plan to own a car or house. I have not done the exact math yet but this blog seems to suggest to me that its alot of money that I can invest.

I strongly hope to be financially independent at the age of 30. I do not wish to retire at 30. As a kid I have always thought that work should be fun and I think that after 10 years of "real world advice and experience" from other adults, this blog has granted me a concrete way to revive and protect that vision.

Being inexperienced, I don't know what other things I can say atm haha.

Anyways hello!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AmandaS1989 on October 20, 2015, 03:14:02 PM
Hello and welcome. I wish I knew at 17 what I know now at 26.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ciamae on October 21, 2015, 10:11:30 PM
Hello, Fine Frugal Folks!
1. My name is Cia Mae & apparently... I have no idea how to navigate a forum.
2. The MMM blog has reignited a flame I once carried that burned with desire to eliminate debt while maximizing life through beautiful simplicity.
3. I am irrationally *EXTREMELY* intimidated by investment jargon & numbers.
4. Hoping to find support & advice as I continue on my rediscovered path to financial freedom & life fulfillment!
xoxo:CM



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: amyj_05 on October 22, 2015, 02:50:33 PM
Hello everyone!

My name is Amy and I'm a 28-year-old nurse from Southern Virginia.

I found this blog about 4 months ago and I have learned SO MUCH from it! It really has changed my life! I only wish I had found it sooner. I've always been fairly frugal but learning about early retirement and financial independence really opened my eyes. I do not plan on retiring "early" by most people's standards. My goal is simply to be able to comfortably retire at age 60.

I work as a nurse and DH is a cook. We make a combined income of ~68k annually. Though this isn't a lot of money, we live in a very low COL area. We have no student loan or credit card debt. The only things we owe money on are our house and DH's car. My car is already paid off. I have an IRA which I opened several years ago and don't really contribute much to it right now, since my ultimate goal is to have DH's car and our house paid off in the next 5 years.

Looking forward to learning more about investing, saving, retiring, real estate, and lots more from this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lodjuret on October 22, 2015, 05:39:17 PM
Hi I'm lodjuret from upper Sweden, just shy of 40.

Been reading mmm on and off for a year or two.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Manifold on October 22, 2015, 07:59:39 PM
Hi, I'm Manifold.  I'm 54, headed toward semi-retirement in August of 2016.  I was a member of ER.org, but I don't think I fit in very well there, so I was hoping to find a better fit here. 

I've practiced simple/frugal living for a couple of decades, and it's served me well.  I plan to cut back to < 20 hrs/wk in about 10 months.  I'm really looking forward to that. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: georgec on October 23, 2015, 11:58:50 AM
Howdy. I discovered MMM by way of both Raptitide and The Art of Manliness. Both resonated deeply with me, as did MMM once I finally gave it some attention. I'm glad I did. I find myself reading the backlog of blog posts and smiling, seeing myself among the stories, opinions and behaviors.

My path began when I first decided to go into business for myself as a freelance artist 8 years ago. I knew I needed to pay off my credit card and student loan debt first, and then pay off the ridiculous car loan I had at the time. I did so with a vengeance once I set my mind to it, and believe me I was a directionless blob prior to that. At least financially.

My first year in business for myself was extremely successful, and contributed to paying off the toxic auto loan. It also resulted in a lot of needless purchases, which I was fortunate enough at the time to quickly realize that I wasn't one single bit happier than I was when I was debt-free. I decided right there and then to maintain my strict financial behaviors and start learning about investing and planning for retirement. That was about 5 years ago.

The past few years have found me yet again re-focusing my life and priorities due to some extended bouts of severe depression. A dedicated regimen of healthier eating (full fat, no added sugar, no refined grains), regular exercise, meditation, and a realigned perspective on the focus of my art has been a massive help to get a hold on the depression and once again focus on the future, as opposed to dwelling on the past or complaining about the present.

At any rate, I found MMM to be aligned to the values I'd come to cultivate totally independently, and was needless to say a big fan right off the bat. I've been riding my bike to the grocery store, saving and investing as much of my income as possible, reducing my desire for consuming, and practicing Stoicism as best I can. I've even been working on an essay called the "Inconvenience Manifesto" over the past year, so you can imagine the smile on my face reading over the archives at MMM.

I started later in life down this path, so while I have a few years under my belt, I'm still working to learn and build my investments. I have a lot of questions still. I'm not sure I'll be retiring early, but I'm sure I'll be aggressively aiming to do so.

I look forward to communing with the like-minded folks here. I'm an avid non-fiction reader and podcast listener, and a big part of signing up for the forums was to hopefully share and discover recommendations in these areas.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Aeowulf on October 24, 2015, 07:18:43 PM
Found MMM through a Facebook post this past week and have been reading the blog ever since. I'm already semi-mustached in many ways, but I still have a LOT of room to improve. I've had the idea of retiring early, but my wife just shrugs it off.

Me and my wife are two sides of the coin. I spend minimally, making only a few purchases a year, except on food which is the majority of my expenses. My wife loves spending money on trinkets and useless junk that ends up sitting on a shelf, in a drawer, or getting tossed in the trash. Just trying to find ways to get her to stop being emotional about money and materials and see reason.

Either way, glad to be here and learn what I can to slow the money drain.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Freedomin5 on October 25, 2015, 06:49:55 AM
Hi, I'm FreedomIn5. Hope to gain FI in 5 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrDelane on October 25, 2015, 04:46:23 PM
I've been lurking on here for quite a while now and figured I'd finally register.
I really put my best foot forward by registering with a typo.

Is there any way a Mod could change my username to MrDelaney instead of MrDelane?

If so, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pekklemafia on October 25, 2015, 04:51:09 PM
Hi everyone,
I've been a MMM lurker for several months now, and have finally decided to join in on the conversation. I'm also new to posting on forums in general, so this is slightly terrifying...

A little about myself:
- age 29, living with my awesomely frugal partner of the same age in Canada
- I'm a pharmacist and my partner is in grad school, working on his phD... take home income is close to 100k. Net worth for the both of us is likely close to 250k, not including my work pension. Currently saving ~50%, but we don't budget really strictly (budgeting feeds the anxiety and guilt centre of my brain)
- We're both on the early retirement train, with a wishy-washy goal of FI age 40. Still have to work out the numbers.
- Most of our investments are sitting in mutual funds right now and it hurts my soul :( I still feel like we have a lot to learn about investing before we start doing it ourselves, although a lot of it is really logistics around how to use online investment platforms. I'm really bad with that sort of thing. I'm hoping to gain some insight as well as tips from some like-minded folks (Canadians especially!!)

I have so many interests outside of work (cooking! gardening! art! music!) that I would love to pursue further... if only I had the time! Come onnnnn FI.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Marie13 on October 26, 2015, 12:13:46 PM
Hi, I'm Marie! I live in the suburban Midwest. Mid-40s, single with no kids, no pets. It's hit me recently that I really need to get cracking on retirement savings, since I only have myself to rely on. I have a pretty decent job I enjoy in an industry I've been in for 20+ years. I've got about $55K in retirement savings (rollover IRA from previous job and 401K at current job). I have a small emergency fund in a savings account.

I have about $9500 in credit card debt (one cc) and about $13,400 on a car loan (Ford Focus). Concentrating on eating out less and taking my lunch to work will really help.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: geodude on October 30, 2015, 09:52:15 PM
Hello everyone. I'm a 25 year old graduate student. Single, no kids, no pets, no debts! Very small mustache. Stumbled upon MMM recently but was already on this path anyway. The dream is to retire at 35 and travel the world on a motorcycle. I've taken a couple of big motorcycle trips across the US and Canada already. Will probably continue to do so in the near and distant future. Maybe I will have the opportunity to make some like minded friends through MMM!

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Misstachio on November 02, 2015, 07:15:02 AM
Hi from Michigan!

I'm a 23 year old MechE fresh from university. Born in Florida and moved north for a change of scene.

After the first few weeks at my shiny new job, I realized that spending the next forty years in a cubicle would kill my soul. Then I found Mr. Money Mustache and realized I could be free in ten(ish) years! Suddenly my vision of the future changed from office politics and TPS reports to raising my own kids and writing god-awful fiction, and all I had to do was not by a bunch of random crap. Luckily my family was frugal by necessity and gave me a good foundation to start with so I avoided amassing any debt and now most of my income is split between the FI fund and the cabin by the lake fund :)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrozenAssets on November 02, 2015, 04:24:37 PM
I finally registered after several years of MMM reading and forum-lurking!  My hope is that participating actively in this community will help me to stay focused on our financial and lifestyle goals and plans.

About me: mid-30s, married 13 years, four children ranging from 12 to 1.  I've been a SAHM since our eldest was born, and my passions are homeschooling, homegrowing, homebirthing, homemaking...  Generally all things HOME.  My husband and I are both Alaska-raised; we love to camp, hike, ski, bike, fish, hunt, and anything else outdoorsy.  We have a golden retriever, a fat ragdoll cat, and 10 spoiled rotten chickens.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xdan on November 03, 2015, 11:07:28 AM
A few years ago I was working as a contractor in Afghanistan (doing computer support type work).
I was fortunate enough to be making more money then I knew what to do with (hazard pay and overtime really stack up) and blowing it on silly things like extravagant vacations and a gigantic new house. I was actually trying to decide how to option my new porsche when I got home when I discovered MMM.

Needless to say, it was a complete eye opener for me. I read the entire blog from start to finish and started to make FIRE plans. I put all my money into Vanguard index funds and underwent an epic frugal transformation.

When I burned out with the overseas work I came back home and sold my big house, moved back to my old condo (which I had previously converted to a rental) and used the proceeds from the house to completely pay off the condo's mortgage. At this point I was theoretically FI but using a more conservative withdrawal rate (I'm not comfortable with 4%) meant that the lifestyle was a bit too austere for my tastes. I was fortunate enough to meet my future wife at this point, and she has been amazingly supportive of me through all this (though she is a bit jealous of my man-crush on Pete).

So 1 year ago I went back to work as a Software Engineer, but this time it is for a different company that is only 6 miles from home and allows me to ride my bike to work instead of fighting rush hour traffic. I have continued to save and invest nearly everything that I've earned and now the 'stache has grown to a more comfortable level. That, combined with DW sharing household expenses with me, makes for a post-FIRE lifestyle that I am much happier with.

Yesterday I resigned from my job! I'm staying on through Thanksgiving to finish things up, but after that I am free! The paycheck is nice and it's hard to walk away from a cush job, but I just don't want to sit in a cubicle anymore. I want to enjoy my life while I am still young enough to fully do so. DW plans to work for a couple more years at least, but she plans to do the same eventually (she has her own 'stache and an admirable savings rate to go with it).

I credit MMM with completely changing my life! I would have spent the next 25 years sitting in an office but thanks to MMM, I am now retired at 39 and happier than I've ever been.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: San Dawg Stubble on November 03, 2015, 01:27:53 PM
Hello, I'm a recovering consumer sucka.

This is my first post after three months of reading all the articles and I've started to go back through the comments now that I have to wait a few weeks before new posts, so I've decided to become active in the MMM community.

I have never really been materialistic, but I spent the decade after college in search of the never-ending party (booze, bars, clubs, traveling the world, trying to impress girls, etc.). Meanwhile, I managed to run up triple the average American's credit card debt amount, and had a similar amount left in my student loans.  I had absolutely nothing to show for 10 years of making a really decent salary, and the worst part about it was that I knew better.  I was a finance major in college and a stock broker for a few years after, and I knew the exponential power of investing, but I did not follow the advice I gave to my clients.

Then about four years ago, I met my (now) wife and everything changed.  She didn't care about shoes and purses and she only wanted to spend time with her daughters, to the point where she walked away from a manager job because it was causing her to stay late a lot and work one-fourth of the weekends. She taught me what true happiness is, and now we love spending time with our family, not spending money unnecessarily.  Now, we have no school loans, even after I got two masters degrees from a private university over the last three years (thank you GI Bill), and no car loans or other consumer debt.  Our mortgage is our only debt, and thanks to the crazy real estate market in Southern California, my house has appreciated 45% in the last couple of years.

I am saving about 50-60% of my net pay (housing is kinda outrageous in SoCal - but we are choosing to live in a huge house with a nice view and a good school that is walking distance), and I plan to FIRE in just under 10 years.  Reading about other people pulling the trigger gives me more inspiration to lead a somewhat less-ridiculous lifestyle, and try to save more.  So thank you MMM and everybody else on here.

** Ideas for MMM articles / discussions:
1) How young, single mustachians can meet other like-minded people to start their journey to financial independence together.
2) A look at unlocking home equity through the new home appreciation-sharing companies (Equity Key in San Diego and FirstREX in San Francisco *I have no affiliation with either company*) as an alternative to HELOCs, 2nd Mortgages, Reverse Mortgages, or selling your house.
Title: Hello!
Post by: gliderpilot567 on November 04, 2015, 11:24:53 AM
I discovered the concept of FI through happening upon the MMM blog by accident a few months ago, and it has changed my life already.

Short backstory - I lived a very facepunchworthy lifestyle for a long time, and last year everything came to a head when I realized that payments on debt were sucking up almost all of my income, leaving just a couple hundred bucks a month with which to feed my kids. And I came to this realization only after having maxed out the credit cards and being forced to spend "real money" on food. Real money of which there was very little.

Over the past year, after selling literally TONS of stuff and making many spending changes, we've paid off about $100k in debt. There is about $30k remaining besides the house, and then we're never doing that again. By next fall, we'll be positioned to save/invest 30-40% of our income, possibly more. I've been running spreadsheets and calculations and scenarios ever since I discovered MMM (which was my gateway to many, many other FI books, blogs, and resources).

Thank you - to MMM and all the other FI authors and bloggers out there. You've changed my family's life tremendously and it continues to improve. I now invite everyone to line up and facepunch me as my penance for all my past financial stupidity; following that, I am looking forward to participating in this community!!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: danipani85 on November 04, 2015, 01:27:36 PM
Hello everybody!


I've been reading MMM for about a year and have finally convinced my husband that this is the way to go. We're paying off all our very silly consumer debt and we're tackling it like the emergency it is. We'll be done by June and then we'll only have our house to pay off. Yay!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PGailB on November 04, 2015, 01:40:46 PM
Hello all:

First off, I am leagues behind many on this form regarding income and investments due to the fact that I was the primary caregiver for my mother for several years until 2012 when she passed. Those years were tough physically, mentally and financially for us both. In that time I did manage to continue to set aside as much as I could in a Roth 403(b), with employer match, and put money in a small emergency fund. I have no kids other than a sweet, goofy little pooch; she doesn't need much and won't go to college.  The only debt I have is $63K on a mortgage at 2% and $6000 on a car loan.  Actually, I wouldn't even have a car loan had it not been for my old beater giving out on me this year.

Anyway, at the age of 50 I am still looking for ideas and ways to save, invest and "catch up."   Which is why I am here.







Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Debonair on November 05, 2015, 09:46:22 AM
Hello,

Just a 25 year old lurker who after a few months has decided to join.

I hate introductions
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dartwa on November 05, 2015, 01:42:44 PM
Hi everyone,

26-year-old software engineer here. Recently relocated to Boulder, Colorado from metro-Detroit, Michigan, and am in a whole heap of debt from living a typical ultra-consumer lifestyle. I've been reading MMM for 6 months or so, and am totally inspired to stop buying stuff and start buying our freedom. Bonus: I've got my girlfriend excited about early retirement as well!

I think I'm going to start a journal here to keep myself on track, with the eyes of lots of internet strangers keeping me honest.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: asch on November 05, 2015, 11:19:48 PM
Hi,

It has been so exciting to find a whole community of people like me!  I've always been the most frugal one among my family, friends and coworkers, and sometimes it felt like everybody else was looking at me rather pityingly (like I don't know how to have fun). I just like riding my bike and find high priced cocktails to be largely overrated. I found MMM when I was doing research on Betterment a few weeks ago and I've really enjoyed reading through the blog. I'm looking forward to learning from everybody here, but mostly I'm just happy to have a place that reminds me I'm not the only one who'd rather bring their own lunch or take a bike ride instead of going to a movie.
Title: Hello from the North
Post by: MrRicheRelax on November 06, 2015, 10:09:53 PM
Hello !
 
We are a mustachian family from Canada.
 
We've always been on something like a FIRE track, but without really paying attention to it.
Now that we have a kid we have decided to get more serious about it !

Part of it is due to finding MMM and realizing that other people like us exist.
It is great to see other people having a sane vision of money !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: younggunner on November 07, 2015, 11:29:33 AM
hello all-

Im a 25 year old very interested in early retiring.  Aiming to achieve my goal of retirement before age 50 by taking advantage of time v compound interest.  Ive been lurking on the forum for about a year.. dropping by occasionally to read good articles and posts.  Figured I should just sign up so I can comment as well. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FI-42 on November 07, 2015, 03:59:46 PM
Hi all,

I'm UK based and I've been a lurker here for a while.  I was actually directed here by a Jalopnik post (http://jalopnik.com/heres-why-ill-drive-my-2000-jdm-honda-less-often-and-un-1715911380).  I'm going to try and not bore you with the particulars of my life (plenty of time for that later!) but please allow me to say what has changed since I've been reading MMM.

1)   I will save 1200 GBP over the next year just by analysing and renegotiating my bills (home insurance, gas, electricity etc.)
2)   My wife now has a job – seems an odd thing to say but she is Japanese and has been grapling with the English language, but since having 'the talk' she took it upon herself to get gainful employment.  It's only temporary factory work but 90% of what she brings home goes into the pot, and will hopefully be a stepping stone to greater things.
3)   We have no more debt – in-fact we have 1300 GBP in savings and are targeting 3000 GBP the end of this year.  This is despite paying 1200 GBP to renew the wifes visa.
4)   I now eat rolled oats (and I love them, the wife thinks they are bird food.)
5)   I now brew my own beer.  The first batch of ale was absolutely steller.  For the second batch I tried a lager which wasn't so good, but I hear it improves with age.  I'm pretty sure that I'll never buy another beer from the supermarket ever again.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Financial Ascensionist on November 08, 2015, 11:07:25 AM
Hi, everyone.

I discovered MMM a little over two years ago.  I always thought of myself as frugal, but discovering this community gave me a whole new benchmark and opened my eyes to a more ambitious definition of early retirement.  I stepped up my game in terms of knowing where my money goes and being conscious about which types of spending was bringing me true satisfaction.  Today I feel more in control then ever.

I'm a few months away from FI and I expect to work for another two or three year, no so much for the cushion but because I want to accomplish a few great things in the work place before turning the page and moving on to my next project.

I've been lurking for all this time, but reading your stories have been very helpful and I now feel like it's my turn to contribute a few ideas of my own.  I'm glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tenns9 on November 08, 2015, 10:57:33 PM
Hi all,

My wife and I are both 26 with a 1 yr old son. We are looking forward to FI, but have not really looked into how quickly we can get there. We just recently made our final payment on our $180k home and now have absolutely no debt and about 50k invested between Roth's, IRA's, and 401ks. My wife is a SAHM and I'm looking forward to the day I can join her.

We were making $2,000-$3,000 house payments/mo for quite some time and now can put that money towards ER savings now that we have ZERO debt. I'm much more interested in possibly investing into rental properties, but do not even know where to start with that so I'll be reading a lot in that portion of this forum.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: taking fire on November 09, 2015, 10:36:12 AM
Hello,

I am John.

I found this place by searching for financial advice forums online. Looks like a really good place to spend some time!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: simplyTri on November 11, 2015, 11:53:21 AM
Hi!!

My name is Tri and I'm 27 years old.  I discovered personal finance, frugal living and minimalism about a year ago. Since then, I’ve paid off my remaining student loan of $12,000 and $5,000 credit card debt. I’m currently saving 40% of my income and living a very simple life in a very expensive city – Washington, DC. My rent is also about $850 and I bike to work everyday – my commute is only 10 minutes!!! I maintain a cash diet for my monthly expenses to help me stay on budget and to keep me from getting back into credit card debt.
I take out $300 in cash every paycheck (every 2 weeks):
$100 Groceries (I mostly shop at Trader Joe’s – low prices and lots of organic options!!)
$100 Eating Out/Going Out/Fun
$20 Hair Cuts
$10 Dog Food
$20 Laundry
$50 Dad – I send $100 to my Dad each month to help with some of his expenses
(I pay my reoccurring bills with my debit card – rent, cell, utilities, dog insurance and renter’s insurance)
With the cash diet, once I run out of cash, I would either take from the other categories or stop spending. I usually end up with $20-$40 left over every 2 weeks, and I deposit the extras into my savings account.

Looking forward to read and learn about investing, FI and early retirement.  I want to retire in 10 years (at age 38) and travel around in an Airstream!!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bloodbuzz on November 11, 2015, 03:05:03 PM
Hi im 31 year old guy in South of England - single income no kids, no debt, little bit in savings but planning to increase that massively from now and 'do' passive investing.

Been lurking here for about 6 months and fascinated by all the stories and advice and getting inspired to start my own plan to be financially independent around age 45 (or much earlier if possible!).

Im recently made a few life changes and am now saving around 50-60% of my salary.  Looking forward to being active on the forums :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: max924 on November 11, 2015, 07:03:07 PM
Hi All,

 Been a lurker for some time and decided to introduce myself to get the ball rolling.

 I'm 31, my wife is the same age, and we a have a 1.5 year old daughter. Currently I am on Parental Leave from my job (get 9 months as other parent in Canada!) which has been awesome, and has led me to strive for FIRE.

  I have read a few good books on the subject lately as well as the mmm material and have started a few things to reach my goals:

-finally invested my money into index funds chosen by me
-sold a whole bunch of crap that didnt line up with our values/goals ie. huge diesel truck etc. Selling these items alone freed up ~ $40,000 for investments
-tracking our spending down to the dollar
-in general trying to live our life more in line with our goals and values.

 We live in Ontario, Canada and I am hoping i can use this forum for the many questions I have in pregressing to our goals.

M
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FarmStash on November 11, 2015, 07:19:55 PM
Hi everyone.

I have been lurking on this forum for awhile and seen alot of great ideas.

Am not looking to retire from work as most here are but move more to being able to have a small farm of my own as a full time hobby.  Think that this can help me get their.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: albireo13 on November 12, 2015, 05:23:53 AM
Hi there

I am turning 60 soon. I found MMM about a month ago and find it very motivating!
I am an engineer with a good salary. My wife is a nurse who works in Boston.
We have not saved aggressively over the years. To be honest, I didn't pay that much attention to retirement savings until recently.  Now I give myself the forehead slap. I could have FIREd years ago if I had been less of a consumer.

Love this website!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marcustachian on November 12, 2015, 01:07:13 PM
'Lo Mustachians, I'm Marcus from New Zealand. My brother recommended MMM about 3 weeks ago and I got totally hooked on the philosophies and ideas.
I'm going to go hunting for some NZ specific investment advice on these forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: skeeder on November 13, 2015, 08:33:40 AM
Hello from Michigan.

The skeeder callsign represents a (current) family of 5.  Wife and I are young (29) and have 3 amazing boys ranging from 6 to 1 years of age.  We got married very young and started our family when I finished college.  I studied finance and have a background in investments and retirement plan design.  My wife studied accounting. 

I am a "public servant" and my wife is a full-time stay at home mom, with a small jewelry business on the side.  Our life up to this point has been very financially dry. 

Our current net-worth is positive, but that is mostly thanks for appreciation of a foreclosure that we currently have on the market.  It's sale price will wipe out most of our debt lingering from college, short term CC debt to get a few items fixed on the house, and perhaps our one vehicle loan (which was unfortunately necessary since our other vehicle wouldn't fit 3 seats across the back). 

Once the house sells, our hope is relocate to a more desireable location to be closer to our church and work.  We hope to raise more food via ground and livestock.  That place (we hope) will require little work on our part (financially speaking) and we can save funds for other items: paying off the mortgage, kids college, and retiring.

If you see me posting you'll notice a few things:
I'm a minimalist.
I am frugal.
I drive a three pedal car.
I have a real winter at my location. 
I believe in eating local grown and organic foods.
I am a foodie.
I love dark beer.
I love good coffee.
I love two wheels (powered by man or machine)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MisterTwoForty on November 14, 2015, 11:34:12 AM
Hello All.  Just like many of you - I am a long time reader and first time I signed up was today.

I was recommended to read MMM by a friend a few years ago.  I finally started about a year back and got serious about ER.

I'm in a fairly LCOLA area and have a pretty simple lifestyle.  Two income earners and no kids (yet).  I plan to be done working in the next 10-12 years.  That will put me in my early 40's.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GoSounders on November 14, 2015, 09:47:37 PM
Hello Mustachians,

Hmm.  Where to start.  Well, here is the deal - I randomly landed on this blog via the personal finance subreddit, specifically the commuting post.  I read the post, and moved on to the 'Start Here' post, and well the rest is history.  That was about 2 weeks ago, and since then I've:

1) Cut cable - reduced bill from $160 to $90, and will drop another $10 once our $40 purchased cable modem arrives.  I wish we could reduce this bill further, however Comcast has a monopoly here and alternatives are all horrible
2) Reduced my cell phone plan from $165/mo to $30/mo.  I get a free phone from work but was too dumb to cancel my personal phone and my wife moved her phone to Republic.  Both of our old phones are on eBay now, and should more than cover the remaining balance on our phones (purchased on credit (0%, but still...))
3) Am in the process of reducing my auto/home insurance - don't have a solid figure, but will probably save 60% or more
4) Finally decided that my 26-mile round trip commute was not worth living in Seattle, so we met (tonight) with our Realtor sister-in-law to put our house up for sale next spring and move within biking distance of my work
5) Once we move, getting rid of the Nissan Leaf that I'm leasing, and paying off our other car (less than $5k at 2.75% APR)
6) Buying a cargo bike with a kiddo-hauler for our two youngsters so my wife can bike the older kid to kindergarten

Never in my life did I think that randomly searching the internet would so profoundly change my view on life.  I mean, holy shit, what a punch in the face.  I've ALWAYS said that I want to be financially independent, but never have I seen a more clear path than prescribed by MMM.  Kool-aid has been fully ingested, shit, I've never even posted on a forum in my life before today, but felt the overwhelming need to say thank you for providing me the toolkit needed to do what I've so desperately wanted to have since I started my professional career.  I'm very fortunate that I'm in the target audience ($100k+ income, zero revolving debt) and have the means to 'Stache cash.  I fully get it now, and am STOKED for the next 10 years! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on November 16, 2015, 03:26:11 PM
Hello Mustachians,

Hmm.  Where to start.  Well, here is the deal - I randomly landed on this blog via the personal finance subreddit, specifically the commuting post.  I read the post, and moved on to the 'Start Here' post, and well the rest is history.  That was about 2 weeks ago, and since then I've:

1) Cut cable - reduced bill from $160 to $90, and will drop another $10 once our $40 purchased cable modem arrives.  I wish we could reduce this bill further, however Comcast has a monopoly here and alternatives are all horrible
2) Reduced my cell phone plan from $165/mo to $30/mo.  I get a free phone from work but was too dumb to cancel my personal phone and my wife moved her phone to Republic.  Both of our old phones are on eBay now, and should more than cover the remaining balance on our phones (purchased on credit (0%, but still...))
3) Am in the process of reducing my auto/home insurance - don't have a solid figure, but will probably save 60% or more
4) Finally decided that my 26-mile round trip commute was not worth living in Seattle, so we met (tonight) with our Realtor sister-in-law to put our house up for sale next spring and move within biking distance of my work
5) Once we move, getting rid of the Nissan Leaf that I'm leasing, and paying off our other car (less than $5k at 2.75% APR)
6) Buying a cargo bike with a kiddo-hauler for our two youngsters so my wife can bike the older kid to kindergarten

Never in my life did I think that randomly searching the internet would so profoundly change my view on life.  I mean, holy shit, what a punch in the face.  I've ALWAYS said that I want to be financially independent, but never have I seen a more clear path than prescribed by MMM.  Kool-aid has been fully ingested, shit, I've never even posted on a forum in my life before today, but felt the overwhelming need to say thank you for providing me the toolkit needed to do what I've so desperately wanted to have since I started my professional career.  I'm very fortunate that I'm in the target audience ($100k+ income, zero revolving debt) and have the means to 'Stache cash.  I fully get it now, and am STOKED for the next 10 years!

Welcome! I don't know that specific post, but I do r/personalfinance on occasion. If you are into biking, feel free to join us in the challenge. See my signature for the latest months challenge.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrenchStache on November 16, 2015, 08:31:53 PM
Hey guys,

I'm from Cincinnati, Ohio. Looking forward to actively participate in this forum as I'm always reading, listening and learning about personal finance topics.  I have read through a lot of posts in the past and everyone seems genuine, constructive and helpful.

My personal situation is that I'm debt free except the house. We did that under two years following the Dave Ramsey principles like other people may have done here. I believe we are saving around 15% a month not including a 6% company match. So definitely looking forward to learning from the community to boost that. Otherwise our investments are in 401k, taxable accounts and trading accounts.

Thanks for having me.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HelinaHandbasket on November 17, 2015, 04:40:46 AM
Hey all,

Myself and my husband are newly converted Mini-Mustashians. We're both in our mid-thirties, living in Ireland.

We were doing "really well" (by the standards we were told we should be aspiring to) up to 2010, when we both lost our jobs within the same month. Since jobs were more than thin on the ground, we made the decision to do some upskilling, and went back to college, on an absolute shoe string. Five years later, we both have honours degrees and are working steadily, albeit a little lower on the ladder than we'd like, but we're moving up :)

We have no debt at all, which makes me smile just typing it. We finally cleared the credit card earlier in the year, we have one old, but perfectly serviceable car that we own outright, and rent our home. We've bought bikes recently and I'm learning to cycle for the first time!

The plan is to buy our first place in the next year or so. We're hoping to have as small a mortgage as possible (especially given the insane house prices here) and pay it off as fast as possible.

Nice to meet you all :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: krimsonstaned on November 20, 2015, 09:23:23 AM
Hey everyone,

Been Trolling MMM since earlier this year.  I'm one of those who read every post since the dawn of time over about 4 months and it changed a lot about how I view my life now.

About me:

1. Engineer 31, 35-yo SAHM wife, 2 kids- 5 and 2, 2 dogs,  3rd kid is planned for 2016, then done.  Paid off 30k in student loans for the wife back in 2011-2012 and went through a part-time MBA program from 2012-2014 (loved the program, but really was a checkbox for a career promotion I got in 2013).

2. No debt except mortgage

3. 2 cars 2002 Saturn (150k miles) and 1998 Honda (200K miles). These will be kept till they implode.

4. Getting ready to move into LONG TERM home at a little over $200k on a 30 year mortage. Will be at 20% loan to value when our first house sells. It's a drive to work, but it's safe and out in the country like my wife wants.  We homeschool and live in Oklahoma City, OK so the country is not necessary but helpful.   Every place you need to go is almost assuredly driving distance, but all of our family is within 8 miles of this house so moving  to a new state is not an easy thing to bring up. This was a tough decision but it's within walking distance from our church and it's in a good community.  Looking for new jobs that could be bike distance from this new house.  Enough with the rationalization.

5.  Have a little under 1 years worth of salary in 401k and IRA, and a 3 month emergency fund (this needs to grow after the new house gets bought).

6.  Have a goal to be FI in 15-20 years, but I'm thinking this new house will allow us to live more frugally without feeling much burn so I think 10 might be possible.

7. Love woodworking, learning some remodeling skills(need more training) and love cars of all kinds but really dream about having a cheap beater Miata to trash on some windy roads.

8.  Hoping to learn from and contribute to this community.  Glad it's here.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ArtX on November 20, 2015, 04:44:26 PM
Hi, I'm Artur
I work, invest, trade, loose and make money... recently I started making more than I loose, I can even say a lot more, although it took some costly mistakes to learn how to do it. Also I love photography and travelling and hope to learn snowboarding this winter. What else? Well, anyway, i just stopped by to say hello
Title: Hello from overseas
Post by: JRB_NW on November 20, 2015, 07:00:41 PM
Hi,

I'm from the US Pacific Northwest, currently living in, and exploring SE Asia. Love this website and the values espoused.. although it took me some years to learn the lessons..

I retired a few years ago, at age 57. I already was debt free, owned a home in the suburbs, and had a 401K, but it had not occurred to me until then that I could actually retire. My mom had recently passed and a small inheritance gave me enough to make the numbers work. So I did. I had some personal things I had put off, and wanted to work on, so it was helpful to have more time and freedom.

I had spent most of my working career in IT, with the exception of a five year hiatus during which I developed some vacant land in the SF Bay Area a decade ago. IT always pays the bills but it can be boring and without a sense of purpose over time.  Once I retired, I made some other investments such as buying a second home in a mountain community, thinking I would retire there, but for health reasons it wasn't working out, so I rented it.

I started traveling and eventually rented my primary home as well, finding the income too good to pass up. I'm currently living in the Philippines and exploring the region. Since both homes are located in prime areas, the income is pretty good and allows me to live here in a less expensive country without drawing down my remaining investments. I enjoy travel, cycling, photography, and.. internet communities, lol.

Looking forward to participating in the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: elyay on November 20, 2015, 08:52:47 PM
Hi, I'm Jelena. Unfortunately, the responsibility of caring for the financial future of my family has fallen on me, and I'm freaking out. I may have to grow mustache and a few hairs on my chin just to get going.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MortlakeTheCat on November 21, 2015, 09:40:17 AM
Hello everyone,

And greetings from England, where it's starting to get cold now. 

Spent the last few weeks reading the MMM blog from the first entry.  I'm a latecomer to sensible living - I'm 45.

On the plus-side, I have a reasonably well-paid job (which I pretty much hate), some rental income, and about 75 per cent equity in my house, thanks to the crazy South East property market.  Monthly incomings are greater than outgoings, so I'm not sliding towards disaster.

On the down-side, the mortgage is £200k plus, and about £12k on credit cards (all at zero per cent).  This after an adult life of irresponsible spending (nothing wasted on drugs or gambling, just "stuff", and a few too many beers).

So MMM is giving me hope - to get rid of the debt, the mortgage, and teach my kids to live sustainably.  Thanks dude, and good luck to fellow believers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: S on November 21, 2015, 01:54:00 PM
S reporting in. I hope to lower my taxes (they're currently about 10x my spending) since I'm pretty sure I can be more efficient with my money than the government.
For those interested, more details are in my case study (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/case-study-where-to-downgrade/).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheMillenialManager on November 21, 2015, 09:25:08 PM
Hey Everyone,

I'm just another millenial trying to change the reputation of my generation and live frugally. Glad to be a part of the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Diogenes on November 21, 2015, 10:57:22 PM
Hello to all,

About myself.

Wife and I have been married for 26 years.   My  wife runs the books for the family and has become a recent enthusiast for YNAB software.  It is working pretty well for us.  Now that we are tracking our expenses so much better than before we have come to the conclusion that within a short amount of time we will have some money to invest.   We currently both have IRA's via our employers and overall they are performing acceptably.  I have one investment that I may change as it seems to be generating management fees better than it generates growth.   

With all that said my wife encouraged me to visit this site and I like what I see.  Getting registered was a trick but I managed. 

Looking forward to learning how to better save and invest for our future.

Best wishes to all,

Diogenes
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OHfire on November 22, 2015, 05:36:07 PM
Hi Everyone,

I'm a 22 year old millennial living in the midwest and I really love the idea of FI and the freedom it allows.

Already learned a lot from lurking on these forums, looking forward to posting along my journey!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cicadasong on November 22, 2015, 11:21:25 PM
Hi folks!
I'm a third culture kid recovering from student loan, cc, and car loan debt. Before finding MMM I paid off a good 17k in debt, not counting minimum payments to my student loans. I'm making some big changes in the next few months. Anyone in Vegas, please send me a message and maybe we can meet up!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: syednaeemul on November 23, 2015, 02:02:54 AM
Hi I'm Syed,
27, Australia, and in project management consulting.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mairuiming on November 23, 2015, 06:42:56 AM
Hi,

I am Ravi. Living in Delhi (India).
I am 31 yr old, mechanical engineer.

Started reading MMM few weeks ago and has changed the way I looked at my financial life.

Worked for 5yrs (2006-2011) and decided to take an expensive full time MBA degree oversea (2012-2013) on student loan (14% interest rate). Good experience but kicking myself after reading about FIRE.

My personal targets:
Student loan: repay by end-2016
Home loan: repay by end-2020
FI: Try to achieve by age 45 (even if I am FI by 50 it will be at least 10 years earlier than most people). Great motivation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brianw on November 25, 2015, 07:26:56 AM
Hi my name is Brian from South Africa (Benoni specifically)
when i told my wife about this great blog she reminded me that we have been doing 'it' since 1995. so i am happy to find my fellow tribe members across the globe
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brianw on November 26, 2015, 06:37:31 AM
It is comforting to know that there are so many like minded people out there.

The ideas espoused here are a breath of fresh air.

came across this quote ... thought it cool
Ideas are far more powerful than guns. We don't allow our enemies to have guns, why should we allow them to have ideas?
 Joseph Stalin
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: merry1 on November 28, 2015, 06:41:29 AM
Hi, I'm a fifty-something recovering from a bad divorce. A year ago I had nothing but debt and an alcoholic spouse on a certain road to financial disaster. Today I have saved about $20,000 in a 401k, almost paid off a small house in a retirement community in Mexico, a fixer-upper that I fixed up, and drive a long paid-off 2001 MBZ. I did this all before I found MMM.

I'm doing some goal-setting and want to reach financial independence within 5 years. I'm looking for like-minded folks, and this looks like a vibrant and active community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Erica on November 28, 2015, 07:43:46 PM
Hello

Hopefully I am doing this right :). My name is Mary and I live in Northern California with my husband. He is a Contractor. I work outside the home and with him also sometimes. Our 24 year old son also lives with us. He is almost finished with his Degree in Exercise Science and works for one of the largest Tech companies from his bedroom.

We enjoy mostly things which are free- cycling, gardening, church, or anything outdoors. My husband fixes our cars and pretty much almost everything in our house. Where we live, we are very odd as most everyone is very wealthy and pay for most everything.
But we hope to move about 30 min away after we finish doing hospice for my FIL.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this community. I look forward to interacting with you all :)


Mary

Monique
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kat911 on November 29, 2015, 08:29:43 PM
Hello to some smart people:
I retired last month at age 50 and have no debt other than a mortgage that my husband and I plan to pay off as soon as we can. One son is in college and all the funds are saved, the other is in high school and we have saved for him too.
So far reading the blog, I have cancelled our pool guy and housekeeper that came twice a month; painted our interior house ourselves; and working on a spending reduction plan. The big goal now is to reduce our food bill significantly, however I have many food allergies and need to eat organic, non GMO food. We have property and we plan to intensify our gardening and possibly get some chickens. Any suggestions would be gladly appreciated.

Also, now i have time to sell off lots of "stuff" on Craigslist and see how much money I can bring in (all of which will go to payoff the mortgage). 

I am looking forward to being a part of this community. BTW, my college son is hooked and is well on his way, hoping to retire in his late 20's.

Kathy
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cnash1303 on November 30, 2015, 09:33:01 AM
Hello,

/r/financialindependence sent me. I am 23 Years old and just graduated college along with my wife. FI has always been a dream of mine since I was very young. I read Dave Ramsey for the first time in high school and have dreamed of it ever since. My wife is becoming more and more on board since I have introduced her to the benefits of living frugally and whatnot. Right now we are paying off her 20k in student debt. We started last month and have already thrown $1100 at it so I'm not to worried, I just would love a support group for the two of us.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ponyespresso on December 01, 2015, 03:16:44 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm 38, have a kid (almost 5) and married. I own my own company and work about 25 hours/week but am very nicely compensated. My husband works full-time. He's about to start collecting a pension from previous employer and is interested in retiring in the next year or two (he's older than me). So I started reading things online to see if we could afford for him to retire.  I stumbled across MMM and have been reading through the blog posts and perusing this forum.

I also like the idea of being FI as a couple, so that we have financial security and options (like say travelling abroad during the summers! Or being able to take a smaller role in my company eventually ,etc. etc.).

I think that he can retire as long as we can lower our monthly spending. We make good money and have succumbed to some lifestyle inflation plus we have a lot of home improvement/maintenance projects to do/have done that have been put off for many years. Our only debts are our mortgage and my student loans (very little left of those). 

My goals for 2016 are to save his entire take-home pay (pay down mortgage principal and save in taxable accounts) as a dry run for retirement, and to save 2-3x what we saved in 2015 (to achieve that will require substantial saving from my income as well). To help achieve these goals I've set up some budgets in Mint and have been analyzing our spending. I'm not going cold turkey but am trying to reduce our budgets but not so much that we will rebel against it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: warmastoast on December 02, 2015, 08:58:26 PM
Hello,
I've been living in the US (Austin) for 2 years now.  I have expensive kids ( who knew that the old joke about a ferrari or a kid wasn't really a joke...) that I love dearly.   Trying very hard not to get sucked into the consumer society here - why is it so hard??  Oh yes,  I lived in France and I try to recreate this in my day to day life....fresh food,  exercise, emphasis on quality.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anatidae V on December 05, 2015, 02:44:12 AM
Hello, is this forum active? :)
Alive and kicking :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: latin_canuck on December 06, 2015, 12:36:44 PM
Hey everyone, just started reading the blog... going to read the whole thing in a few days at the rate I'm going. Anyone from Alberta, Canada?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on December 06, 2015, 04:26:29 PM
Hey everyone, just started reading the blog... going to read the whole thing in a few days at the rate I'm going. Anyone from Alberta, Canada?

Check here: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/mustache-map!/ (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/mustache-map!/)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugal Face on December 06, 2015, 09:44:12 PM
Hi there,

I'm 33 years old and I live in Utah. My co-worker introduced me to the MMM blog a few weeks back and I'm converted. I will be buying a commuter bike, selling one of my two cars, and doing many other mustachian things in the next few weeks and I'm excited about changing my life for the better. The greatest news is that my wife is already on board so no need to do any convincing.

Court
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spotila on December 07, 2015, 07:15:34 PM
Ladies, gents.

Long time reader and mustachian, decided to finally get signed up here.
Based in New Zealand.

:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stealthystache on December 07, 2015, 08:27:32 PM
Hi there!

been lurking around the site for months after chasing a link through ERE's site. Thought it would be fun to be member 23,677, so I signed up :)  always had a penchant for living richly without the cost, got sidetracked by some massive life shit storms, and am now getting back to my roots thanks in part to this site's encouragement.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: igr on December 08, 2015, 02:15:41 PM
Greetings everyone.

I discovered MMM a couple of years ago. Since then I've trained my friends to understand the adjective "mustachian".

Today again, I spent good four hours reading the forum. Thanks for the high quality content and for the way you folks support each other.

I thought I should say hi and make it official. My name is Igor. I've been working as a software engineer in SF Bay area for the last 3.5 years. I'm 25 years old. Somewhat against the mainstream round here, I'm into value investing.

I too believe that happiness has nothing to do with amounts spent.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yaro on December 09, 2015, 02:57:40 AM
Hey guys!
My name is Yaro and I am excited over here to share my story.
And the story is just beginning.

I am in late 20s software engineer currently living in Seattle area and have been working for past 5 years at biggest IT company here as contractor through about 7 different vendor companies.
After being lay off many times for stupid corp reasons I am tired working as employee and I am finally quitting my full-time job and moving to south.

My Story:
I came to USA right after I got my master degree from another country with little to no any English and with no work experience. And I wasn't able to find good job right away.
I started working for minimal wage at some hotel. Let's say max what I was getting was $1.6k per month. And I was able to rent a big house and find 7 roommates. And I was living with this money without problem.
Anyway I got bored fast and got second job as pizza delivery driver and basically was working 70hrs per week + I was studying English and coding as well. Oh and I have some business on eBay, basically buy/sell stuff.
As you can see I know how to save money and how to live on minimum.

After couple years I got first job in IT and was growing in career for 5 years.
Unfortunately I have been seeing so many layoffs, re-orgs, people losing their jobs, houses and so on. So I decided that I need to get everything in my hands and be my own boss.


Now:
I just got married last month and she is supporting me in everything!
My last day at my current full-time job will be a day before Christmas and I am so excited for entrepreneurial lifestyle.
Another reasons why I am quitting and moving is the weather. Can't stand rain and clouds anymore. Seattle summer is best for sure, but not winter time.

Where we are moving?
To San Diego, Ca.
It's not the best city where you can find high paying job and save money, but we love over there and so far the best city in USA for us.
And since we don't have kids we decided to move over there for 1 year and then let see.

What will we do?
Work:
I will diversify.
1. I have dozen different websites which already bringing passive income every month to me and it will be almost enough to cover some expenses. Time to cut expenses ;)
2. Create Brand of outdoor products and imports them from China (I wish I could find local suppliers). First 500 units shipped to amazon for sale already.
3. I have software app which is ready to go to the market. Possible earner.
4. Create online services for particular niches. This will take my time after I will quit my full-time job.
5. Later on I would like to create and open local business. My wife will work on it full time. She has good experience, but before we will do it, she will need gain more experience locally.
6. She will find full-time work and also will have photography service as part  time.

Enjoy:
1. I will enjoy the freedom from 9 to 5.
2. Sport sport and sport. I love surfing and do any outdoor sport.
3. Become more overall healthy.
4. Enjoy time with our Weimaraner outside.


Current Financial situation:
Currently we only will have my online income. let's say $4k-$5k per month. Possible bigger.
And my wife will find job after 1-2 months which will bring around $3k at least.
So our total income will be around $7k-$8k.


Expenses:
Rent: $2100. (After long research we found 2br apartment for this price. Not fancy or luxury, but not old and crappy. And it's still expensive as hell.)
Utilities: Water/Sewage/Trash/Electricity - Let's say total will be around $200
Cars:
Let me say first. My wife and I are car people. I love everything about them. Was driving on the track as well, but it's too expensive.
$320 for BMW z4 - I have my roadster which I still own about $8k and I won't sell it. Will keep it forever probably.
$540 for Infiniti fx50 - Bought rare SUV to drive to buy groceries, drive to parks with the dog, drive around with family and friends.
Gas: $200 - maybe even less since I will work from home now.
Car insurance for 2 cars and 2 people: $150 from Progressive. My wife got 1 ticket a year ago otherwise it was around $100 only.
Health Insurance: $500 - Minimum health insurance for 2 people + dental. This is too expensive.
Cell Phones: $80 - Currently paying only for 1 service. (AT&T)
Internet: $70
Pet Insurance + Food: $100
Food: $600 - We love to eat good food and yes, we cook almost everyday.
Restaurants: $300 - Once a week going out somewhere.
Total expenses: $5160 per month

Ok, this is a lot.


Let's cut this out and I need your help here:
1. Cars: There is possibility that I might sell SUV, but then when parents, friends are with us we don't have a car and it will be hard to get anywhere with our dog.
Instead I am thinking to get BWM i3. There are some deals going on right now for leasing.
Leasingis the worth thing. But deals like $160 per month is hard to pass + I will able to cut some amount as my business expenses.

2. Rent: After realllyy long reserach we decided to get 2br or 1br+den since I and she will need office. And our family and friends will visit us often.
Yes, we can find cheaper, but either in bad neighberhood, or 40-60 mins away from everything, or no washwer/dryer and of course pet friendly appartment is more expensive.
Can't cut expenses here.

3. Utilites: I bought Kill a Watt tool and figure out what is consuming electricity in the house.
Will have kill switch for all electronics in new place and also will replace all bulbs to LED.

4. Restaurants: We will cut this for couple months. Well, we actully only go together with friends for celberations only.

5. Car Insurance: If some of you knows tricks and tips how to get lower rate please share. Currently we have Progressive auto insurance.

6. Health Insurance: Around $500 for health insurance + dental I got quote for 2 people! Omg this is soo expensive I think. This quote based on my 2015 income.
Can I get quote based on our estimated income in january of 2016? Since it will be only aorund $4k per month? Then of course insurance will be cheaper. Any tips on this guys?

7. Cell Phones: My contract will end up in January and I will get pre-paid service.
My wife has iPhone and I have Android right now. Will switch either to AT&T pre-paid service or some other service.
Any recommendations? I am thinking about to switch to Google FI service, but they don't accept iPhones and this will be deal breaker. Also it should be on GSM network only.

8. Food: we love to eat good and we buy usually quality food. Will get Costco membership and start buying food over there in bulk.
Still Costco usually have exactly the same products which I dislike.


Our debt?
Just cars and some credit cards, but all credit cards where I need to pay % are paid off. Only keeping balance where promo APR is 0%.


Banks and Credit cards:
1. Saving currently at Capital One and it gives 0.75%, will switch either to Discover (0.95%)or American Express(0.95%).
2. Checkings: BoA and Chase. Any tips and tricks which is bank is better for checking account please advice?
3. Bank of America Rewards Cashback - My old credit card and I don't' use it anymore. Just have 10% APR with $0 balance.
4. Citi Double Cashback - 2% cashback on everything.
5. Discover it - rotating 5% cashback on categories.
6. Amex - 6% on groceries, 3% on gas, 1% on everything else.
7. Bank of America Business credit card - Will switch to Chase Business Rewards credit card.
Note, I am just using credit cards for cashbacks and all debt only where APR is currently 0%.


Retirement accounts?
Nope, nothing.


If you have been reading till here then I just want to say thank you!
And If you can help with Cars and Health insurance then it will be great!
And how what are you doing with saving money? How do you invest? PS. I burned once all my money on stocks :/

Cheers guys!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hoping2retire35 on December 09, 2015, 12:33:41 PM
sup
lots of debt, little savings, not sure what i am doing
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rugger on December 09, 2015, 03:15:25 PM
Rugger here.  I'm 43, and I'm ready to take my life back.  I refuse to spend the best years of my life pissing it away at a desk.  I've been browsing the MMM website and reading other material as well.  A year ago I moved the family from Colorado to Mississippi.  We were able to sell our last two homes for a profit, and the move to Mississippi has allowed us to own a home without a mortgage.  In Colorado we had 1/4 acre, 1800 sqft home and a $172k mortgage.  In Mississippi we have 6 acres, 2800 sqft, a garage, a pond and no mortgage.  The pond is stocked with fish (food) and I'm figuring out the growing seasons.  This year should be a good year of production from my garden.  I'm still working as an engineer from home, but I've recently started a business.  The plan is for the business to run itself so that I can do what I want most of the time and spend much less time "working".  I miss travel.  I have a wanderlust, and I need to get around more.  I've been cycling the last six months.  The grocery store isn't safe to get to by bike.  I wish that it was.  The toughest part of this will be getting my wife onboard.  We've already addressed the "going to the store 6 times in one week" issue.  We had a $1600/mo grocery, Target, Walmart tab one month.  I lost it.  We have no cable.  We watch Netflix and read.  We have no debt.  I have a vehicle addiction.  I love building cars and racing.  That is going to stop unless it can provide me some low cost freedom/enjoyment.  I'm tired of things being more complicated than they have to.  I need to be lean and mean again.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ingodslove on December 09, 2015, 04:03:39 PM
Hi gang!
Amy here, married mom of three with another one on the way.  I started checking out MMM a year or so ago and have been gently making similar lifestyle choices for the last 4 years.  Still have my minivan though ;)
I just started using YNAB software and yikes! I have a lot of lifestyle streamlining left to do!
I'm in coastal Oregon.
I'm looking forward to digging in here on MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ZosiaW on December 10, 2015, 08:11:39 AM
Greetings

I've lurked for too long so I'm forcing myself to join.  I'm married with kids and very proud of our now 54% savings rate.  I'm trying to learn how to have a long term outlook and get out of the day to day grind.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cape Town Girl on December 12, 2015, 06:06:26 PM
Hi Guys, Im still getting used to this forum stuff....
I am Cape Town Girl, from sunny South Africa. I started reading MMM articles when I accidentally stumbled upon the blog while looking at ways to be financially secure (brought on by our special president). Since then, I have wiped out all our debt except the home loan which is currently half way done and will probably be paid off by the end of next year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Viking on December 14, 2015, 01:21:38 PM
Hi everyone! I´m Jörgen from Sweden. I turned 35 in august and i´m looking forward to retire well before I celebrate my 50th birthday.
I spend my days running and biking, baking and taking- care of my daughter part time and my cat the rest of the time. ;-)
I finally managed to register onto the forum after almost exactly two years of lurking. Yeah!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AMandM on December 14, 2015, 09:32:55 PM
Hi, I'm A-M and M is my husband (but he won't post).

We're 50 years old with 7 kids (2 grown and independent, 2 in college, 3 at home).  I homeschool the three youngest and teach math on the side; my husband is a professor. When Mr. Money Mustache says his blog is really not a financial blog but a life improvement blog, that's us.  We're interested in DIY and bicycling and all the MMM ideas not because they will lead to retiring early (we won't) but because they contribute to a full and grounded life now.

My biggest obstacle to improving our lives is finding/making the time to learn new skills and finish projects. I hope that being able to post on the forum won't make that worse!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AirbusA389 on December 15, 2015, 12:13:45 AM
Hi all!

I am Ken from Singapore!. I realised that majority of the readers here are from the North American continent. Here's someone from the other side of the world! +P

Yes, i have been a silent Mustachian since i graduated in 2010. I have around 50 - 70% savings rate from holding 2 jobs. I just cleared all my student loans and other debts, and chumming along with 100k usd on target, hopefully in 2 years' time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FireHiker on December 16, 2015, 05:56:43 PM
After reading every single MMM post from the beginning (took awhile!) and lurking here briefly, I've decided it's time to dive in!

A little bit about myself: I'm 37, my husband is 48. Three kids, all about to have birthdays, who will be 4, 6, and 15 within the next month. We live in San Diego and are both electrical engineers, although I'm in manufacturing management as of two years ago. I've been reading a lot about frugality, minimalism, and financial independence the past year or two and I'm trying to put it all together in our lives. I come from an extremely dysfunctional and financially irresponsible family, and have spent all of my adulthood trying to learn how to do things better. My husband comes from a stable, upper/middle class family and was taught well how to be financially responsible. We are mostly on the same page these days.

The good:
two 6 figure incomes
no credit card debt
cars owned outright (paid cash for them both in 2008)
Just cut cable two days ago!
close to $1M net work total, half in 401Ks, half in home equity (which doesn't really count until you sell, I guess)
2 mile commute, rarely leave a 5 mile radius
3 months emergency fund (could stretch beyond 3 months with increased frugality if desperate)
savings rate is currently 6% in 401K pre-tax (matching limit), savings rate is another 17% post-tax, without really trying

The bad:
one of the cars is an SUV (Honda Pilot). Husband not willing to change this, not a hill I'm dying on right now with our minimal driving
$25k loan for solar we installed this year (cheaper per month than our electric bill was, break even in 5 years and plan to be in house for 15, but we're going to pay it off in the spring)
two 401k loans out (one each) from buying our house, plan to pay off in next 3 years after solar loan
excessive monthly spending on food/eating out
we don't walk or bike enough

mixed:
huge mortgage on a too-big house, but bought in 2012 with 3.375% interest rate. Downsizing in half would not save us any money because skyrocketing equity the last few years (taxes, higher interest rates). Sitting on 40% equity right now, 30 year fixed loan.
indulgent cell-phone family plan, but no land line, corporate discount on the plan, and we keep our phones a long time with no contract. Ok for now.

My goals:
pay off solar loan in spring 2016 when we get our tax credit
pay off both 401K loans (~$87k total) before fall 2019
open vanguard account to make our money work for us
walk/bike more
waste less food
spend less money on food and eating out
teach my kids to be financially responsible
spend money on travel and experiences instead of "stuff"
continue to save at a rate that we can pay college as we go for oldest, and save up for the younger kids between now and then
retire no later than summer 2030 when youngest graduates high school (and we will sell our house and move somewhere cheaper)

Looking forward to getting involved here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: save_save_save on December 18, 2015, 01:17:18 PM
Hi, I'm Mike. 
I'm new to the forum but have been lurking for a couple years now.  My wife and I are in the final few years of the accumulation phase.  For us, it's been a long process and we hope to FIRE in our late 40's.  Years of maxing our savings in the 401k is now rewarding us with plentiful balances and once I saw that happening, combined with the discovery of FIRE, we started to focus.   I owe a huge thanks to blogs like MMM, jlcollinnh, Go Curry Cracker and others.  When I first thought about retiring before 55, it felt like breaking the rules.  After reading about many people that are doing it, we became empowered to do the same.  And more importantly, through the process of trimming the fat off the budget we learned about what truly makes us happy.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: algebracyco on December 20, 2015, 08:11:42 PM
Hi, I am James and have been lurking on MMM since 2012 and the forums since 2013, but first time posting.  My family and I live in the midwest and have no debt saving for FI (currently renting an apartment so the no debt part may be changing shortly as the family expands).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GreenRanger on December 20, 2015, 09:53:59 PM
Hello everyone! 

I am completely new here, just found out about the site last week.  i have been reading here as much as possible, but there is a lot of stuff to take in!  I've read the main blog and am just starting on the forum.

Lately i have been feeling completely out of control with my own finances and need something to give me hope of EVER retiring, let alone early retirement.  i am certainly a late starter at this point (31 yrs old).  i cant believe I got to be this age and basically have never heard of any of these financial ideologies as a possibility.  So much for "traditional" advice. 

i hope that isnt too much for a first post, and i hope to continue here for a long time to come, i have loads of questions.  It is getting late and I have to work tommorow!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Macharius on December 21, 2015, 05:53:08 PM
Hi everyone,

I found MMM about two weeks ago and have devoured every post!  I work in "balmy Minneapolis", to which I ride the bus from my home - which is about to become Woodbury as we've purchased a house there to close in several weeks.  My undergrad is in Physics, and I am currently working on my MBA in the evenings as a part-time student while working full-time.  I'm 33, married and have two boys (4, 1) whom I am hoping to bring up much more wise about money than their old man (me) as I have negative net worth due to grad-school student loans and some consumer debt.  I had been working on the latter prior to discovering MMM, but his advice on things to change has more than doubled our savings rate (on paper so far, but in the process of implementing)due to increased frugality and decreased driving from living within walking distance of a Super Target (for groceries only).  Supposedly a Costco will be built there in two years which will enable us to bike and then almost never drive again.   MMM has been a bright flash of hope that we will be able to finally, actually be able to get off the debt treadmill.  We're too far behind for FIRE to be a real probability on only my income, but at least "FI" will now someday be possible for us.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kskillz on December 22, 2015, 04:20:39 PM
Hello all,

My name is kskillz and I live in colorful Colorado with my adorable three year old daughter and lovely wife.

I'll turn 40 in the summer of 2016 and I'm getting serious about achieving FIRE so I can spend my days with my family and enjoy the good, simple life.

Net worth is ~$830k, only debt is ~$184k remaining on our mortgage.   We've got 11 years left on the mortgage at 2.875%, I like to think that as soon as the house is paid off I'll be FIRE.  So hopefully I can get there before I turn 50!

Nice to meet you all and best wishes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on December 23, 2015, 12:05:04 PM
Hello all,

My name is kskillz and I live in colorful Colorado with my adorable three year old daughter and lovely wife.

I'll turn 40 in the summer of 2016 and I'm getting serious about achieving FIRE so I can spend my days with my family and enjoy the good, simple life.

Net worth is ~$830k, only debt is ~$184k remaining on our mortgage.   We've got 11 years left on the mortgage at 2.875%, I like to think that as soon as the house is paid off I'll be FIRE.  So hopefully I can get there before I turn 50!

Nice to meet you all and best wishes.

Yay!! More Coloradans!! And you may be closer than you think to catching FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Heavenbound on December 23, 2015, 08:47:39 PM
Hello all,

My name is kskillz and I live in colorful Colorado with my adorable three year old daughter and lovely wife.

I'll turn 40 in the summer of 2016 and I'm getting serious about achieving FIRE so I can spend my days with my family and enjoy the good, simple life.

Net worth is ~$830k, only debt is ~$184k remaining on our mortgage.   We've got 11 years left on the mortgage at 2.875%, I like to think that as soon as the house is paid off I'll be FIRE.  So hopefully I can get there before I turn 50!

Nice to meet you all and best wishes.

Whoa!  I think we were separated at birth!  Lots of similarities.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Happy Philosopher on December 23, 2015, 11:08:25 PM
Greetings!

I'm not new around here, in fact I've been reading since almost the beginning - maybe 3-4 months into the blog? I can't remember exactly. I've never been known for necessarily doing things properly (like having the first forum post on an introduction thread) but better late than never right :)

 For me it was not so much the financial side of this blog that helped me, but the psychology and philosophy of it all. Frankly, I knew I wanted FI soon but couldn't quite wrap my head around something so crazy like retiring at 30 or 40. The blog resonated with me like none other on the topics MMM writes about. It's been great kinda lurking in the shadows, posting a few comments here and there, but really reading about other people more than anything. Many of your stories on the forums have been just as inspirational as MMM, thank you for sharing them.

I'm at a place now where I don't worry about FI much any more. I know that at any time I could use the tools on this blog and others to make that transformation rather quickly. I've found peace and happiness that were not always there five years ago.

I'm at a place now where I want to create something rather than just amble along. Maybe I'm finally figuring out that self actualization thing that all these fancy psychiatrists talk about. I've begun writing (you can check out my blog if you like - link below), reading and thinking more deeply. I'm not sure where the future will take me, but I've sure had a hell of a great time getting to where I am right now :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PhilB on December 26, 2015, 10:01:59 AM
Hi All,
I'm yet another who's been lurking for a while since devouring the main blog.  I've always been frugal, but will never be a fully bad-ass mustachian I'm afraid - but that hasn't stopped MMM having a massive impact on me.
49 years old, married with 2 kids and living in Wiltshire UK. My plan was always to retire at 58 when my youngest finished high school, but that has changed to 53 now thanks largely to this blog.  We are probably at FI now as our spending in 2015 is just about bang on what we'd have for life if we retired now, but doing an extra 3.5 years will increase that by 40% which seems too good a deal to turn down - especially as I get to work from home 3 days a week and we can't go off travelling until the kids finish school anyway.  The extra cash will go on travelling and helping the kids with college and house deposits.
What MMM has given me is the insight to the link between money and happiness and changed me from living in fear of losing my job and not being able to get another, to realising that all my earnings now are pure jam.  It's also taken away all the worries about 'but if I quit before I've got this much then I won't be able to do that' as I now know that there are many more fun things to do that I can afford than that I can't and nowhere near enough time to do half of them.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SunnyMoney on December 28, 2015, 12:50:42 PM
Hello all,

I'm a 42 year old woman, married, no kids and living in the San Francisco Bay area.  My husband and I have been FI for about 7 years and I have tried RE twice.  First time was 7 years ago and that lasted 18 months.  Then the financial crisis happened and I panicked and decided to go back to work.  Went back to work for a couple of years.  The economy started to look better so I RE for the second time and have been (mostly) enjoying it ever since (~4 years now).  Tried a "funemployment" gig which turned out not to be that fun and have been focusing on self-improvement projects instead.  My husband has worked all this time and still does because he loves his job.

I have been reading MMM blog for at least a couple of years but only recently started looking at forum posts.  Hopefully I can add some new thoughts to the conversation here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Batastrophe on December 28, 2015, 05:35:54 PM
Howdy - Mr. Bat here and glad to be part of the forums.  Found this site on the interwebs while looking at early retirement sites and immediately fell in love. I guess I'm a natural "Mustachian" with my only career goal being not to have one as soon a possible. I've always espoused the same values of saving more than one makes, ignoring the American materialism hamster wheel, realizing that life is made of memories and not stuff, and generally being a money badass in my own way.  Looking forward to meeting some other likeminded folks, having some fun and learning together.  Live in So. Cal, married to Mrs. Bat and, together, we're the 2 full-time butlers for our cat, Satire.

Best,

-Bat
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Joe Bladi-Blada on December 29, 2015, 04:34:59 PM
Hello, I have been following MMM since the Washington Post article in 2013. My wife just retired at 63 and my plan is to retire this April at 54. I don't usually participate in online forums, but I like the fact that there are so many like-minded people here, so I plan to take part in some of the discussions.

I have been working as a network engineer for the last 25 years, and I'll be glad to stop in April. It's not that bad, but as most of you know, this "work" stuff takes up a lot of time :)

I'm also a part-time musician, and hope to be doing a lot more of that starting this Spring.

I live in the Washington, D.C. suburbs and for now our plans are to get used to being retired ("detox" some people call it) and not make any other major changes right away.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on December 30, 2015, 09:20:39 AM
Hi everyone

So glad to have discovered the blog and I get a lot from that and reading peoples ides on the forum.
I am a transplant to the us from the uk.
I have been enjoying the biggest luxury for six years having two babies and raising them. As the youngest approached 4 I am preparing to return to work as a high school teacher.
We are not in debt...oh apart from the huge mortgage from being in LA and buying a fixer upper house in an area with good schools.

I have never done debt till I took this mortgage on. Worked through college so no debt from that. Never done car payments. Never done credit cards unless they are paid off straight away.

Why?

I was raised by a pretty extreme frugal father and whist resenting him at the time, I am now grateful for the lessons he taught.. I lost my first job as a server at 15 because I put my shirt from my Friday night shift in the dryer to be ready for my Saturday shift. My dad found it in the dryer which was inky used in emergencies, and he cut off the dryer plug. I went to work In a Wet shirt and they let me go that day. Pretty extreme. But his rationale was I should have washed my shirt as soon as I got in at 6 pm so I did not need to dry it that way. Debatable. But anyway he taught me that you don't do things unthinkingly and you only use resources up when you have no other choice.

Before I was allowed to learn to drive...taught by my dad of course although he calculated the exact gas use and insurance for my three hour lesson and I paid out of my fit around high school job. I had to learn how the engine worked, how to clean my spark plugs, I had to explain what was happening when I changed gear, in the engine, so I may have a chance of trouble shooting problems on the car I would one day get.

Suffuce to say I never took my driving test and cycled for the next 14 years till I took my test at 32 and bought my first car for $550.

Anyway as we age we see the weird things our parents did were to help us, even though they felt extreme at the time.
I am grateful for my dad's lessons. My husband had the opposite....no input. When I met him he was in debt just from living..maybe $20k. So he moved in with me lived rent free and paid off the debt in18 months. I had been saving since I started my first salaried job at 31. I saved half my income every year, living frugally, riding my bike to work. 

Then my husband list his job and was offered the same job in LA. I found out I was pregnant so we moved to LA 6 years ago. The savings from my 5 years working recently got swallowed up as our deposit for our house. So fir the first time in my life I have no savings and we cannot save on one wage. After paying for mortgage and property taxes (3200$)and house insurance, we have 1900 dollars a month for a family of 4. We pretty much use this all up every month on the necessities.

I intend to save my entire pay check once I gave one and I am working on finding that job. We recently got green cards all paid for by the company. So now we are free to go anywhere in the USA


Suffice to say I am inspired by the idea of buying our freedom by saving now. My dad retired at 55 and travelled Europe with my mum in a home made camper van he rigged out himself from the shell of a commercial van he bought used.

Anyone else living in an expensive city like LA? Should we be moving somewhere we can buy a house outright so we can save more each month?

We only have about 300 k, 150 of that tied up in a rental property that in ten years will be mortgage free. Mortgage 750 a month. Rent coming in is 1100 but the excess seems to get swallowed up with maintenance etc.

I wish I had got the salaried job in my 20 s of course, and bought a house then but what can you do? You gave to work with where you are today.

Our big dilemma is when the job for my husband stops as it will some day, do we move somewhere cheaper.
Our mortgage payment is a little less that it would cost to rent the home we have bought.
Sorry that was long.

Any thoughts?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on December 30, 2015, 09:25:53 AM
Sorry excuse the typos....on an I pad. The luxury massive apple ( my husband bought))died a year ago and now we all share the old typos creating I pad))
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on December 30, 2015, 10:49:21 AM
Anyone else living in an expensive city like LA? Should we be moving somewhere we can buy a house outright so we can save more each month?

Any thoughts?

Welcome! I grew up in LA and moved to Dallas a couple of years ago. It is MUCH cheaper to buy a house or rent, however, like anything, there are trade-offs. There is a reason so many people rent in LA, the price to buy is ridiculous, especially when all the homes are getting older and older. If you are open to moving and are not tied to a location, I'd look at different cities/states. The US is a huge country with all sorts of different socioeconomic places to live. Good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on December 30, 2015, 11:06:40 AM
Thanks thinkum.
We are open to moving, especially as my husband's job will come to an end due to his line of business. We have met lovely friends here. And our grass is green. We live waking distance from the mountains and our don just started at an excellent school that we walk to. He lives it so far. We get by on one salary and we just bought a house that we could easily rent out if we moved for a bit more than our outgoing  on it. Our grass is green but very expensive but we are very happy here. ButI know the good life can be lived in many places. How is Dallas? Did you miss anything about LA when you left? We spent so much in rent in 5.5 years...we jumped on a house that was a great deal due to it having a 50 s kitchen and bathroom. Neither of those will we change unless we have to. And we love living in the house and the area. It really makes us happy. So there is a risk there...we move to another state and can't replicate the happiness we have here. I am researching Colorado and Washington for living expenses right now. This forum is great!! As is mms blog of course.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on December 30, 2015, 11:13:02 AM
That sounds dumb.....we love living in the house and the social relationships we have. We know most of our neighbours, walk a few houses for play dates, have a small yard, loads of free stuff for kids to do, loads of amazing green spaces and wildlife parks minutes from us....simple things that really make for a high quality of life even though we have very little disposable income that we try not to dispose of😁
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dogboyslim on December 30, 2015, 02:28:38 PM
Hello,

I'm a 42 year old insurance guy.  Married to SAHM (for now) with three kids, 11g, 9b & 6g.  My goal is to FIRE between 50 and 55.

The good:
Retirement assets ~$720k.
Wife's retirement assets ~$500k
Mortgage: ~$30k, will be paid off in 2016.
Income: >$150k
2 cars 1999 & 2006 paid off.
I ride my bike to work often...>2 days per week.

The bad but I'm okay with it:
We have a boat that will require $120k in savings to support post FIRE
The 1999 is a big truck that gets 9 mpg to tow said boat
Kids activities run about $600 a month (swimming, soccer, Piano, Clarinet)

The bad we are trying to fix:
Dining out is crazy, and with 5, it runs about $50 a pop.
Emergency fund is only 6 months.
mid-term savings only ~20k
College estimates for the 3 kids range from 600k to 900k depending on school chosen and unknown scholarships

Current plan:
Cut back spending on dining out
Avoid replacing the suburban
Increase cycling frequency by 1 day per week to ~3 of 5 days.
Track spending
Mortgage payoff aligns with a bonus that is anticipated mid-2016
Then move all mortgage money to funding 12 month emergency fund and increasing mid-term savings
Continue to maximize savings to 401k

Our number: $2.8M based on 3.5% swr, no contemplation for future SS.  That gets us to 98k pre-tax per year which is 105% of spending after assuming a 30% tax rate.  I know this is uber conservative.

I have enjoyed reading the forums and plan to continue.  My biggest conundrum right now is what exactly to do for college.  I make too much for many of the assistance items, but not enough to just wing-it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on December 30, 2015, 05:41:54 PM

 How is Dallas? Did you miss anything about LA when you left?


Dallas takes some getting used to, that's for sure. The thing I miss most about CA was having the mountains as my backyard. I lived in Pasadena and the Angeles Forest was a favorite haunt. Also having real forests and deserts within a couple of hours, not to mention the ocean. Dallas has a lot of diversity, which I like. It just lacks in the natural landscape. The people, at least in my neighborhood, are really nice. If you like where you're at, then no reason to move. You can always make money on the side while you're at home, if that's a concern.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alyxmj on January 01, 2016, 06:40:36 AM
Greetings, I have been reading a while but finally getting around to being social. I have dogs, I cook, I play video games, I garden, I make new elaborate plans on how to remodel the house and landscape the yard every other week. My weaknesses include books, seeds, and power tools. Otherwise, I'm pretty boring and hope to stay boring for a long time. ;)

While I love the ideas behind mustacian-ness anyways, it is esp valuable when I have no income. Super anxiety of doom has kept me from holding, and now even getting, a job to support myself so working on meds and therapy before I go insane because I don't have the resources to implement elaborate remodel and landscape plans.

On the plus side, no income means I have not dared take on debt that I know I couldn't pay anyways and life style will not change much with extra income except reducing my self hate for the boyfriend paying all the bills and increasing the savings account.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 01, 2016, 08:10:25 AM
Welcome Aly! Oh that feeling of doom is so awful. I had it twice in my 20 s and it us paralysing and utterly depleting to having any quality of life. I feel for you.

What helped me was to just take any job till I worked out what I really wanted to do. That broke the paralysis overnight. I now accept that the propensity to anxiety is in my nature and I just breathe and do the things I don't feel like doing anyway. I am currently getting f ready to return to work and am getting a touch of doom thinking from the very prospect. Will someone employ me? Will I be rubbish at my job? Will I find it dull? Will I feel stressed all the time? It is

Thinking.Thinkum. Thank you...Dallas sounds nice if it has nice people. I love pasadena. I.love California actually but if course it is pretty expensive here. Still we compare it to London which was so crazily expensive....so we feel we have an amazing quality of life, even though we have to live frugally to pull that off.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alyxmj on January 01, 2016, 08:20:23 AM
I wish taking any job were that simple xD

Mostly my anxiety is that of people. If I had my wish I'd work from home and never speak to another soul. But most jobs want things like customer service and meetings and idiot coworkers... Honestly anxiety meds are helping, but I still get sick to the stomach thinking of dealing with people sometimes.

Only social here cause its a 'good' anxiety day xD
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Philip Marlowe on January 01, 2016, 01:41:05 PM
Hello All - yet another long-time lurker on the forum/website.  I currently reside at the southern tip of the Northeast Megalopolis, although hopefully not forever.  Look forward to contributing!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CheapScholar on January 01, 2016, 02:22:29 PM
Been lurking for a while now and finally signed up.  I live in Indiana in a very affordable town.  Wife and I both work in higher ed with household income of about 135K.  I'm 35.  My goal is to be totally FI by 51 (when my only child should graduate college, hopefully with tuition waiver by my employer).

Main path for financial independence is maxing out 403b accounts over the next 15 years. 

Working as a higher ed administrator makes the future somewhat unknown.  Not sure what opportunities might come up and where I might be living years down the road.  For now I'm saving like mad.  160K buys a nice home in my parts.  Property taxes are $1,800 a year which is laugh out loud funny when I think about the high taxes I was previously paying in Illinois.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Captain Mars on January 01, 2016, 07:13:28 PM
Hi all.... figured I should do the obligatory introduction post.

My initials are MM so I feel at home! I only just discovered the Mr Money Mustache blog and all of the financial concepts within, and reading that damned thing has been like getting a sledgehammer to the head. I honestly can't believe how much it has made me reassess my life and how wastefully I've been living it until now. I can't believe how many bad decisions I've made and how much has gone right over my head before now.

So a little background. I live in London, UK. I was raised by a single parent and we moved around a lot, pulling what she called 'midnight flits', where you pile everything into a car and disappear in the night when you can't pay rent. Essentially, we were being chased by debt agencies and running from landlords all the time. I inherited zero financial acumen. In fact, the only thing I did inherit was a bad credit score... imagine, aged 18 filling in a form for my first Store Card and being refused due to bad credit, when I'd barely even had a bank account for 5 minutes. Insane, right?

Anyway, despite this, there is a frugal soul in me somewhere trying to get out. You have to have something of that nature when you've lived hand to mouth growing up. I was very frugal until I hit 19 when I went to University, where I was given a lot of very easy low interest credit and soon picked up bad habits. I also did an unpaid internship in London for half a year which gave me my first mountain of credit card debt, and it's been a downhill tumble ever since.

But the Mustachian way of life and the ideas I'm finding in this forum have shown me that I have a lot of reasons to be positive and that I don't need to be a wage slave, fighting the tide of debt forever. I turned 30 last May, and I got nearly a 30% pay rise the same month. I started plowing 25% of my earnings into debt repayment and always hoped to clear it all by the end of this year......... but now I'm feeling a lot more ambitious. I'm going to clear that debt AND I'm going to save every extra penny I can and put it in the UK Government's new Help to Buy ISA for first time home buyers, which will yield 25% free money on your end sum (you can put in £200 max per month and when you want to put down a deposit on a home, the Gov will give you 25% of what you've saved on top tax free, so say I saved £10k, the Gov will top it up £2500... not freaking bad).

Why? The first step to FI for anyone living and working in London is not renting. Renting is hell. I want to buy a home far away enough for the mortgage repayments to be miniscule, and commute in (with weekday couch surfing where possible) until I've saved enough to start making some investments, making all that hard work really pay at last.

I won't be retiring at 30(!) but by 40 I want to be a homeowner, working part time, investing in a small way, and by 50 I want to be investing in a big way and to be living completely FREE.

MMM says that FI is when you have complete command of your own time. Honestly that's all I've ever wanted in life, the thing I've dreamed of for years, but the trouble is, received wisdom has always been it's impossible - "the only way to be successful is to climb the greasy work pole, earn more and work all the way until retirement aged 68". That's what all my consumerist friends believe and I have also believed that. I feel quite foolish now.

I know what I have to do and I know I can do it. It's scary but I feel determination like I've never felt before, to learn everything I can about investment and financial management from now on. So thank you all in advance for all the tips, advice, thoughts and clarity you're offering here. It makes a real difference to newbs like myself.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirrel away on January 02, 2016, 03:10:45 AM
I'm going to clear that debt AND I'm going to save every extra penny I can and put it in the UK Government's new Help to Buy ISA for first time home buyers, which will yield 25% free money on your end sum (you can put in £200 max per month and when you want to put down a deposit on a home, the Gov will give you 25% of what you've saved on top tax free, so say I saved £10k, the Gov will top it up £2500... not freaking bad).


I read about the HTB ISA and it sounds like a good deal.:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Captain Mars on January 02, 2016, 08:02:04 AM
I'm going to clear that debt AND I'm going to save every extra penny I can and put it in the UK Government's new Help to Buy ISA for first time home buyers, which will yield 25% free money on your end sum (you can put in £200 max per month and when you want to put down a deposit on a home, the Gov will give you 25% of what you've saved on top tax free, so say I saved £10k, the Gov will top it up £2500... not freaking bad).


I read about the HTB ISA and it sounds like a good deal.:)

It's pretty sweet and a great incentive to really work on saving for the future. The housing market in the UK is (I'm assuming you know, given your moniker!) pretty hard to breach in some areas. You constantly feel like you've missed the boat anyway, when your friends are constantly raving about how much the flats their parents helped them to purchase a year or two years ago are worth tens of thousands more now (ah, Londoners).

I'm not planning on buying a mansion, I want for nothing more complicated than a small bungalow or flat and the area I'm looking at still has options going for under £100k. Long way from London, but nice area and eminently commutable once or twice a week (and I'm not above couch surfing or eventual vanlife to keep my costs down).

My friends are going to think I'm mad but I think 'blaming my extreme frugality for 2016 on 'Aunt ISA' will help keep them off my back. ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 02, 2016, 09:40:00 AM
Welcome captain mars and scholar! I am new here but have learnt so much already. There are some smart imaginative people on this forum.

Captain mars. I just want to say you are doing great! You are only 30 and you have :-( the epiphanies! My husband was your age when I met him, in tons of debt, no clue about money. He had managed to buy a flat with 0 deposit though...when prices were below 90 k in outer London. Gone are those days. He had a similar background to you......very little money growing up...and he is by nature such a buyer and I understand that because as days sometimes we try and get what we feel we missed out on as kids.

But he is a convert now and you can learn this stuff! Especially here.

Smart move. Do not buy at the current crazy London prices. You don't have to. Your plan sounds great. If you can pull that off do it. You can pay off a 100 k mortgage in less than ten years releasing your funds for saving.
Don't beat yourself up. You are on track. You are in one of the most expensive cities in the world surrounded by those irritatingly smug home owners bleating on about what their house is worth. That is just bad form in front of friends who have not been given a leg up.

We almost bought in London a  3 bed good sized home 275 k house in destinations in 2007. We thought it overheated so pulled our offer. Just checked. Those houses now sell for 650......of course I gently wish we had bought and made a fast 375 k....but the following year we moved to the usa and now live in a home we love( with a stupid mortgage but not as bad as London).

You can't use too much energy on regret. It us just not pragmatic...I still do now and again though but try to curb it.

You are on task.

The only thing I would say is can you do a weekend job.
That is how I saved. I made about 100 quid a night with tips at a chain London restaurant. That was 13 years ago so I reckon maybe 150 or more now .oh banked every penny and saved 60 % of my main job...teaching. I had 100 k in 5 years...teaching paid 26 k starting and I only topped out at 44 k so it was not so easy to save in London but I knew I wanted a solid deposit for a house. Imagine if you did that. You buy your house in5 years.

Work hard and save now because when kids come along it is so much harder to do.
You have had the realisation which is the most powerful part of all this.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 02, 2016, 09:44:54 AM
And when I stay work weekends I mean Friday, sat, Sunday. I rang every separate restaurant in the areas where tips would be good....and told them to call me if someone rang in sick. Through my summer college break I picked up every shift possible. 7 lunches. 7 evenings. Saved every penny. Made my restaurant pizza last three days so kind of not spending on food. The thing is when you work that hard. You don't have the time or opportunity to spend. I call them my oilfield days.😊
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Captain Mars on January 02, 2016, 06:02:50 PM
Captain mars. I just want to say you are doing great! You are only 30 and you have :-( the epiphanies! My husband was your age when I met him, in tons of debt, no clue about money. He had managed to buy a flat with 0 deposit though...when prices were below 90 k in outer London. Gone are those days. He had a similar background to you......very little money growing up...and he is by nature such a buyer and I understand that because as days sometimes we try and get what we feel we missed out on as kids.

Thank you for the welcome! I never knew an epiphany would be such a blow to the head but it's really great - learning a lot here already. And your observations are very astute - there has definitely been a bit of overcompensation in my twenties for all the stuff I didn't have. But it certainly hasn't made me happier, and in some ways, throwing off the shackles of feeling I need to buy all this stuff to "keep up with the Joneses" has been the most uplifting thing I've experienced in a long time. I expect your husband feels the same!

Smart move. Do not buy at the current crazy London prices. You don't have to. Your plan sounds great. If you can pull that off do it. You can pay off a 100 k mortgage in less than ten years releasing your funds for saving.
Don't beat yourself up. You are on track. You are in one of the most expensive cities in the world surrounded by those irritatingly smug home owners bleating on about what their house is worth. That is just bad form in front of friends who have not been given a leg up.

Thank you! I have seen a few places well below that sum in my target area about 1hr 10mins north of the capital (via direct train link), and I am positive I could clear that mortgage in under a decade AND save up in that period. Before MMM I don't think I'd have found the confidence to declare, "yes, I can do this" though. When you have this kind of intransient background there is something almost mystical about home ownership. A real home of one's own... it seems like an impossible dream.

Also, don't worry, my friends don't know any better and I like hearing their enthusiasm for their own situations. Despite the poor upbringing, I managed to get two scholarships and go to an excellent private school for free (most stable period of my life!) so I think I got over begrudging others their good fortunes at an early age and learned to ride their coat tails. These friends are the types I end up renting rooms from (funding their mortgages but also just about allowing me to afford to live in London) which is very helpful in of itself!

We almost bought in London a  3 bed good sized home 275 k house in destinations in 2007. We thought it overheated so pulled our offer. Just checked. Those houses now sell for 650......of course I gently wish we had bought and made a fast 375 k....but the following year we moved to the usa and now live in a home we love( with a stupid mortgage but not as bad as London).

Windfalls are nice and all but you got to go to the USA (I'd LOVE that). Experiences like that count for a lot. :D

The only thing I would say is can you do a weekend job.
That is how I saved. I made about 100 quid a night with tips at a chain London restaurant. That was 13 years ago so I reckon maybe 150 or more now .oh banked every penny and saved 60 % of my main job...teaching. I had 100 k in 5 years...teaching paid 26 k starting and I only topped out at 44 k so it was not so easy to save in London but I knew I wanted a solid deposit for a house. Imagine if you did that. You buy your house in5 years.

Work hard and save now because when kids come along it is so much harder to do.
You have had the realisation which is the most powerful part of all this.

That's very industrious of you and an impressive way to build your funds up. Good advice, but sadly I have a 'but'.... my present job makes extra earning problematic (it's written into my contract that I have to seek express permission to work in any other capacity at the same time, even though there's no overtime pay and no bonuses allowed). Without being more specific, these rules are there for very good reason and come with the territory. But maybe I'll find something freelance (I do sell a few art bits online for pennies so I hope to build that side up more).

Lucky me, I don't think I'll ever have to worry about kids, so I can be completely selfish in my savings! :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 02, 2016, 09:21:31 PM
Ok. So if you can't earn extra money you need to minimise the spending on your current income.
I am sure you have considering eliminating travel costs by cycling. I cycled from Brixton to roehampton...twenty miles round trip each day. That was quite hard in the winter but I spent 0 on travel. Obviously take your own lunch in. What else.....have night in out where people come to you to hang out rather than going out.

And you can always get a higher paid job. Trying to think where you can get a place an hour north for that price...Hitchin area maybe? Yes do that. 200 k with a good deposit will be a reasonable mortgage. We pay about 450 on the 55 k left on our uk mortgage.

Yes we love living in the usa, despite Trump, the guns and the capitalistic health system.it is a beautiful land of opportunity.

If it is not in your plan to have kids.....not selfish at all, probably a good turn for the planet....you could retire earlier than you think. But get a property paid off quick as you can. You always have to pay for a roof whether you rent or buy unless you can live in a camper van like the guy at Google!!!

Anyway you are well on your way just figuring all this out. We have few savings now we have ploughed all into our house, a huge mortgage, house maintenance.....so you will get there sooner than us, with an extra decade to play with.

Yes ...my husband did not really do the status thing but was just mindless with what money he had, boozy nights out,  buying loads of vhsvideos of every film ever made....he just gets excited about all the stuff he could only dream of as a kid who had very little. I expect that will always be in him to some degree. But I will always worry even when I don't need to, so we can only escape our follies so much.

Make it a game to spend as little as you can without being cheap or giving up the things that you value so much for what they give you. I love travel so made sure I got a few weeks of that even in the oilfield years....but always with an eye on the budget.

You will get so many ideas here. I am learning just reading threads other ways I can improve my life by not fluttering money.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirrel away on January 03, 2016, 03:42:43 AM

It's pretty sweet and a great incentive to really work on saving for the future. The housing market in the UK is (I'm assuming you know, given your moniker!) pretty hard to breach in some areas. You constantly feel like you've missed the boat anyway, when your friends are constantly raving about how much the flats their parents helped them to purchase a year or two years ago are worth tens of thousands more now (ah, Londoners).


Yes, I know the type.:D We bought in the early 2000s with no parental help and our house has increased in value, but not as much as a lot of other people we know as we bought in a crappy area. Oh well, haha.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CharlieandFamily on January 03, 2016, 11:35:04 AM
Hello all,

My name is Carlos (32yo). I live with in the Southern US with my wife (37) and our two children (2&3).  I came across this website within the last week and have already learned a lot. I am sure I will continue to learn and hopefully I can contribute some value to the community as well.

My wife and I married five years ago.  We are both college graduates; i have a business degree, she has an MBA.

Thanks mostly to my wife, we have managed to establish some healthy saving habits.  Other than our mortgage, a vehicle note (I know, I know) and less than $20K in combined student loans; we have no other debt.  We use one credit card (southwest points) which we pay off every month.  We max out her retirement account (401k), max out our Roth IRA accounts and have an emergency fund along with a healthy brokerage account balance. 

Couldn't be better right??...WRONG!

Recently I hurt my back lifting weights; luckily it was a minor (but very painful) injury.  However, it forced to me consider the possibility that at any moment, our healthy income could be negatively impacted by any number of factors. My income is comprised of a salary plus monthly commission.  As such, if I was unable to work our household income would take a significant impact.  This injury helped me realize we needed to take more control of our financial future. I want "real" security...not just the illusion of it. 

Plus, the idea of financial freedom is very appealing, if i might say so myself. 

As I previously mentioned, we have some healthy saving habits...but our spending habits...not so much.  Its easy to justify spending money when you've checked off all of the "saving for retirement rules" boxes.

So here I am...ready to learn and practice the MMM way. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 03, 2016, 05:03:58 PM
Welcome Carlos. I think the trick is the sooner you realise this the sooner you can create a plan. Only ten years into your working life you are having the realisation sooner than many!!I am new too but realise I have been pretty frugal...But we have had a 6 year lapse where we have had two kids and one income and I have relaxed more into my husband's more somebody ways. No debt as I just haven't ever done debt...oh apart from the 519 k mortgage...ha ha.....there is that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chavak on January 03, 2016, 10:34:09 PM
Hi all, new to the forum. Was directed here today from another forum and am glad I found it. Looking forward to reading through all the threads and posts.

Today was my first day of retirement. While I didn't quite make it by 30 (I'm 61), it's younger than many other people get to retire at.
It was lovely to not have to go to work today, especially since there was snow and freezing rain. Looking to doing not much of anything for a week,
and then getting down to doing all the things I have never had time to do before.

I have always lived cheaply but well. Was widowed last year and was shocked I could not get social security widows benefits because I was responsible
and I worked. So it got me thinking how to retire and get the benefits. Figured out how much I spend a month, and how much I make between SS benefits
and rental income, and decided to do it.

Hoping to get lots of advice on the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 04, 2016, 06:18:58 AM
Chavak congratulations on retiring! I am so sorry you lost your partner. Welcome.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lavinfara on January 04, 2016, 07:32:38 AM
Hi,  I'm a new!
Or not. I've been reading since two years. I finally decided to register as user so that I can get more out of the forum. Hopefully I will contribute too.
I'm 43 with wife and two kids trying to handle the rat race.
 
Greetings from Sweden
/lavinfara
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on January 04, 2016, 07:57:01 AM

Greetings from Sweden
/lavinfara

Välkommen!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 04, 2016, 08:02:14 AM
Welcome lemanfan. Well Sweden sounds a great place to.live apart from the short dark days.....you have a great country to be in by all accounts..
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on January 04, 2016, 08:04:53 AM
Welcome lemanfan. Well Sweden sounds a great place to.live apart from the short dark days.....you have a great country to be in by all accounts..

Sorry, it's lavinfara that's new.  I've been here a while.   And yes, the days are short here now (almost pitch dark right now at 4 PM where I live) but on the other hand we have 20 hours of sunlight a day in the summer. :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on January 04, 2016, 11:02:39 AM
Oops. Welcomelavinfara.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CharlieandFamily on January 04, 2016, 06:01:51 PM
Welcome Carlos. I think the trick is the sooner you realise this the sooner you can create a plan. Only ten years into your working life you are having the realisation sooner than many!!I am new too but realise I have been pretty frugal...But we have had a 6 year lapse where we have had two kids and one income and I have relaxed more into my husband's more somebody ways. No debt as I just haven't ever done debt...oh apart from the 519 k mortgage...ha ha.....there is that.

Thanks for the welcome. I think u said it exactly right...about having a plan. Thats probably whats opened my eyes the most...being on here and seeing what people are working towards is very inspirational.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hudstache on January 04, 2016, 06:26:10 PM
Hi to everyone! I've been a lurker on MMM (mostly the blog) for about six months off and on and have finally decided to get down to business. While my larger goal is early retirement, my immediate goal is to maximize happiness through prudent financial choices. I'm hoping to find lots of useful advice and recommendations from others since two heads (or a whole forum!) are better than one. Hopefully my scenario provides enough new material to keep it interesting for everyone.

I've been a dentist for about twelve years now and have had the expected amount of related face-punch-worthy spending behavior. However, during the past few years, I've had increasing periods of financial sanity involving paying down debts and getting the wildest spending under control. This was prompted by my growing dissatisfaction with my career, specifically the high stress level and dwindling free time and energy. I'll search for the right place to post details and await a good punching!

Hudson
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: funcomesfirst on January 04, 2016, 07:01:56 PM
Hi! I'm 38 & my DH is 36 and we both have bachelor degrees. We've both been fans of MMM for a couple (few?) years now.  We have a DD who's 4 and super fun.  I'm doing everything I can to help her enjoy life without all the materialistic things so many people think they need.

My DH and I have a lot of wild dreams and ideas that we talk about on a regular basis.  However, we finally took action on one...I recently approached my boss about cutting my hours back to half time and he is supportive so the beginning of 2016 will be a lot of conversations and negotiation because there will have to be a new position created for me.  Exciting and terrifying all at once!  I'm one of the lucky people who enjoy working with the people on my team (everyone - management, peers) so I really hope it works out!  It's amazing to me that our early retirement plans will not be derailed by this...yay for living on less!

Assuming the hours adjustment happens, I look forward to taking more responsibility for meal planning & prep as well as taking some time to focus on my health & wellness.  The biggest thing though is that I look forward to spending the before & after school time with my daughter.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kirby14 on January 05, 2016, 07:50:52 AM
30 year old Systems Engineer here. I just completed reading the entire list of posts starting at #1 and figured it was time to venture in to the forums now that I've exhausted my reading.

I'm happy to be a part of the group, now to flex my frugality muscles and get it going!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JrDoctor on January 06, 2016, 01:27:35 AM

It's pretty sweet and a great incentive to really work on saving for the future. The housing market in the UK is (I'm assuming you know, given your moniker!) pretty hard to breach in some areas. You constantly feel like you've missed the boat anyway, when your friends are constantly raving about how much the flats their parents helped them to purchase a year or two years ago are worth tens of thousands more now (ah, Londoners).


Yes, I know the type.:D We bought in the early 2000s with no parental help and our house has increased in value, but not as much as a lot of other people we know as we bought in a crappy area. Oh well, haha.

A few consultants have voiced that they believe their colleagues in london made more money sleeping every night in their houses they bought with a mortgate than they did going to work every day as a doctor.  Housing sounds frothy in London, but with QE we live in funny times.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: skuzuker28 on January 06, 2016, 09:20:39 AM
Hello all!  I feel fortunate to have found this site early on in my life.  I'm 28, wife 29, kid is 5 months and another on the way.  Started searching after I felt like I was in a rut with my current career path, but felt trapped due to our financial situation.

My dad is a Dave Ramsey fan, and we have been sorta-kinda been doing the whole debt-snowball thing.  We got married 4.5 years ago and had nearly $140k in combined student loan debt.  So far we have cut that in half, but I know we could have been even further along if we had been more frugal.

Got a bike last week and rode for the first time in 15 years.  All sensations to the contrary, my lungs did not explode.  Planning to commute to work on it, especially as the weather improves.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spookytaffy on January 06, 2016, 10:01:52 AM
I'm taking the plunge! My DH and I have been married for 33 years and have 3 adult children. He's 58 and I'm 52. We have probably made every.single.bad.money mistake ever devised over the last 33 years. We've traded cars every couple of years, leased expensive vehicles, financed almost everything, have major credit card debt, etc etc etc.

Several years ago DH was downsized very unexpectedly (went to work one day and they said he was done) and, of course, we had no emergency fund in place. Consequently, our credit cards got maxed as he tried to find a job and we tried to keep living. We are STILL working on paying off that debt.

We live in a huge house in a tiny, rural town. If we lived on a coast it would probably be worth half a million or more. Since the kids are moved out, we purchased outright the tiny house he grew up in down the street and are remodeling it. It was built in the early 1900s and has no insulation, needs floors, etc.  We are gutting it and starting over. Because we're in a small town and he is very handy, we are doing the work ourselves.  Right now that house is not livable. When we get moved into it, we will do some work on the huge house and sell it. We currently have about 60% equity in the big house. We plan to use any profit from the sale of this house to pay off any remaining debts.

I am currently vested in several public retirement systems in Illinois where we live and also in Iowa where I worked for many years. DH has a small retirement account with his employer and we have a few small investments. DH has already decided he will have to work until he dies, which I don't want to happen, of course!

We are working hard to pay off as much debt as possible. We are cooking at home; getting rid of cable as soon as we can get out of the contract, etc.
 
We have a car loan (of course we do!) that we are about $5000 upside down on. I'd love to sell the car and get rid of that payment. We don't have the $5000 to pay off the balance so we are stuck with it for now.

Now, here's a dilemma.  I work full time in education--I have a master's degree and a specialized job in the schools. I used to love this work but in the last couple of years, I've disliked it more and more.  Lately I have to make myself even get out of bed to go to work. There are some days I just can't do it and end up calling in sick. My blood pressure is up and I've developed Type 2 diabetes. The stress is greatly affecting my health. The problem is money.   My "dream" job would be to get out of education altogether and go into retail.  I realize that's quite the change and a much lower "status" job but I absolutely love retail. I've been working part time in retail for 10 years while working full time in the schools. I would love to go full time into retail management. I'm weird, I know. I also am very aware that retail has it's own stress; however, it's not the same as making literally life-changing decisions on children all day long.

If I were to find a full time retail job, my income would reduce about $20,000. We could get by, but barely. Additional debt snowball would grind to a halt and we'd have no extra money for anything.  My current commute is 45 minutes each way; the job I'm wanting is walking distance from home. DH is working a couple side gigs that he's hoping will take off to supplement his income to make up some of the difference also. We are not counting on that; just hoping.

Am I crazy for wanting to switch careers? Actually, I know I am. But I'm concerned about my health, mental and physical. My goal is to NOT be in my education job at the start of next school year--no matter what!

If anyone has any ideas or thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Deserved face punches are welcome, but I'm already bloody and bruised for self-inflicted ones!!!!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: filipmi on January 06, 2016, 10:42:42 AM
Hi Everyone,
My name is Michelle.  My husband and I have a 19 yr old in college and were looking forward to financial indepedence within 5 years before I lost my job :(
But, this is just a bump in the road.
Found this site while searching for re-investing advice online, was impressed by content...and joined! 
Happy to be on here and looking forward to gaining more financial wisdom :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GPendragon on January 06, 2016, 04:58:04 PM
Hi all, I just joined the forum. I have read the majority of the blog and had a look through here a few times before. I came in to make a new thread but my issue would probably receive about the same advice as Bartleby the Scrivener's current thread.

I am 24 and in London, UK. I'm a millenial and feel like I don't know anything about anything, but this is also because I had episodes of severe depression for about 7 years and have only finished treatment for this in the recent past (end of 2014/start of 15). So I feel like I missed out on a huge chunk of time, my main teenage/university years, in which I was supposed to figure out how things work and how I want to do things.

[anxiety/feelings]
I have a creative writing BA. I do have an ongoing interest in creative writing, I was originally going to do English because it seemed like the most general degree and I didn't really care about going to uni (I just wanted to sleep all day but I felt like I had to) and I was talked into doing creative writing because it was thought I might then start feeling some enthusiasm about going. I obviously didn't start feeling enthusiasm for anything until I got on anti-depressants (after uni) and I don't know that I can even say that I liked/would have otherwise liked the course or thought it was particularly good. I don't think these forums are going to facepunch me for this like they would for something like credit card debt, but I thought I should put this here anyway.
[anxiety/feelings]

 I work as a hospital administrator and make just over 12k a year. I started working in the hospital immediately after leaving uni and have just moved around departments since then. I really want to leave the NHS. Not least because the general situation is not good. But I have really started to loathe this job in the last couple of months and would like to quit, honestly as soon as possible but of course I need to know what I'm going to do if I quit.

[anxiety/feelings]
I still have mild anxiety issues, and I get stressed by the idea that in having to take the first job I could get out of uni I've stuck myself in a job range / payment range that I will find it very hard to get out of.

My job, despite being slightly higher paid than the one before that, is basically just organising meetings and associated tasks and it feels like I'm banging my head against a brick wall. Before I started this job I felt reasonably positive that I at least had potential and all the basic necessary skills but my job requirements now make me feel like I could be replaced with a robotic arm if it had the right programming. There is of course no potential to move up and it absolutely does not require my degree, none of the jobs have.
[anxiety/feelings]

Depression probably had a minor effect in that I have no credit card debt or particularly lavish spending habits or anything like that, I'm quite frugal already I think. I have £15k saved and my main vice is eating out for lunch (working on it).

I'm aware I need to learn to understand investing, but for the moment I just like having it there because it is of course over 1 year's salary for me and it just makes me feel like I have a little control over how often I get tired and frustrated at work.

I live at home with my parents, someone above me who is also from London has mentioned, the renting situation is wild here but I would like to move out soon as well. Get the job sorted first I think. If I stay on £12k I could do that but would have next to no savings rates.

I do have student loan debt but it'll be just above 10,000 and it seems like there are quite a few UK people here - but for those who aren't, it's not screaming ab dabs with student loans here so I don't feel like I have to be hair on fire about it. If it's more sensible to pay it off then please let me know.

I've mostly joined to start reading the forum now that I'm almost finished with the blog, and to try and pick up How to Have Finances. Happy to answer any questions if anyone has any.

I will say, I feel like there is a lot more inherent frugal thinking / less extravagant consumerism in Britain than in America. Nearly of my friends earn more than I do but have attitudes similar to mine. I only know a few people who seem noticeably consumerist (of course most people still have iphones etc, I do), and those who have spending problems are older and it seems to be an unexamined emotional problem for them. Do other UK people feel this is true?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirrel away on January 07, 2016, 02:21:02 AM
I do have student loan debt but it'll be just above 10,000 and it seems like there are quite a few UK people here - but for those who aren't, it's not screaming ab dabs with student loans here so I don't feel like I have to be hair on fire about it. If it's more sensible to pay it off then please let me know.

I will say, I feel like there is a lot more inherent frugal thinking / less extravagant consumerism in Britain than in America. Nearly of my friends earn more than I do but have attitudes similar to mine. I only know a few people who seem noticeably consumerist (of course most people still have iphones etc, I do), and those who have spending problems are older and it seems to be an unexamined emotional problem for them. Do other UK people feel this is true?

I thought that you didn't have to pay off your student loans if you earned under a certain amount? I'm not sure about that as my uni days were ages ago now.:)

I think you are right about Brits being more frugal, I don't have a car and that isn't considered that weird here but if we lived in the US it seems like most people drive.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Squirrel away on January 07, 2016, 02:27:02 AM

[anxiety/feelings]
I have a creative writing BA. I do have an ongoing interest in creative writing, I was originally going to do English because it seemed like the most general degree and I didn't really care about going to uni (I just wanted to sleep all day but I felt like I had to) and I was talked into doing creative writing because it was thought I might then start feeling some enthusiasm about going. I obviously didn't start feeling enthusiasm for anything until I got on anti-depressants (after uni) and I don't know that I can even say that I liked/would have otherwise liked the course or thought it was particularly good. I don't think these forums are going to facepunch me for this like they would for something like credit card debt, but I thought I should put this here anyway.
[anxiety/feelings]

I'm aware I need to learn to understand investing, but for the moment I just like having it there because it is of course over 1 year's salary for me and it just makes me feel like I have a little control over how often I get tired and frustrated at work.



Now I think about it more, what about using your creative writing skills and see if you can get freelance work writing articles, writing a blog or even writing an ebook?

Monevator is often mentioned as being useful if you want to know about investing.
There is also a good book called Smarter Investing by Tim Hale.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GPendragon on January 07, 2016, 03:01:28 PM

Now I think about it more, what about using your creative writing skills and see if you can get freelance work writing articles, writing a blog or even writing an ebook?

Monevator is often mentioned as being useful if you want to know about investing.
There is also a good book called Smarter Investing by Tim Hale.

I have thought about freelance writing - I've applied for a freelancing editing job that a friend does. I've never freelanced before, and according to her it's quite low compensation (£130 for 14 pages of feedback). The company's website says the max you can earn in a month is £1000, and Google tells me that 14 pages is about 6000 words. I guess it is quite low, but honestly I have no point of comparison.

Is it really possible to support yourself just through freelance writing? she makes it sound like it isn't, but she is pretty much bankrolled by her husband who's in software design I think so maybe she has no idea either, really. Similarly, I was under the impression making money from an ebook or a blog was very difficult.

I quite like the suggestion of technical writing as made in the Bartleby the Scrivener thread, but I'm not sure I have / if I would need background knowledge for that. 

Thank you for the recommendations, I'll look into them!

edit: Sorry - re: student loan repayment, there is a threshold, something like £17k, and I am just at that before tax. My repayments are miniscule. When I was writing my first post, I thought it would make more sense to put in what I actually earn vs what I technically earn but that's probably not very helpful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Good Lawyer on January 08, 2016, 01:57:10 PM
Hello MMM Gang! I am super-psyched about Mustachianism. I am a lawyer and this morning, for the first time, I rode my bicycle to court, suit and all. Then I rode from court across town to work! True, I have to use my clownmobile later today to pick up my infant son, but I'm going to ride that bicycle all that I can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on January 08, 2016, 02:11:04 PM
Hello MMM Gang! I am super-psyched about Mustachianism. I am a lawyer and this morning, for the first time, I rode my bicycle to court, suit and all. Then I rode from court across town to work! True, I have to use my clownmobile later today to pick up my infant son, but I'm going to ride that bicycle all that I can!

Outstanding!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Good Lawyer on January 09, 2016, 12:40:35 AM
Do you do much riding in a suit, Jordan? I'm thinking that my dress shoes might not be the best footwear...

Hello MMM Gang! I am super-psyched about Mustachianism. I am a lawyer and this morning, for the first time, I rode my bicycle to court, suit and all. Then I rode from court across town to work! True, I have to use my clownmobile later today to pick up my infant son, but I'm going to ride that bicycle all that I can!

Outstanding!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pbkmaine on January 09, 2016, 05:55:00 AM

I'm taking the plunge! My DH and I have been married for 33 years and have 3 adult children. He's 58 and I'm 52. We have probably made every.single.bad.money mistake ever devised over the last 33 years. We've traded cars every couple of years, leased expensive vehicles, financed almost everything, have major credit card debt, etc etc etc.

Several years ago DH was downsized very unexpectedly (went to work one day and they said he was done) and, of course, we had no emergency fund in place. Consequently, our credit cards got maxed as he tried to find a job and we tried to keep living. We are STILL working on paying off that debt.

We live in a huge house in a tiny, rural town. If we lived on a coast it would probably be worth half a million or more. Since the kids are moved out, we purchased outright the tiny house he grew up in down the street and are remodeling it. It was built in the early 1900s and has no insulation, needs floors, etc.  We are gutting it and starting over. Because we're in a small town and he is very handy, we are doing the work ourselves.  Right now that house is not livable. When we get moved into it, we will do some work on the huge house and sell it. We currently have about 60% equity in the big house. We plan to use any profit from the sale of this house to pay off any remaining debts.

I am currently vested in several public retirement systems in Illinois where we live and also in Iowa where I worked for many years. DH has a small retirement account with his employer and we have a few small investments. DH has already decided he will have to work until he dies, which I don't want to happen, of course!

We are working hard to pay off as much debt as possible. We are cooking at home; getting rid of cable as soon as we can get out of the contract, etc.
 
We have a car loan (of course we do!) that we are about $5000 upside down on. I'd love to sell the car and get rid of that payment. We don't have the $5000 to pay off the balance so we are stuck with it for now.

Now, here's a dilemma.  I work full time in education--I have a master's degree and a specialized job in the schools. I used to love this work but in the last couple of years, I've disliked it more and more.  Lately I have to make myself even get out of bed to go to work. There are some days I just can't do it and end up calling in sick. My blood pressure is up and I've developed Type 2 diabetes. The stress is greatly affecting my health. The problem is money.   My "dream" job would be to get out of education altogether and go into retail.  I realize that's quite the change and a much lower "status" job but I absolutely love retail. I've been working part time in retail for 10 years while working full time in the schools. I would love to go full time into retail management. I'm weird, I know. I also am very aware that retail has it's own stress; however, it's not the same as making literally life-changing decisions on children all day long.

If I were to find a full time retail job, my income would reduce about $20,000. We could get by, but barely. Additional debt snowball would grind to a halt and we'd have no extra money for anything.  My current commute is 45 minutes each way; the job I'm wanting is walking distance from home. DH is working a couple side gigs that he's hoping will take off to supplement his income to make up some of the difference also. We are not counting on that; just hoping.

Am I crazy for wanting to switch careers? Actually, I know I am. But I'm concerned about my health, mental and physical. My goal is to NOT be in my education job at the start of next school year--no matter what!

If anyone has any ideas or thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Deserved face punches are welcome, but I'm already bloody and bruised for self-inflicted ones!!!!

With your situation, I think it would be helpful to do a case study and perhaps start a journal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on January 09, 2016, 01:36:36 PM
Do you do much riding in a suit, Jordan? I'm thinking that my dress shoes might not be the best footwear...

Hello MMM Gang! I am super-psyched about Mustachianism. I am a lawyer and this morning, for the first time, I rode my bicycle to court, suit and all. Then I rode from court across town to work! True, I have to use my clownmobile later today to pick up my infant son, but I'm going to ride that bicycle all that I can!

Outstanding!!!

No, I have panniers that I put my suits/dress clothes in. I have been known to go a couple of miles to an appointment wearing full on dress clothes though. I did determine that my loafers scraped on my bags more than my biking shoes, though. Red biking shoes with formal dress clothes does make me happy. Just got to make certain not to sweat.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HabitualLineStepper on January 10, 2016, 03:36:37 PM
Hello I am HLS,

I am glad to apart of this forum.  April 2016, I became completely debt free. Now, I am looking to build wealth.  I am 42 and feel like I have some ground to make up.  I have almost completed my emergency fund.  And I look forward to learning from these posts and appreciate any advice to help me become FI.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Quetzal on January 10, 2016, 05:23:33 PM
Hi all. I lurked a lot last winter and am finally getting around to introducing myself. So grateful to sol, arebelspy, exflyboy, financial.velociraptor, dude, Gray matter, Deborah, James, dr. Doom, rootofgood, Eric, Chippewa, limeandpepper, malaysia41, NinetyFour and so many more whose contributions to the forum last year gave me food for thought. Thank you for your courage and sharing!

I'm 44, no debt, married, no kids, and have been saving aggressively since my first job out of college. Based on MMM learnings, now know I could RE with $850K net worth (all of it in the market, which makes that number somewhat pretend to me), not including value of house or DW's net worth (she earns more than I do). Though I am not yet ready to pull the plug on work, but that's for another post!

MMM and this forum caused me to pay off our mortgage last year, which feels great, and to up our charitable giving. I think our spending is face punch-worthy in these parts, but this is the year to fully get a handle on how much so. I also know my vehicle habits are not mustachian, but I HATE being cold and as a resident of the Northeast, I realistically know I will never make the choice to cycle to work October - April (I'm a weenie). At least I live only a few miles from work, so don't throw away a lot of money on gas, and have a vehicle that's 14 years old.

That's all for me for now. I look forward to 'meeting' some of you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eveline on January 10, 2016, 06:39:38 PM
My name is Eveline [35f]. I have a 10 year old son. Debt. A new job, making okay money. 55K per year. I need to learn how to plan for my, and my son's future. I made a lot of financial mistakes, and had hard times, personally, fall on me. It's a process... and I am eager to reboot and make my money work for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Astreja on January 10, 2016, 09:04:14 PM
Hi there!  I'm a lurker of a couple of months' duration who finally decided to take the plunge and get serious about FIR.  Not sure about the 'E' as I'm 58 and have a job that I love, but it'd be nice to not have to go to work.

I live in Winnipeg (originally from Montreal, but I've been living here for almost 40 years now).  Work in medical transcription and spend most of my free time either fixing up the house or pursuing various musical interests, usually involving clarinet or saxophone.

This is the year that I pay off the mortgage -- For the second time.  I did it before with another house back in the late 90s but had to give up half the house's value in the course of a divorce.  Needless to say, I made sure that for *this* house I'm the only person listed on the mortgage papers.

My saving skills need a bit of work.  Not much cash stashed so far, although I'm getting better at that.  I have a little over $20K in RRSP and LIRA retirement savings and an employer-matched pension that's slowly growing, and a somewhat attenuated Canada Pension Plan (no thanks to the aforementioned divorce, and legally-mandated splitting of the pension at the time).

Small credit card balance that does get paid off every couple of months, with a credit limit of $1000.

Net worth currently in the low $200K range but most of that is the house.  Definitely interested in building some serious wealth, both through increased savings and by cautiously branching out into investments.

Pleased to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ebrat on January 11, 2016, 03:13:40 AM
I just found the blog and forum a few weeks ago.  I'm in my 30s and not really looking to retire too early (pension and a flexible job I mostly like), but the idea of being FI appeals to my risk-averse nature.  I love the idea of not having to worry if my husband or I lost our job, and that we're not tied to our jobs if things go downhill there.

I'm a few years out of grad school, so I kind of got a late start to the money-earning portion of my career and have some low-rate student loans.  In addition to those, we have 2 houses--residence and a rental--with low-rate mortgages but PMI.  I calculated that if we consider the PMI as interest on the portion of the mortgage balances that are above the 80% LTV threshold (e.g., with a $170k mortgage on a $200k house, you're paying PMI to borrow $10k of that $170k) and add it to the mortgage interest rate, we're paying close to 10% APR for that money!  At least the mortgage interest and the PMI on the rental are tax deductible I guess.

So the next few years will be focused on eliminating PMI (~$40k combined to do this), then the student loans (~$25k), in addition to putting money into pre-tax retirement accounts and maxing our IRAs as usual.  We're naturally pretty careful with our money, but I'm planning to tighten things up a bit because there are definitely some places we can improve.  In addition to starting to track our spending more carefully to see where our money's going, I'm currently working to bring down our grocery and discretionary expenses and trim our energy bill a bit.

I'm looking forward to getting a lot of knowledge, inspiration, and procrastination out of this forum! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OutlierinMA on January 11, 2016, 08:37:14 AM
I'm fairly new to the forum and discovered MMM about a year ago. I am hoping to FIRE soon - this year with any luck, at age 46. I read Your Money or Your Life around 20 years ago but due to some free-spending in my first marriage and losses due to the divorce set myself back a bit!

I am so grateful to MMM, his blog has helped me cut my expenses, amp up my savings and understand that I could FIRE earlier than I would have expected.

This blog has been great too, it is so inspirational! Just read about someone living in a Volt! Awesome.

Best of luck to all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DoofusOfErasmus on January 11, 2016, 08:59:03 PM
Hi, Every BAH thee!  <a la Dr. Nick from "The Simpsons>

I started reading MMM about a year and a half ago.  I found the website through a Google search for "no contract cell phone plans" and clicked on the link to the article advocating the merits of Republic Wireless.  A few more clicks and I discovered that MMM had retired in his 30s.  Whoa.  I was intrigued yet skeptical.  My initial thought was, "Ok, so he probably lives in a dump and eats ramen noodles three times a day."  But as I read more, my mind slowly opened to the ways of the 'Stache.  I had spent the past five years making pretty good money and spending most of it on eating out, new clothes, electronics, traveling, a new car, and other sundry expenses that a typical, single thirty-something would blow his paycheck on.  Even before I found the blog, though, it had dawned on me that constantly buying new things wasn't making me any happier.  I don't drink or do drugs, but the thrill of owning a shiny new whatever was basically my way of self-medicating. 

So I was already leaning toward a less consumerist mindset.  But I never knew that retiring before 55 was a realistic option.  The more I read, though, the more it all made sense.  I thought about all the other things that my money could do for me.  I thought about never having to roll out of my warm bed to stumble into the office on a Monday morning.  And never having to deal with arrogant managers or pointless office meetings.  And being able to spend my days traveling, learning foreign languages, drawing, playing tennis, or snowboarding instead of studying for mind-numbing Society of Actuary exams. 

So I put an end to the impulse buys.  I cancelled my cable subscription.  I went from eating out every day to just a couple times a month.  I paid off my car loan and decided not to buy another car until my current one has at least 200K miles on it (and to never buy another new car).  I started maxing out my 401(k).  And I made up my mind that I would join the FIRE club before my 40th birthday.

I turn 37 in May, and it's kind of surprising how much my mindset has changed in the past year.  It turns out that I'm perfectly happy without so much of what I thought I needed to spend my money on.  Based on the 4% SWR, I should have enough saved to leave the rat race sometime this year.  I'm more motivated than ever to make it a reality!  Looking forward to joining you guys that have already made it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BusySnevl on January 11, 2016, 11:33:37 PM
Hello all - I've been reading the blog for a while, but just joined he forum.

Wife and I are 57/58, both retired early at age 55. I can't say we have given up all excesses, but we are getting closer. Still have one kid in college (threatening to go on to graduate school, so our retirement is still somewhat tied up), but we are still managing to travel lots and enjoying our freedom.

We've paid off our mortgage, and we are not somewhat obsessed with finding good deals, from cash-back credit cards to gas discounts and last-minute reservations. Not quite MMM, but we are trying!

Snevl
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jlh992 on January 12, 2016, 11:48:40 AM
Hi, I'm Jon.

I'm very new to all of this (I've been researching for maybe a week now!), but very excited to join in the community here and as a whole. I found this site via Mike and Lauren's Youtube channel, and am spending a lot of time learning all I can from here as well as Mike and Lauren and Afford Anything.

A few bullet points to keep my jabbering short.
-23 y/o, engaged (Oct 8th, 2016!)
-Have two AAS degrees from a local tech collage
-Make $14/hr FT (I try to work ~10/wk OT)
-Fiance is a waitress and makes good money (~$15/hr average w/ tips)
-Debating going back to school for Mechanical Engineering
-Fiance is starting CNA program next month

Income/Expenses (touched on this above)
-Rent $0 (living at parents currently, hope to move in Oct)
-Debt ~$4800
--Prosper $2300 @ 10.47%
--Loan from family member $2500 @ 0%
-Income $14/hr FT and ~$15/hr PT
-Investments: $8800 w/ EJ (I'll be moving this to Vanguard or paying off loans with it soon)
-Additions to net worth: '99 Outback (23mpg) '96 Grand Cherokee (17mpg) +~$5000

I'd like to start living a more minimalistic life (We both tend to keep unnecessary "crap") to start and see where we can go from there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PhysicianOnFIRE on January 13, 2016, 01:01:37 PM
Hello, PhysicianOnFIRE here.

I'm a 40-year old anesthesiologist.  I found the MMM blog about a year ago and found many of his ideas very inspiring.  I had already been doing many of the things he advocated, and I like his outlook on life.  I discovered the White Coat Investor shortly thereafter, another great site from another 40-year old physician who has shared a wealth of financial knowledge.

A real estate transaction late last summer (sold a house we used to live in) pushed me from the "doing well" category to the coveted "Financial Independence" category.  I'm going to keep working for the foreseeable future, but I may very well retire early in the next 5 to 10 years.

I see fellow physicians making cringeworthy decisions with their lives and money, while reading article after article about the increasing burnout and bureaucracy making life as a physician unbearable.  I still mostly like my job, but I decided to start my own blog to give physicians and other high earners a different perspective, and perhaps a way out if that's what they're looking for.  The blog is only 4 days old as of this writing.  I hope to add content weekly and as I learn the technical side of blogging, improve the site gradually over time.  www.PhysicianOnFIRE.com 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NESailor on January 13, 2016, 01:28:47 PM
Hello!

I'm Matt, 31, married, 1 toddler and another kid on the way.  CPA in private practice, you'd think I'd be good with money.  I guess we do OK but not as well as we'll be doing with MMM principles at work going forward.  We made some conscious compromises on top line income to settle in a particular (low cost low pay) area and also keep my wife's job (which pays well below market for her degree) that she loves.  The thinking is that at least one of us should be doing what they love full time:)

Current calculations have us mathamatically FI in another 12 years but I'm secretly hoping for much better results since the calculations assume almost no above inflation pay increases.  I'm optimistic that I can outpace inflation in my own career and fairly optimistic my wife can do the same starting no later than 5 years from now.  This should have us looking pretty decent at age 40.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. MM and good luck to everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sorrycanook on January 14, 2016, 02:52:54 PM
Good day everyone,

I am 'sorrycanook', another humble Canadian who is intrigued and inspired by the MMM principles and community!

About sorrycanook:
A. I am sorry
B. 23 years of age, and resides in Alberta
C. Still has a Car loan (Damn it past- sorrycanook!), but will be paying that sucka off in '16.
D. Employed as a Business Operations Analyst despite his Car loan. Makes (0.5 x 100,000) on an annual basis doing so.
D. Doesn't understand alphabetical lists
E. Thinks he is funnier than he is
F. Will be starting to invest in Canadian Real Estate in '16 for complimentary income.
G. Will be starting his CPA PEP in May '16


With some guidance (read: face punches) from MMM articles/ Forum users, I feel more equipped than ever to reach for FI at a young age.

I still spend far to much on Dinning/ Tainted Maple Syrup, but it is slowly improving with each monthly report from Mint.

A big thank you to those who contribute to this wonderful forum, it is nice to meet you!

- sorrycanook







Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StubbleToStart on January 14, 2016, 03:21:35 PM
Hello. I'm Debbie. Love this blog. Hate how blind and dumb I've been for the last 15 years. At least now I can do something about it!! Married, dog, no kids. That is all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Late2TheGame on January 14, 2016, 06:03:30 PM
Hello everyone, as you can tell by my username I am a bit Late 2 The Game, however I believe I am really starting to merge onto the correct path for FI.  I have been reading these boards for well over a year, and have read MMM blogs along with a number of other FIRE Blogs as well (Fruglewoods, ERE, etc..)

A bit of Background:
48 Years Old
Married (51 Years Old) with 2 grown kids (21/23) - empty nest!
IT Professional (Late to the Game here as well, started this career path 5 years ago)
Wife is an office worker.
Side eBay hustle - going on 16 years.

Decent combined income, and a nice start to FI, but a long way to go.

Can't wait to start posting and getting engaged with other like minded FI enthusiasts.

Late2TheGame
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EXLIer on January 15, 2016, 08:01:57 AM
Hi Everyone -

What an awesome forum - seems like such a great resource!  I look forward to contributing and learning! 

Been reading the forums for a few weeks after finding it via a Google search on how to simplify our lives.

ETA:

About our family:
 
I'm 39, wife is 38
Married 9 years - 2 kids 4years old & 18 months
Live in Colorado - from Long Island originally
Wife is an attorney by education.  Myself - I own and manage rental properties along with a small business.
We're wanting to primarily simplify our lives, get debt eliminated, and perhaps retire early.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CATman on January 15, 2016, 08:35:42 PM
Hello world,

The name actually comes from my profession as a catastrophe adjuster for a major insurance company. It's the job (and the significant raise it brought) that led me to do some research as to how I could spend the extra money I was earning as wisely as possible. That brought me to the FIRE section of reddit which eventually led me to MMM. I've been lurking around the community a while and I love all the of the great advice and support everyone gives. I'm pretty new to the FIRE game, but it really jives with my minimalist sensibilities.

 I look forward to interacting with as many people here as possible and contributing as much as I can along the way!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bmore Swing Dancin Fool on January 16, 2016, 07:07:07 AM
Hey MMMers,

I've been reading the site for 6 months now and am completely sold on the lifestyle.

I'm a 32 y/o single guy who lives in Baltimore, works as a math teacher, enjoys swing dancing and hiking, and recently picked up his first rental property. 

In some ways I feel like I'm retired already. Since I'm working a job that I'd like to do until I'm 80 and get three months of pure "retirement" every summer, in some ways I've accomplished the goal without having a huge stash (although I'm working on growing that just for fun:)

Please drop a line if you live in or around Baltimore!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aetherie on January 16, 2016, 08:20:10 PM
Hey MMMers,

I've been reading the site for 6 months now and am completely sold on the lifestyle.

I'm a 32 y/o single guy who lives in Baltimore, works as a math teacher, enjoys swing dancing and hiking, and recently picked up his first rental property. 

In some ways I feel like I'm retired already. Since I'm working a job that I'd like to do until I'm 80 and get three months of pure "retirement" every summer, in some ways I've accomplished the goal without having a huge stash (although I'm working on growing that just for fun:)

Please drop a line if you live in or around Baltimore!

Welcome to the forum! There are a few of us in the Baltimore area - I'm in Columbia - and more in DC. Maybe I'll see you at Mobtown!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanuckExpat on January 17, 2016, 11:57:22 AM
Please drop a line if you live in or around Baltimore!

FYI, there is Baltimore (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/baltimore/) thread in the Meetups and Social Forum: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/baltimore/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: meghan88 on January 18, 2016, 01:41:01 PM
Hi, I'm Meghan.  Though late to this forum, I've been living the good frugal life for years.  Some really, really lousy investments have prompted me to do a lot of research lately which is how I found this blog.

Here are my vital stats:
- fifty-something
- live in Ontario Canada
- barely scraped through high school in the 70's
- worked at various non-traditional odd jobs for years - never earned more than 25K
- went to university at night in the early 90's
- got accepted into a professional degree program, graduated in the late 90's
- worked part time while going to school
- have earned in the low six figures for 13 years
- SigO, no kids
- bike everywhere, all year, unless I absolutely have to walk if there's a storm
- own 3 kijiji bikes including a Trek ($80), a Norco ($30) and a winter beater ($20)
- hate shopping (for clothes and anything other than food)
- cook from scratch; buy organics as much as possible
- base my grocery lists and meals on flyer specials and coupons
- will bike extra miles to save .10/ lb on something
- paid off 100K mortgage in 2 years in 2008-2009
- very handy on all kinds of DIY stuff around the home

Claim to fame:
- biked home with a 66-lb bag of parging cement strapped with bungee cords to the back rack of my beater bike ... that was four years ago just in case you might think it was during my young(er) and (more) reckless days

Claims to shame:
- after 13 years of saving, my investment losses have cancelled just about all of my investment gains ... and I had a low-risk portfolio put together by advisors!!!  Dumb, dumb, dumb.  No more advisors.  If I'm going to make stupid moves, might as well stop paying extra to do so, so I'm moving everything to a few diversified low-cost index funds.
- very afraid of eating cat food when I'm 80

Looking forward to participating and learning new things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: faramund on January 19, 2016, 01:53:58 AM
I'm not too sure about how I feel about this site, about 3 years ago, I was 43 and worked out I could retire at 55. Which I thought was pretty good, then I worked out how to trim two years off, which made it 53, which seemed really good.

And then.. I discovered MMM and read through all of his posts, and then started looking at the forum.

Over the years my wife and I have had 3 kids, and have probably averaged about a 30% savings rate. But because our incomes kept increasing (we're both well-paid professionals), our net wealth to expenditure isn't that great.. Its now about 9%.

We both have good jobs, so its not like we're in any rush to retire, but reading what others have done, certainly makes my mind go.. what could have been...

Still, its not all bad, I have a job that averages about 10 hours a week, and so I have many free days, and feel like I'm semi-retired already.

One of the things that draws me to MMM, is how the heck am I supposed to happily live the next 50 odd years of my life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: douggtg on January 19, 2016, 09:54:12 PM
Hi everyone,

My name is Doug and I'm married with two sons.  I've recently been forced to take a vacation (aka: laid off) from a well paying tech job.  I'm not close to where I need to be FI, but I've learned so much since I've had more free time to think clearly.  By chance I came across Mr Money Mustache's video on YouTube as he was being interviewed by a local reporter on how he and his wife retired early.

Since reading this blog/site I began reading Your Money or Your Life as recommended in the Books section has helped me gain more perspective on what my goals are when it comes to money and aligning with my values.

I've managed to save some money, but haven't taken investing serious enough due to fear I guess.
I'm close to paying off my home and hope that will bring me closer to my goal of FI as well as to learn more about a potential career change by reading some forum posts.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Geekenstein on January 20, 2016, 06:18:46 PM
Hello!

Another long time lurker going legit.  I found out about MMM from a friend who asked, because I'm so frugal, if I was a Mustachian.  Of course I laughed because I had no idea what he was talking about.  I learned :)  I'm 57, divorced for 10 years, now engaged, and working towards FI.  No debt, no mortgages, done working for megaCorp a few years back and I'm now doing contract work from home.

The site and the forums have been informative and entertaining, as well as being an inspiration to keep our eyes on the prize. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Abel on January 22, 2016, 08:35:38 AM
Longtime reader and forum lurker, I thought it was about time to join the community. I hope that I can contribute and grow in the process.

About me:

- mid 20s
- live in California when not deployed overseas
- grew up on a family farm in North Dakota (the practical skills and joys of this upbringing bear more fruit as the years pass)
- went to college in New England, worked a number of interesting jobs
- after graduation, before joining the Marine Corps, bicycled the Americas and camped for a year
- after joining the Marine Corps, lost my mind and briefly became a silly consumer zombie
- discovered MMM a while ago, and came back to my senses and the wisdom of the way I was raised
- paid off all debt in 2014 by reducing waste, significantly downgrading vehicle, religious bicycle commuting, and general MMM badassity
- aspire to next level of badassity through DIY skill development: carpentry, plumbing, electrical, hydroponics, etc.
- financial goal: FI by age 40 which will enable the freedom to work on high impact endeavors without the stress about making ends meet
- interests: bicycles, urban design, community, architecture, building / craftsmanship, photography
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Machteld on January 22, 2016, 01:58:35 PM
Hi all,

I'm Machteld, I'm from the Netherlands and I like the way MMM blogs. Just funny.
Me and my hubby get 4.000 k a month, mortgage is done in 16 years and we will be FI's then as well. And this while I work 3 days a week and my hubby 4. So loads of time for our 2 year old son. So, semi-retired so to say.

I've grown up with a frugal lifestyle: my parents, with 2 young kids, paid off their mortgage in 4 years and have been FI's since a quite long time. My mum was a stay-at-home mum but picked up her lawyer career when I moved out, my dad worked full-time and had a company on the side. Although FI's, they both loved their jobs and enjoyed every part of it until (forced) retirement.

I must say, being raised frugal has been beneficial for me. Good understanding of money and what it can do for you. Never to have debt (except for mortgage), never to spend more than you have and build up a (big) buffer.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VanDyk on January 23, 2016, 07:54:04 AM
Hi,

Living in UK with the love of my life.

- Mid 40s, no kids
- Both Dutch, working in the UK for the last decade
- We were never big spenders, so we found ourselves 'accidentally' paying off our mortgage early, and saving most of our money, and after reading MMM we just found out we're actually only couple of years away from FI - who'dathunkit!
- We were also never big on investment or anything so most of our savings were in dumb bankaccounts - fixing that now
- Hoping to move to the US in the none too distant future which complicates the investment picture a little, but it is a nice adventure to look forward too!

See ya later,

VanDyk



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yaeger on January 24, 2016, 01:18:21 AM
Hi,

- 33, single male, no kids
- Have a bachelors, working on a MBA now
- Transient lifestyle due to work, moving to different state about every 18 months
- This site is a great source of information, been lurking for a while, can't wait to keep learning about just about everything I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Erma on January 24, 2016, 07:34:45 AM
Hello

I am Erma. I am from Switzerland, so I have to live with relatively high costs in almost every part of life.
I went to university, but work now in a field where no degree would be required, but I think I am relatively well paid for what I do.
I live with my boyfriend and two cats in an apartment, but we want to buy a house this year.
I was always good at saving, but did not earn a lot of money until I finished all studies. At the moment I try to discover how I can invest money so I don't have to work in the boring job.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: August on January 24, 2016, 10:02:40 PM
HI this is August

I am 50 and live in New York.  I have deliberately tried to keep my life simple for a long time to reduce my expenses.  About 14 years ago I became debt-free, then soon after started saving.  Unfortunately I didn't start investing properly until about 2010.  I am working full time, but would probably be okay financially if I was laid off.  My expenses are abnormally low right now because I live in someone else's house.  My future housing expense is a big unknown so I keep working and saving.

There's more to my story but this is just an introduction, so... hello.

August
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: withbatedbreath on January 27, 2016, 07:10:32 PM
Hi!  I've been lurking for a while and decided to finally post to force some accountability on myself.  I have no hopes of retiring early, but I want to get out from under my law school debt ASAP (~149k) so I can quit a job that is killing me slowly.  Single and trying to save money in NYC doesn't seem to be a good mix.  Hoping to make some big changes this year though!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DividendMonster on January 28, 2016, 05:56:03 PM
Hi,

I'm Brad and I run the blog, Dividendmonster.blogspot.com. I started into investing a short few years ago and it's the bug that I just can't shake. I'm hoping that it never cures and leads me to financial independence as soon as possible!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CTLiving on January 28, 2016, 10:43:35 PM
Hi everyone - I discovered MMM and ERE about 6 months ago, and while it may be a tad cliche to say it changed my life, it... did.

I'm a 33 year old dude, and I live with my lovely fiance in Cape Town, South Africa.  One car, one mortgage, and one newly purchased MTB. I've never been particularly good about imagining myself 10, 20 or 30 years from now, but luckily managed to avoid a lot of financial potholes. No credit card debt, a car that's fully paid off, and 2/3rd's to go on the mortgage.  Even so, the realization that at some point I'd like not to work has been creeping up on me for some time, and what with my country's political leadership and tanking economy, it was all looking a tad grim. Started researching how one goes about ensuring their financial future, and discovered this whole arena. This newfound hope that I may actually get to retire before I'm 80 has me all fired up!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ELLIE786 on January 29, 2016, 12:30:59 AM
Hi fellow Mustachians,

My name is Eleanor. I have been reading frugal blogs for a while. I have become more and more interested in frugal/simple living in the last several months. I have had a very difficult time last year because I am living beyond my means, have been all my adult life, and want to change that.

My story...

Starting with the bad...

I recently moved back to Europe from New Zealand (where I lived for 7 years). I didn’t have much cash to spare at the time and couldn't really afford such an expensive move. I soon found myself homeless - I hadn’t banked on not being able to find a rental place because I was a returning expat and landlords were asking for 6 months rent in advance as my income and references were overseas ones.

I didn’t have 6months rent in advance. At the same time, I was making some updates to my online business (installing a new shopping cart and email subscriber system) and it went horribly wrong – I hired the wrong person to do it, lost a lot of money as a result, and had a website (my source of income)that wasn’t functioning properly and no means to fix it. It was a mess.

Luckily the website is now fixed :)

I now find myself homeless, living in a variety of substandard Airbnb accommodation that doesn’t meet my needs, in debt and with no savings or emergency fund. I am very annoyed at myself for being in this position and I am currently working on saving up for the 6 months rent in advance so I can get into a rental place.

The good:


I have a profitable online business that on average has made me $70,000 US annually after business expenses and before tax. I don’t normally work more than 2-3 hours per day and much of my income is passive, with great potential for making more.

**************

My debts are as follows:

$26,000 in business loans (15% interest)
$5000 overdraft
$2000 owed to the IRD
$41,000 in student loans

No emergency fund or savings. Living pay cheque to pay cheque.

I am 32. My lifelong dream has been to own my own house. As a tenant I have been asked to move on frequently as landlords want to move themselves/family members back in or sell the house. I have had very little security or stability these last several years and would LOVE the financial peace and security that comes from knowing no-one can give me notice to move out once I own my own home.

I would also like to own a modest second home in another part of the country for when I am visiting family.

Here are my goals:

1.   Save up 6 months rent in advance
2.   Build up an emergency fund of $1000
3.   Pay off the debts one by one(Dave Ramsey’s snowball method)
4.   Save for a home down payment (this will happen concurrently to goal 3)
5.  Save up for second down payment

I am expecting this will take me around 6-7 years.

Here are the ways I plan to do this. Please don’t laugh at me if some of these steps seem really basic to you!

1.   Start consulting on the side

I can typically make an extra $65,000 per year if I do this 40 hours per month, every month.

2.   Cut grocery bill down to $140/week. I am currently spending way more than that.

3.   Go to public yoga and pilates classes instead of private ones, which I had done in the past, and community acupuncture, instead of private sessions

4.   Cleaning my own house

I may get a bike too. I am not sure on that one yet.

I could also trim my monthly budget of $850 discretionary spending (for toiletries, entertainment, stuff for house etc.) But don’t want to be totally miserable. I don’t know anyone where I’m moving to, and work from home so making friends and getting a sense of community is important and I don’t want to trim my budget so much that I find it harder to do that.

Things I am already doing right:

•   Haven’t bought any new clothes in the last 12 months
•   Bought a reliable used car with cash so no car payment
•   Negotiated my virtual assistant for my online business down to half of her hourly rate

Thanks for reading and look forward to seeing you all around the forum!

-Ellie :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fluffy Clouds on February 01, 2016, 06:26:37 AM
Hi and introduce yourself

:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: francophile on February 01, 2016, 12:56:32 PM
Hello! Been reading MMM for about a year and a half, posting here a bit, though still have struggled to get everything together. I'm finally feeling like I'm making progress though, my financial picture is cleared. To FIRE one day is the dream, but to create more freedom and flexibility throughout my 30s.

I'm 31 and live in NYC with my lovely boyfriend. We hope to get married and have a kid or two in the next few years, creating a sense of urgency to get our money in line. We will never have a fancy wedding, I don't want one.

I'd like to say I have a positive NW but sadly, it's still negative, so this is what I'm working on:

DEBTS
-$13,500 student loan, refi'd with Sofi @ a variable interest of about 4%
-$22,000 consumer debt, parked in a combo of balance transfers and personal loan with interest ranging from 0-8%

ASSETS
-$4k in 401k
-$1600 in savings acct

SALARY
$62,000/year + 2-3k side income (me)
$82,000/year + 5k bonus (boyfriend)


The boyfriend has a similar amount in assets, about 3k in consumer debt, and about 90k in student loans. He is 30. His loans will continue to haunt us for years to come but I figure if I can wipe out my debts this will put us in a good place to aggressively tackle his when married.

Right now we split rent and all bills 50/50. He buys the majority of the groceries, which we try to keep around $100/month. We don't have cable, no cars (public transportation paid for with pre-tax income), share a family plan for our phone (T-Mobile for their free intl data, he travels a lot for work), and live in the cheapest neighborhood in our city pretty much possible, while still being relatively safe.

We used to spend far too much eating out and drinking but have curbed that a lot. I had a nasty clothing/beauty shopping habit, like a sucka, and have curbed that too. I am only buying essentials now. Obviously the consumer debt shows I have past sins. I hate myself for it and spent years in a cycle of 30% interest rates because I didn't know better.

At least now I know, and every little chunk of progress I make gets me excited to keep going.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on February 01, 2016, 07:29:13 PM
Hello to everybody.

John, 30. Engaged to the Mrs., 26. Both computer engineers. Found this forum and the blog 2 days ago. Since then so much more things make sense to us. Without actually knowing about it, we have been living quite a part of the Mustachian life. Other parts we have been missing wildly, mostly because of our ignorance. This will lead to some hilarious statements you will see below, I swear these are true. Plus side that will make things interesting: We are from the other side of the Atlantic. Recently (5 months ago) moved to the Netherlands and we are currently planning to stay here at least for 6-8 years. we are currently behind the retire-early train, as we were ignorant to much things that would accelerate our plan a lot earlier, but we have recently decided to chase after the 42-44 year old retirement. Here's some of our info:

Couple net income: 60.000 euros (approx. 69k USD). Yep it is low, we are on the beginning of our engineering careers anyways, and salaries in most of Europe are on a low standpoint for the moment. Expected to rise by 3000 annually.

You sound like you are doing pretty good. But I would consider buying a house if your rent is that much for that little
Zero property taxes. That's precise, we own nothing that is taxable. No car, no house, no land.

Bank assets: 80k euros (92k USD) currently sitting completely idle (yep, that's one of the big things we have been missing -  not a single little plan for any kind of long term)

No kind of any debt whatsoever. No mortgage (obviously), no credit cards, no nothing.

We are living quite the modest life. We haven't have a TV for the last 12 years. We don't have expensive subscriptions to anything. I really really dislike new books and at the same time I love used books. I also never keep books at home, once we read them we give them away (that's right, we give stuff away all the time, we have a soft heart when it comes to taking other people's money for something that should be free in the first place like books). We use our bikes all the time (we're in the Netherlands, right?), rarely go out. I almost never shop for clothes but I do waste money on my personal computer and for my hobby of assembling and painting futuristic toy soldiers. Mrs buys clothes, but never expensive shit. We do on average 3 trips abroad per year, 2 to visit family and 1 to take some personal time. On that last one we were currently spending ridiculous amounts because it felt like we deserved it (more stuff I wisened up from during the last two days alone). With a rough estimation I would say we get by with spending 23000 euros per year. So we are saving 55% more or less.

Looking at the above, someone would say we got off to a great start and the mustachian dream can be seen in the horizon. The problem is I am not seeing it. My bank assets are too low to invest, or maybe I'm a coward. I also hate the fact that practically 50% of our yearly expenses go to pay for house rent. We plan to move in a much more affordable house come new year which would save us about 4200 euros per year (4800 USD). I am also wildly considering purchasing a house but I think I am too chicken to do it. Currently we are bleeding 1100 euros per month to stay in a 55 sq meter (500 sq ft) little apartment. Yes, I am aware that I do this wrong. I actually got aware of this 2 days ago, thanks MMM.

So my main question is: How do I un-coward myself to actually start doing smart choices when the purchasing prices are high?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Midcenturymater on February 01, 2016, 07:34:04 PM
John...you are doing ok to me. But I would consider buying a house.

I also give books away as most of them have little value on today's digital world. Most books that is.

I got chatting to this character at my local good will that sells books for 50 cents each. His job is reselling books. He turns up at good will at 10. Collects books, checks their value on his app. Then he travels to two bookshops. A good days haul is $200. A weak day us $70. Not bad for 5 hours work really.
But he probably goes through 1000s of books to get the 30 valuable ones he sells on. I was quite impressed by his initiative.
John you have good savings.I was still in college at your age. Just read everything on here and learn and live simply. The dream can be yours.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FINate on February 01, 2016, 08:44:07 PM
Hi,

My name is Nathan. Married w/ two young kids. We live in the Santa Cruz, California area. I FIRE'd last year at age 38 and am loving our life without the stress of work and commute. I've read MMM for a long time, finally got around to registering. We stay very busy with the kids and too many hobbies. Honestly, I don't know how I ever had time to work :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlwaysBeenASaver on February 01, 2016, 08:50:11 PM
Hi Nathan, welcome from another Santa Cruz area member! I feel exactly the same as you, don't know how I ever had time to work :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FINate on February 01, 2016, 09:23:55 PM
Hi Nathan, welcome from another Santa Cruz area member! I feel exactly the same as you, don't know how I ever had time to work :-)

Thank you, and great to meet you! More specifically I'm in Scotts Valley, but figured few people would have any idea where that is. Amongst many other things, very happy to not be commuting over The Hill this year with El Nino.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlwaysBeenASaver on February 01, 2016, 09:57:01 PM
Hi Nathan, welcome from another Santa Cruz area member! I feel exactly the same as you, don't know how I ever had time to work :-)

Thank you, and great to meet you! More specifically I'm in Scotts Valley, but figured few people would have any idea where that is. Amongst many other things, very happy to not be commuting over The Hill this year with El Nino.
LOL I'm in Scotts Valley too, a few miles North of town. And yeah, I was commuting over the hill too, for way too many years. I've had to drive over there a few times since FIRE and I just can't believe I did that every single day. Now it feels like a long drive when I go down to Santa Cruz.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BougieButBroke on February 01, 2016, 10:59:19 PM
Hi Everyone, my name is Kristina and I'm new to ERE and MMM. I'm creative by nature, and trying to learn more about financial freedom and making my money work for me. Of course, I was introduced to MMM by a close friend who works in real estate development :) Looking forward to many great convos!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 6leakertweeker on February 02, 2016, 12:28:53 AM
Hello all!

     I'm not sure how I found this site but it seems to fit me pretty well.  I'm a 27yo male from central Indiana.  I've owned 2 businesses in my past and am in the workings of my third.  A little over a year ago someone or something turned on a light bulb in my head on the way to work one morning making me totally financially aware.  I'm still not quite sure what caused that however, since then I've been a totally different person.  Most hate it, some love it. 
     Anyways, I've basically been glued to my google sheets since.  I produce 10k reports on myself yearly along with quarterlys and monthlys.  I know its over the top. 
     I can't wait to meet some like minded folks and learn some new things!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: myamnesia on February 02, 2016, 11:10:09 AM
Hi,

I'm Rachel and love love love MMM, I've been following the site for about a year and have just realized how great the forum is! I'm 37, married with 2 kids, love my job, but plan to FIRE in 10 years! We own one rental property and we're in the market for more. Saving money makes me super happy!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jacks flunky on February 02, 2016, 02:41:28 PM
Hi there! I landed on MMM a couple months ago trying to figure out a DIY project (hitch box), and started browsing a bit. 6 weeks later I had looked at all the articles (some get repetitious if read in close succession or are preaching to the choir), and decided that I want to retire early, or at least have the flexibility to do so.

I am married, 30, with a 2 year-old. I am currently working on a masters in environmental engineering (fully funded), and my wife is taking prerequisites for PA school while working as a nurses assistant at a hospital.

My motivations for FI are
1) Spend time with my son, which may actually delay FI since my wife and/or I will likely work PT once we are both in the workforce; I figure we can work more once he is in school FT.
2) I like to do everything, and quite honestly, the idea of staying at the same (or a similar) job for 10 years is hard enough, let alone 35 years.
3) I want freedom to do something constructive (some buddies who also aim for early retirement and I have bounced the idea of home solar install non-profit connected to a for-profit business) while not needing to actually pull much money from the endeavor.

The user name? Well...Jack of all trades has to have someone to do his work, since he is a master of none. I can't claim mastery of much of anything, but...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Greenly Spirits on February 04, 2016, 08:34:34 AM
Hi, I'm Greenly Spirits. I like to run and try new things. I'm married and stay home with our toddler twins.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chetmanly on February 04, 2016, 02:43:53 PM
Greetings,

You can call me Chet. I also live in Colorado.

I currently am a CSR (but making money like a consultant, does anyone need a consultant?)

I'm 37 and I yearn to be free, and by freedom I mean to choose the work I want to do. Not what pays the bills now. Unfortunately this has been my entire career. When I first came across this blog I was incredulous. I looked at my expenses, looked at my income, ran the numbers. I was stunned to learn I could semi-retire in 10 years and fully retire in 15, with some big caveats and assumptions, but nonetheless it's possible!

Chet Manly
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on February 04, 2016, 03:40:31 PM
Hi, I'm Greenly Spirits. I like to run and try new things. I'm married and stay home with our toddler twins.

We have runners, but if you'd like to take it to the next level, or just provide additional feedback, please join in on the S&F thread for this year. Link is in my signature.

Greetings,

You can call me Chet. I also live in Colorado.

I currently am a CSR (but making money like a consultant, does anyone need a consultant?)

I'm 37 and I yearn to be free, and by freedom I mean to choose the work I want to do. Not what pays the bills now. Unfortunately this has been my entire career. When I first came across this blog I was incredulous. I looked at my expenses, looked at my income, ran the numbers. I was stunned to learn I could semi-retire in 10 years and fully retire in 15, with some big caveats and assumptions, but nonetheless it's possible!

Chet Manly

Chet, what part of CO are you in? I'm almost 31, with miscellaneous issues I've needed to overcome.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: angigypsy on February 04, 2016, 05:34:21 PM
I've been reading MMM for a few years and really want to be an adultier adult.

Here's a brief run-down of my life.

I'm in my mid-30's and live with my long-term bf and dog.
We each have a house, his is currently rented and we live in my house.
I mostly enjoy my job and it pays well.
I will destroy the remainder of my non-mortgage debt this year.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jh830011 on February 04, 2016, 06:44:28 PM
Hello -

I am Jeff and making preparations to retire early - early for me anyway.  I am a bit older than many of the FIRE bloggers.  My hat's off to you for your accomplishments and your journeys.  I want to free up time to pursue other passions and to "do what I want, when I want" (credits go to those who said that before me). 

I live in Virginia.  I look forward to getting involved with the Forum and learning lots!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Pharmacist on February 04, 2016, 09:59:15 PM
Hi folks!

I'm The Pharmacist.  I'm a recent graduate, interested in paying off my remaining $53k in loans as soon as possible and starting the road to financial independence (not sure about retiring early yet; mostly I just want to work on my own terms, not some corporation's).  I've been reading MMM for a few years now and am pretty gung-ho about saving and budgeting.  Now that I'm no longer in school, I'm trying to work on being more free with my time and living a more car-free life (we are very dependent on them in our current rural living situation).

I live in the middle of the upper midwest with my spouse and young child.  We like exploring the outdoors but feel like we spend too much time indoors.  We're thinking of moving back west to my hometown in a few years if we can ever make the numbers work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chetmanly on February 05, 2016, 09:50:06 AM
Hi, I'm Greenly Spirits. I like to run and try new things. I'm married and stay home with our toddler twins.

We have runners, but if you'd like to take it to the next level, or just provide additional feedback, please join in on the S&F thread for this year. Link is in my signature.

Greetings,

You can call me Chet. I also live in Colorado.

I currently am a CSR (but making money like a consultant, does anyone need a consultant?)

I'm 37 and I yearn to be free, and by freedom I mean to choose the work I want to do. Not what pays the bills now. Unfortunately this has been my entire career. When I first came across this blog I was incredulous. I looked at my expenses, looked at my income, ran the numbers. I was stunned to learn I could semi-retire in 10 years and fully retire in 15, with some big caveats and assumptions, but nonetheless it's possible!

Chet Manly

Chet, what part of CO are you in? I'm almost 31, with miscellaneous issues I've needed to overcome.

Hi Greenly,

I am in Denver.

Chet
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: popcornflying on February 05, 2016, 04:47:32 PM
Hi everybody,   I'm popcornflying.  I like popcorn and travel.

My partner and I live in NY. I'm male, in my late thirties, personally FI if we move to a lower COL area but my partner is not ready yet. So I'm working in NY for now doing computer stuff.

I'm excited about this forum and the chance to meet others in the MMM community. At the office you have to pretend you love working, so it will be fun to finally interact with other people who are in on the joke!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: headwinds on February 06, 2016, 11:08:39 AM
It's a long road for me! I'm good at making money but I'm also good at spending money, not so good at saving money. Age 36, about 35k in student debt, starting to make a little headway. My fiancé has a lot more than that, but we'll deal with that too. I'm excited to hang around here and learn the ways of the mustache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chrisdurheim on February 07, 2016, 12:59:30 PM
I'm Chris (will be 34 in a week) - been reading MMM for about 3 years but haven't gotten on the forums until now.

I'm the sole income for our family of five and am blessed with a very mustachian wife and our 3 daughters are awesome with everything.

I've been putting into my 401k from the first day on my job out of school, but we did a lot more spending than saving early in our marriage. That said, we are happily free of all debt other than our mortgage and we are aggressively prepaying with the hope of being debt-free in the next 4 years.

Aside from that, I've been working on one of my passions - software development and am working on a web-based application that you can use to track income,  expenses, savings rate, and budgeting. I'll hold off linking until I've got more done. I'm going to scale back on treating it as a side hustle and just have it as a resource for others running off donations.

Good to meet you all!

Happy to finally be here on the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: theblackdahlia on February 08, 2016, 09:34:29 AM
Hi Everyone

Fairly new to the idea of FI. I always felt stuck...I no longer have that feeling.

29 years old from Connecticut. Just my partner and I in my small home. I've never enjoyed shopping or spending my money. Maybe a few splurges here and there on electronics! No debt other than my car loan (aggressively paying it off) and my mortgage. I was always afraid to invest... but after obsessively reading this blog, I will begin very soon. Extremely grateful I have stumbled upon such a great community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ender on February 08, 2016, 06:48:30 PM
It is kind of crazy to think that there are so many pages of people who are completely living the "anti consumer" lifestyle.

Makes me wonder how many folks I work with are secret Mustachians :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: glider on February 09, 2016, 04:01:32 AM
Hi all joined up to discuss my current lifestyle problems and get some feedback.

Also looking to completely minimise all expenses and live a very frugal life.

I am 32 but really really struggle to hold interest in a job due to having done a lot of longterm travel recently and it affecting my desire to just knuckle down and become financially independent.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NoCreativity on February 10, 2016, 05:03:19 PM
HI. I'm Joe. I have a kid and a wife and would like to go on more adventures.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trix76 on February 11, 2016, 12:24:43 AM
Hi, I'm Trix. Age 39, living in Seattle with my Mustachian boyfriend.

Before discovering the blog about 6 months ago, I was already making some lifestyle changes (becoming a bike commuter, cooking at home more, etc.). Since I found MMM, and especially the forum, I've been inspired to become a more conscious consumer, to sell or donate some unnecessary possessions, to increase my savings rate, and to learn as much as I can about personal finance (and how to fund ER). It's been really satisfying to feel like I'm moving toward a concrete goal, which is to hit FI in ~4 years.

I'm looking forward to learning more from you all, and hopefully contributing to the conversation too!

-Trix
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stylesjl on February 11, 2016, 02:45:18 AM
G'Day everyone, I'm Stylesjl from Sydney, Australia. I'm here because I am prepared to live the dream of gaining financial independence. I have always had a frugal personality and a reluctance to spend money on unnecessary things and then I encountered MMM, who thinks much like me - Only better! I have already been inspired to look into my own personal finances and I found all kinds of places where I was spending money unnecessarily and where my own money was being underinvested, his philosophy has been quite illuminating into the nature of my own life and I think that there are still further improvements I can make.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eddiebolt on February 11, 2016, 03:12:56 PM
Hey,

I'm Josh. I now live in Springfield, MO, did my own home inspection on a 1877 Victorian on the "bad" side of town after living in Kensington, Philadelphia. I'm a volunteer pastor, SAHD, and Home Inspector. I'm inspired by MMM's frugality and generosity and hope to emulate his wisdom.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xxclaro on February 11, 2016, 08:07:21 PM
Hey everyone.

I'm Ed, live in Alberta Canada. Married, no kids, I'm a mechanic and the wife works at a home/agro place. Looking to learn how to use my money to its maximum potential and attain financial freedom!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Curious Cricket on February 11, 2016, 10:53:24 PM
Hi All, CC here from Seattle. Long time lurker, first time poster.

-Found MMM through reading other FI blogs-Financial Samurai, Go Curry Cracker, 1500 Days to Freedom, Budgets are Sexy, root of Good.
-Debt free except for mortgage
-Max out 401k, roth IRA every year and just started on HSA.
-Married 46 yr old with no kids. Wife is working on dissertation to obtain PHD
-I believe I'm very close to FI, but trying to determine when to pull the trigger.
-i invest in growth stocks but have been slowly converting my portfolio to DGI stocks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREwoman on February 12, 2016, 12:25:25 PM
34 y/o from the US midwest here.

i paid off $34+k consumer debt (what) almost 2 years ago and am slowly turning mustachian. i have a low (per MMM standards) income but am currently saving 35% and working towards ratcheting that up all the time. i'm fully vested in a pension and getting started (yes, facepunch) with investing. my parents/mother were/are trainwrecks when it comes to finances and it took me too long to realize it.

i have no formal education but hope to rectify that soon. staching cash now for possible immigration to Canada.

i lurk as a preemptive measure; the fewer facepunches i need to give myself, the better.


"you don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Grim Reaper on February 14, 2016, 06:24:58 PM
Hello - Grim Reaper here.  I have been FI since 2010.  I still work, but I am looking for a more fulfilling career.  Thanks for MMM.com, it's nice to see like-minded individuals.  BTW - I can't grow a mustacheo because...well, I'm the Grim Reaper...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Good Lawyer on February 16, 2016, 01:10:52 AM
Well dammit, now I really want that user name... "What am I supposed to do 'bout my legs?"

Hello I am HLS,

I am glad to apart of this forum.  April 2016, I became completely debt free. Now, I am looking to build wealth.  I am 42 and feel like I have some ground to make up.  I have almost completed my emergency fund.  And I look forward to learning from these posts and appreciate any advice to help me become FI.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sweetloveginger on February 16, 2016, 01:40:24 PM
Hello!

28 yo from the Northeast. Just discovered MMM and am working my way through each post. My husband and I are already pretty mustachian in nature, though there is always room for improvement. Looking forward to an early retirement/Stay-at-home Mom status at some point in the near future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nobodys Fault But Mine on February 16, 2016, 09:11:17 PM
Hi. I have lurked here for a few months and have just started posting.

My husband and I are trying to get back on track after a three-year layoff for him. He is working full-time now, but at 50% less than before.

My job hours were recently cut back from five days a week to three. I am looking for a second job to make up the loss in my wages.

We are in our late 40's.  We need to cut spending on groceries, cable, and beer for my husband, to begin with.

I have been gaining motivation from reading MMM forums.

NFBM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tnoskilz on February 17, 2016, 12:37:35 PM
Hi, I started reading the blog around Summer/Fall 2015.  Since then we've focused on our huge flaming debt emergencies.  Our little girl will be 2yrs old in May and we managed to make it work so that the wife stays home, so we already had a pretty tight budget for that first year with our level of debt and single income.  What we've managed in the last six months almost seems miraculous.  Debt consolidation (401k loan), even more massive debt payoff, refinancing two mortgages (with an ugly 2nd) into a single fixed, and trading a small v6 suv for a prius. Along with increasing 401k contributions a little at a time, it feels pretty damned awesome really.  It definitely makes me feel "more" badass, but I acknowledge that there are still areas for large improvements or that we've still decided to be wussypants about.

We're now gearing up for some renovations on the house we own here in Portland, Oregon.  Eventually we think we will buy another home and move, turning this one into a rental.  Renovations are to finish remodeling a partially demolished kitchen and otherwise with an eye to make the house easier to maintain as a rental (replace the remaining 60 year old galvanized plumbing with pex/abs and add some much-needed additional electrical circuits to the kitchen).  We already replaced the roof with a standing-seam metal roof a few years ago at a bargain price and paid that off about the same time I started reading MMM.

Otherwise, we like to go camping.  I'm addicted to surfing, even in the coldest waters, so we often camp at the coast.  I bike to work some, but mostly ride the bus lately due to injuries, illness, surgery, etc.  Definitely looking forward to switching back to the bicycle commute more often.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: saver on February 17, 2016, 08:58:00 PM
Hi.  I'm saver and I'm pretty badass.  Bye.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RedmondStash on February 17, 2016, 09:32:13 PM
Hi all.

A friend pointed me to the MMM site a few years ago, and I've been reading and calculating and strategizing since then. Spouse & I have always been moderately frugal: paying down the mortgage faster, paying cash for cars, no other debt, living well under our means and investing the rest. We don't spend much on clothes, cars, toys, etc. I do most home repair work myself. We have no kids. We are both big geeks who work in IT, and we've done contract work for several years, sometimes taking months off between contracts to chill. So it's like we've done a lot of mini-retirements, which has been grand. But we're both ready for the last big push so we can cut the cord for good. I do love my job, though, so I may not leave right away even when the numbers say I can.

I recently analyzed the performance of our investments at a big fancy stock brokerage and discovered, to my dismay, that yep, common wisdom is right, financial planners do not get better performance for your money than you can yourself; in fact, on average, our accounts consistently underperformed the market by 1.5 to 2% over a 10-year span. So we've just fired our financial planner, moved to Vanguard, and bought index funds. The math bears out, but I'm still nervous. Also excited.

I watch friends moan about financial stress and then spend $10-$13 per day on lunch, or buy shiny new tablets or game bundles on Steam, and the lack of logic baffles me. I was taught not to buy what I couldn't afford, and to save some money from every single paycheck, and that philosophy has served me well. I wish I could sway others to the cause, but we all have our paths to walk, I guess.

Spouse & I love video games, comic books, reading, and other sedentary pursuits. When we're not working, we take in foster cats and dogs for the local Humane Society, and I write (and sell) fantasy and science fiction. In retirement, I hope to do more writing and to make indie video games.

We're still a year or two away from FIRE, and we're older than a lot of you -- 50s and 60s -- so maybe "early" retirement is a bit of a misnomer. But we have FU money, and knowing FI is right around the corner is such a stress reliever. If we both lost our jobs tomorrow and never worked again, we'd be okay. That's an amazing feeling, and one I rarely share with any but my closest friends. It's nice to be able to share it here.

I'm glad the blog and this forum exist. They've been really useful. So thanks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on February 18, 2016, 04:22:38 PM
Hi - I've been lurking since 2008 or so...thought it was about time to actually sign on.  Many times I thought about replying to different posts, the curious thing is that as soon as I registered I felt like I had nothing to say!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SaintsFan on February 19, 2016, 07:57:26 PM
Hello,

Houston, TX here. Happy to be apart of the MMM community. Wish I had discovered this years ago and be a lot closer to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nomadsanity on February 20, 2016, 09:51:02 AM
Howdy all!

I am Nomad (people do actually call me by that name). As the name suggests, I move around a lot. My most recent move, effected in January this year, was number 28 in the ten years since I graduated from high school. I like to say that I have fully embraced a case of terminal wanderlust of my very own.

On the topic of finances, I have always struggled somewhat keeping my ducks together. I started really getting it together shortly before discovering MMM in my research. I have since read every post of the blog. I am in the lane and setting up for early retirement. The target: retire on my birthday 2022. Freedom is a grand gift to give.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mtngrl on February 20, 2016, 08:36:21 PM
Hi, I'm Cindi. My husband retired at 58 almost 2 years ago. I still work as a self-employed writer (I write romance novels). We live in the mountains of Colorado with our two dogs and have been living the MMM lifestyle for years -- but just discovered this community. So nice to meet some kindred spirits.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shimrod on February 21, 2016, 06:06:20 AM
Hi, I'm shimrod.

I'm 34 and I've just reached enough discretionary income to make savings and investments a serious consideration.

The main thing I'm hoping to find some help with is the fact that the 5% interest after inflation on investments seems outrageously high for funds easily available where I live.

On the upside, I'm debt-free and I've been managing my spending largely (not altogether) according to the principles advocated here ever since I had my own money to spend.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BKrueger on February 21, 2016, 06:49:57 AM
Hi I'm Brandon.  My wife and I are both in our early 30's and are looking to achieve FI in 10 years.  After that, we want to work part time and live in Sicily and use our location as a launching point to explore Europe and Africa.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: prognastat on February 21, 2016, 09:01:22 AM
Hi I'm Prog. My wife and I are in our mid 20's. We have been fortunate enough to be able to start saving money a few years ago and were quite impressed with ourselves saving more than most Americans up to this point. That was until I came across this website.

After reading this I have become more interested in early retirement and the ways to get there. I've got a long journey ahead of my, I have my own weaknesses and it is even harder to convince my wife, but I am slowly trying to work towards curbing our spending and increasing our savings. Still have a lot of learning to do though.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EuroGap on February 22, 2016, 05:49:26 AM
Hello! I'm Contemporary Swede.

Great to see so many financially optimistic people here. My SO and I are finishing university this spring and will both be newly graduated engineers. I am lucky to have a SO that is very smart about money, and she was onboard for FIRE quicker than I could have anticipated.

We are in our mid 20's and will need roughly 8-9 (estimated) years to get to FI with a 4% SWR. We will however be splitting it up into a stretch of five years, travel for one year then back for the last four years.

It's great to be here and I am looking forward to both reading and participating in discussions.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ringer707 on February 22, 2016, 05:37:02 PM
Hello all! Brand new here, just found MMM recently and have been slowly reading through the blog posts and combing through the forums. I am at the beginning of my career. Had a fantastic one year position and then began another one year position at another location. It has been AWFUL and made me realize I didn't want to spend my time stuck in a job I hate and not have the ability to get out if I need to. Hence, coming across MMM. Unfortunately, I have significant student loan debt, but only DH's car loan in the way of "consumer debt." And it will be paid off in about 4 months, a year and a half early! We will then begin the student loan pay down and some serious investing. Looking forward to getting more involved here on the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: badliverbrokenheart on February 22, 2016, 09:26:15 PM
Hi!  I'm Kevin.  I'm 27 and married to a pretty great lady with our first child on the way.  I'm at the very beginning of my FI journey, and have really enjoyed looking through the MMM blog the past few days.  I'm looking forward to learning more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tstorer on February 23, 2016, 08:25:41 AM
Hello, everyone. My name is Tom, I live in France and am in my late 50s, about ten years from receiving a pension earned through my salaried job. Much of the advice given here is US-specific, but I'm interested in the Mustachian philosophy. So far my wife and I have managed to avoid falling into debt (except for mortgages) but have not amassed great savings either. I'll poke around and see what I can get out of all this.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pjhalifax on February 23, 2016, 09:37:52 AM
Long time reader, first time poster. I'm a stay at home dad who likes to find ways to save money so of course I've found tons of good ideas here. I'd say the past 2 years or so there's been more of a shift, actually, from "likes to save money" to "wants to live more reasonably." Just started working part-time from home to help with the cash flow.

I'm hoping to get better in certain areas -- managing food costs is one, finding inexpensive ways to travel would be another -- while continuing to develop my DIY skills around the house. Thankful for the tech/communication thread here because it finally gave me the push to get on to a much more cost-effective phone plan starting March 1. Look forward to learning more from the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SethB on February 23, 2016, 12:46:20 PM
Seth from Phoenix. In grad school for real estate. Army Reserve Captain.

Currently saving with an IRA, ROTH IRA and TSP.

Have a 401(k) from my last job that I need to roll over to the TSP.

Only debt is a car note.

Started bicycling to save money.

Looking to purchase real estate for investment in the near future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rhoshack on February 24, 2016, 12:54:24 AM
Hi everybody,

I'm Jacob and I like to pick things up and put them down!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: no_nonsense4857 on February 24, 2016, 02:58:52 AM
Hello!
I am Sai, a wannabe mustachian.
Still a long way from being financially independent but working towards it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: awesomeprime on February 24, 2016, 01:33:22 PM
Hello all!
   After too many years of screwing around, I finally stumbled upon this wonderful idea, and although I have years of bad decisions to fix, what better time to start than right now (you know, other than 18 years ago)? Currently, we are in the HOLY CRAP! DEBT EMERGENCY phase, but we are slowly and diligently paying that away.
Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cosmopolitano on February 24, 2016, 07:08:05 PM
Hi folks!

I'm 21 yo, brazilian and want to become FI in less than 7 years. I'm currently working my way to achieve four big financial goals in a short period: Become FI (1) before 28 yo (2) and raise a child (3) living at Denmark (4). Luckily I've already found my SO and she is with me on this life challenge.

After two years following MMM's blog I finally decided to start interacting with other ER enthusiasts, so here I am. I hope we can all grow together!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LovesToTravel on February 25, 2016, 09:39:28 AM
Hi, I have been lurking for awhile and decided to come out of the woodworks and start contributing to the forum with some posts!  31 years old, married, no kids yet, and looking to become FI as soon as possible!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sisyphean on February 26, 2016, 08:13:21 AM
Hi everyone! 31 yrs old - Oklahoma
Counting car $11k and student loan $9.5k, I'm about $25k in debt. Lived my life buying all the dvds and eating at restaurants all the time. My parents are having trouble, so I moved in with them temporarily to help them out (which is actually cheaper for me too!). Glad I found this place. Looking forward to being free.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ShuwopKilo on February 26, 2016, 11:33:53 AM
Hi! I'm K, 23 from WA. My husband M is 21.

We've been trying to get debt free since our wedding last summer. So far we've paid off $12K, and about $48K to go!

Our original plan was to get debt free so we could live off one income and I could be a stay at home mom, but I've been reading MMM for the past month and we are thinking of changing our goal to be completely FI by the time we are 35. (I'm aiming for 30, but I think having kids before then might push that back).

I'm looking forward to getting advice from you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Roadsidetreasurehunter on February 28, 2016, 08:41:31 PM
Hello.  I'm 55, single and in Florida.  Long time reader.  I aggressively save, no debt, mortage paid.  Looking forward to being a part of this wonderful community.  I'm glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Drone No More on February 29, 2016, 08:25:25 PM
Hi Everyone! Today is my FIRE day, finally here after DH and I have been following this blog for a couple of years. He FIRED first, unhappy in his job, six months ago, and I made arrangements in December to ease out today. We churned cards for a nice vacation to Mexico last week, making today the first Monday I didn't have to rush somewhere in 35 years! Though I have a long list of hobbies and interests to explore, I'm a little concerned about giving up a very meaningful job. I know that I was helping people every day, and in that sense this feels a little selfish. On the other hand, being a "corporate drone" in a huge healthcare system was becoming completely unacceptable. I've got a good compromise of being on-call two half days a week, and able to decline working if it conflicts with something else going on. So thanks for the inspiration and showing us it really can be done! On with living!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RurallyFrugal on March 01, 2016, 05:36:46 AM
I'm from rural Kentucky. Much different perspective than most of MMM readers I'd say, but most of the tenets apply.

Married, five kids, single income as a teacher. Makes my story a bit different since I'm on the public pension track and little capacity for savings at this point. I'm also a habitual DIYer. Came to the blog looking for more ways to stretch a dollar, stayed for the forums. They've been a wealth of info. Particularly interested in things the wife can do while staying home with the kids, and have hit a gold mine with this crowd. Keep it up!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeffatmobileoffi on March 01, 2016, 06:17:21 AM
I wasn't sure where to post so I've already posted to the Welcome section.

I'm a 57 year old from Richmond VA. I was glad to see MMM on Tapatalk!

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Filliteracy on March 01, 2016, 08:02:31 PM
Hi, I'm 25 year old Canadian with the goal of FIRE between 10 years an 17 years - depending to what extent I can convince the soon-to-be spouse to be on board. I've always been relatively frugal, and before reading MMM (from back to finish from Jan to Feb 2016), I was already saving about 50% of my income and had amassed a 100K stash. My main holdback was my lack of imagination - I hadn't even considered retiring before 55 at the earliest, even though I knew that by then, I would have much more money than I would ever need!

So far, the blog has been a great source of inspiration for living a better life and having a healthier relationship with money, badassity and autonomy (from the pervasive rising tide of convenience and delegation of skills), and I hope to learn even more from this great community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: maruro on March 01, 2016, 08:25:55 PM
Hello all!

I'm MR, I'm 20, and a college student in MA. Longtime reader, first-time poster. Nervously anticipating graduating with around 18k of student loan debt in a year (no regrets, but...yikes! bad call, past-me) and want to make sure I get off to a good start - figured this was probably the right time to move off the mainpage and immerse myself in all the knowledge of the forums! :)

Thanks to my reading of MMM, I've managed to save up a decent lump sum - but I'm feeling antsy about my money just sitting in a savings account not earning anything. I've been torn between 1. dumping money into my loan preemptively, 2. investing it, or 3. just holding onto it knowing I'll need money available to start off post-graduation...so, my current financial goal is finally making a choice and not wasting any more time.

I grew up poor and my goal is to benefit from Mustachian wisdom just enough to feel safe financially - no huge aspirations. Anything more than that is an excellent added perk! :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: runningthroughFIRE on March 02, 2016, 10:52:53 AM
Hello all!

I'm MR, I'm 20, and a college student in MA. Longtime reader, first-time poster. Nervously anticipating graduating with around 18k of student loan debt in a year (no regrets, but...yikes! bad call, past-me) and want to make sure I get off to a good start - figured this was probably the right time to move off the mainpage and immerse myself in all the knowledge of the forums! :)

Thanks to my reading of MMM, I've managed to save up a decent lump sum - but I'm feeling antsy about my money just sitting in a savings account not earning anything. I've been torn between 1. dumping money into my loan preemptively, 2. investing it, or 3. just holding onto it knowing I'll need money available to start off post-graduation...so, my current financial goal is finally making a choice and not wasting any more time.

I grew up poor and my goal is to benefit from Mustachian wisdom just enough to feel safe financially - no huge aspirations. Anything more than that is an excellent added perk! :D
Student loans aren't inherently bad, although it is still debt.  I had about 20K in loans when I graduated last May, and I've already sliced away a fair chunk of it. It all depends on your employement prospects, interest rates, etc.  Until you settle into post-grad life, all 3 options are valid choices.  I personally kept just about everything in liquid cash until I had a good feel for what my income and living situations would be like, and then started throwing everything at the loans. YMMV. Welcome to the forums! It's nice to see some more younger folks join up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ElGrillo on March 02, 2016, 09:17:46 PM
Hello everybody!

I'm 20 years old and am going to college in NM. I just stumbled on MMM about a week ago and have since absorbed as much of the advice as I could, while also researching on other places around the internet. I'm looking at retiring around 40 if everything goes well, however I wouldn't mind working later than that since I love the field I plan to go into.

I've set up a Betterment Roth IRA and general investing account for now, and plan to switch to Vanguard when I have racked up enough to make the minimum deposit for an IRA and ETF or index fund.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JoRocka on March 04, 2016, 10:15:20 AM
Herrrrrrrrrooooooooooooooooooo

Been lurking for a hot minute once I realized MMM had forums- I've been reading MMM on and off for the last 6 months or so.
I'm getting married this year (GULP)- and we together are working to reduce and eliminate our debt.  He's essentially my CFO- since and makes sure I pay bills all on time.

I worked in construction for about 5 years and due to the on again off again nature of the work- and my mental state- I drove my CC debt through the ceiling.

I now have a stead job- two cash side jobs- and I trade my time for my dance classes- so I can still enjoy my hobbies without sacrificing to much money.

I'm a chronic retail therapy person- and trying to pay for my wedding and fix my debt is a daily and mentally exhausting struggle.  I also really love make up. don't judge me.

So- I've made it a point to be more aggressive with surrounding myself (on line/ and IRL) with people who understand the drive to reduce all debt. So- here I am. trying to read/lurk and be inspired to be a better less consumeristic person. (yeah I know that's not a word- still don't care)

I have 1 old honda civic- no payments (sold mazdaspeed3 so no more payments) 1 motorcycle- older- great shape- obviously no payments there.  Student loans are SO close to being paid off. (WOOT) and I do my best to keep my housing expenses as low as I can (I rent a small house)- I wear a lot of sweaters and socks for sure!.

I'm currently debating a bicycle.... but ah... that's a difficult leap for me. I live and travel in a very small circle but b/c of the many trips a day I make- bike/motorcycle are harder to manage. But- debating it.
Honestly mostly just need to stop buying fucking eye shadows. 

I'm a lifter- so food is rarely an issue- unless I'm bulking- and then it's just expensive because I have to eat so much of it- but I always pack a lunch. I'm to lazy to leave for lunch- and also- duh- so expensive- so I find myself fitting in really well with the "low maintenance" life style- just a few tweaks to get myself mentally where I need to be and I'll be SO much better off.


Anyway- here i am!!! Hi :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trailhugger on March 05, 2016, 05:04:45 PM
Hi there,

I recently rediscovered MMM and found out about the forum. I came across the blog way back in the first year, maybe even while on maternity leave with my first child, but basically gave up blog reading due to time. Now I'm working from home part-time while raising my three children: a DD, almost 5; DS, age 3; and DS, 16 months. DH has a great job that treats him well, despite being pretty intense/stressful/time consuming at times, and is about an 8-mile commute. I manage our rental property (was our home until about a year ago) and our online business (which basically funds our favorite hobby), freelance as an architectural and residential designer, and manage the budget. The latter being the main reason I'm here, of course! I'm pretty good at not spending money, at finding good unit-price deals on groceries and making the most of them by cooking in bulk and freezing... but I know there's always room for improvement.

Cheers,
Cydney in Raleigh, NC
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BIMbro on March 06, 2016, 06:47:11 PM
Hi all, I'm Thom aka BIMbro from Phoenix, Az. BIM stands for Building Information Modeling if anyone is curious. Anyway I'm 47 years old and finally decided to pull my head out of my ass just as I found this website. Thanks Mr & Mrs Money Moustache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vixine on March 07, 2016, 04:33:03 AM
Hi everyone!
I have recently discovered MMM and I LOVE it... been lurking a bit and decided to join in...
I am 40, recently divorced with one son, and I just got my head OUT of the sand regarding the state of my finances. Unfortunately, I have been one of those people living above their means, nursing too many credit cards and student loans, and ignoring the consequences for too long. I got myself on a budget and I'm tackling this head on. I wish I had started 20 years ago, but hey, there is nothing I can do about that now! Better late than never! Nice to meet you all...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on March 07, 2016, 03:09:16 PM
I wish I had started 20 years ago, but hey, there is nothing I can do about that now! Better late than never! Nice to meet you all...

How true is that... it's never too late to make things better. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brandonj on March 07, 2016, 11:53:43 PM
Hi Everyone,

My name is Brandon, I am 33 years old and originally from Mesa, Arizona. I am currently traveling the world with my wife Katie and our three kids. I stumbled across the Mr Money Mustache blog while looking into other ways to invest. I am a small business owner and am blessed to be able to do my work online.

I look forward to learning from all of you and participating in the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheDarkStorm on March 08, 2016, 11:16:03 AM
Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking around the MMM site for a few months, and have taken my first steps to seriously hoard monies.  I moved to a different state 2 years back for work, though my heart and soul (if such exists) wait for my eventual return to Colorado.

I have always tried to save, though previously it was more like 10% of salary. 

I was in the process of procuring a[n expensive custom] home (currently apartment dwelling) last year, but an incident over Christmas made me re-think my life's plan and I backed away from such an expensive purchase/obligation.  It was at that time that I stumbled across the MMM website.

This past month, I upped my 401K to max (few more years to full vestment), and started a Betterment account.  I have a [smallish] IRA and HSA from previous employments, a Life Insurance Roth like savings,  a company pension (few years to full vestment), a handful of dividend stocks, and Im currently renting my old townhome in... Longmont, CO!  I only wish I had known about MMM before I left.

I will mostly continue to lurk the forum, but I will try to input positively when I can. 

I recently had this notion of retiring in 10 years, though I need to do some more number crunching before I can say either way.  I feel that the moment I retire, Ill be moving back to CO.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coziestrobot on March 08, 2016, 01:09:51 PM
Hi everyone.

I just learned about this website from the New Yorker and have found it to be so helpful this far. I am 27 years old. I finished up my education (BS and MS) debt free 4 years ago and have managed to save a reasonable chunk of money since.

I am in a bit of a different financial situation that most others here in that I am about to take on massive student debt. I will be starting medical school this fall and, unfortunately, expect to go into about $200,000 of debt. Thankfully, my partner and I are becoming increasingly fiscally responsible and have started to outline a repayment plan that should get me out of debt within 10 years of graduation, if not less. We're not sure where his income will be 5 years from now, but we've firmly decided that we will not delay loan repayments until after residency, which will save us a lot on interest.

I am currently using a small portion of my savings to take the next few months off to relax and reconnect with myself before I start school.  My financial goals are as follows: I want to live in a way that money is not a major stressor in my life. I am pursuing medicine because it is a calling, and I look forward to finding a specialty and career that satiates my intellectual and humanistic drive rather than a desire for money.

I look forward to learning as much as I can from this site and forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Psyche on March 08, 2016, 08:06:42 PM
Hello!  I recently discovered the MMM website and have been eagerly reading through the archive of posts.  I am a would-be Mustachian in SD, and am finally able to start moving toward my own financial goals after a divorce.  Budget is very tight as I'm a single mom who receives no support (yes, I already pursued all legal remedies available).  Still, I'm coming out ahead now that no one else is running up debt for me to fix : P  I actually have always *loved* living simply, so I'm very, very excited to rebuild a simple life for myself, build savings, and eventually reach independence!  Also excited to share these lessons with my kids (teens) so they can start out right from the beginning.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NorCalMK3 on March 09, 2016, 03:13:02 PM
Hi:

Im a longtime lurker on both the blog and forum and decided to finally register. Basic details:

Northern California native
31 year old College grad (Construction Management) Work for a Commercial General Contractor
Recently Married
Homeowner (bought a fixer upper that hasn't been touched since 1960)
Landlord - Wife and I rent out one house (that the wife lived in previously)
Job pays for my gas, cell phone and vehicle allowance - Sweet!
Currently wife and I are paying off her car, then working on killing mortgages
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: IronInTheFIRE on March 10, 2016, 12:16:16 PM
It seems silly after all these years of reading the blog and some of the Forums to finally introduce myself, but here goes.

My name is Mike, my family consists of a loving wife and 2 awesome little boys (currently 4 and 6).

We live in Northern NJ, yes a HCOL area, due to the geography of where we were raised (NYC and Philly suburbs) and the availability of lucrative work (for me) in the finance world in Manhattan.

Wife and I are both 45 and after much consternation, saving, budgeting and OMY-ing myself every year for the last 3 or 4 years, ready to call it FIRE'd this year.

While we love our house and neighborhood, we often talk of relocating, specifically to the front range of Colorado. We've visited many times for ski trips and ask ourselves every time why we don't just live out here.

Thanks to everyone who takes the time to add their insight and advice here, it really is a wonderful resource for the like-minded!

Mike


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dabaobao888 on March 12, 2016, 07:24:23 AM
I'm 27 year old, work as an institutional investor focused on developing market public equity.

I'm one of those people that loves his job and would not retire even if I was 1000x as wealthy.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thrifty Snail on March 12, 2016, 08:50:00 AM
Hello,

I recently found this site through the New Yorker. I am naturally fairly tight with money though the las t few years have been challenging due to childcare costs. Now the son has moved onto public school and we have begun saving about 40% of our income.

The wife is in a  lucrative job with long hours and I am an educator who does most of the homemaker stuff. We are hoping to be able to save heavily over the next ten years then move into into part time or seasonal work as we enjoy our jobs when the hours are short. Currently I am searching for a position close to home to eliminate my lengthy commute.

We chose an area within day trip distance of an east coast city we love but far enough away that housing is 1/3-1/2 the cost. With our children we enjoy spending time outdoors and this is a fun way not to spend.

Both of us enjoy the site though it raises as many questions as it answers. We are trying to find the right mix of debt payment, investing and saving that will allow us to reach our goals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on March 13, 2016, 04:48:54 AM
I think it is super cool that folks have recently begun to join the forum saying that they heard about MMM through the New Yorker.  Awesome!!!
Title: I'm so pleased to have found you!
Post by: cyndre4 on March 13, 2016, 10:38:27 PM
Hello all!
I feel like I've come home... I was raised with similar thoughts around spending, but in recent years, I've felt myself slipping. I just built a tiny house, and put the balance on credit cards. I've paid off half of the debt, but I've got $37,000 to go. My goal is to nuke that this year. A funny thing happens when in debt... It sure gets easy to charge more! I could sure use all the encouragement I can get! I'm so pleased to start really looking at my finances and cutting back in the places where spending has got out of hand!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ryan.triguy on March 13, 2016, 11:33:21 PM
Well how to start.  I had a buddy of mine mention something about money mustache the other day while our kids were playing on the big toy.  That was about two weeks ago and due to crappy weather, so projects on house have slowed, I have read the first year and month of the blog.  I am quickly catching up and love it.  We (the misses is totally on board) have already begun changing things and looking into ways to become FI. 

I do have a few questions I have been pondering;

Recently after much dilemma decided to start paying on our mortgage at a 15yr price point and bi-monthly.  372K at 3.37.  We could have refied to 2.75 but my wife (nurse) is going back to school in the fall, so she didn't want to be locked into higher payments just in case.  My question is we have an extra 20k sitting in bank ( I know no money soldiers out there making money for us)  I am debating either throwing it down on mortgage or investing it. My wife has a roth ira that we are maxing and I have a deferred comp non matching I do 500 a month toward(max. would be 1500 month). My thought on investment is to diversify the roth and deferred, going with something like Vanguard ETF. 

Thanks for the incite.  I cant wait to contribute more.  I love the back to basics way of life on here.  I feel like our lifestyle fits right in.  I can't believe all the new little things I have learned to be more frugal.  I think my wife already thought I was frugal before.

Thanks MMM's
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mora33 on March 15, 2016, 02:52:48 PM
Hi,

I'm Mora and i bought two books today:  A random walk down wall street and Investing in your 20s and 30s for dummies.

I'm very new to investing except property.  I would love to learn as much as I can so I can help others.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Alina15 on March 16, 2016, 08:10:04 AM
Hi,
I am Alina. I am new to this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: runningthroughFIRE on March 16, 2016, 10:32:10 AM
Well how to start.  I had a buddy of mine mention something about money mustache the other day while our kids were playing on the big toy.  That was about two weeks ago and due to crappy weather, so projects on house have slowed, I have read the first year and month of the blog.  I am quickly catching up and love it.  We (the misses is totally on board) have already begun changing things and looking into ways to become FI. 

I do have a few questions I have been pondering;

Recently after much dilemma decided to start paying on our mortgage at a 15yr price point and bi-monthly.  372K at 3.37.  We could have refied to 2.75 but my wife (nurse) is going back to school in the fall, so she didn't want to be locked into higher payments just in case.  My question is we have an extra 20k sitting in bank ( I know no money soldiers out there making money for us)  I am debating either throwing it down on mortgage or investing it. My wife has a roth ira that we are maxing and I have a deferred comp non matching I do 500 a month toward(max. would be 1500 month). My thought on investment is to diversify the roth and deferred, going with something like Vanguard ETF. 

Thanks for the incite.  I cant wait to contribute more.  I love the back to basics way of life on here.  I feel like our lifestyle fits right in.  I can't believe all the new little things I have learned to be more frugal.  I think my wife already thought I was frugal before.

Thanks MMM's
Welcome to the forums!  As with most things, the answer is "it depends", but it seems like the rate is low enough that you'll be better off in the long run by investing that money.  The decision is really up to you/your spouse and what you are comfortable with.  Ragarding your IRA, diversification is always important but remember to think of your portfolio as a whole, rather than each account in isolation.

If you want specific advice and are willing to do it, you can always post a case study for the community to examine and give you opinions.  A template of what you might want to include can be found here: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-write-a-'case-study'-topic/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Campanula on March 17, 2016, 01:15:00 PM
Hello all. I'm a long-time lurker, finally posting. I live in the UK, married to a lovely American chap.

I've always been frugal and it's good to find so many like-minded people. I've been really motivated to save in the last few years due to our increasing health problems (both still in our 30s) and a desire to find a different kind of life. Looking forward to joining the conversation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rife on March 19, 2016, 10:08:25 AM
Hello everyone,

I have been lurking on and off for a few years since a co-worker of mine mentioned this site to me. We have always avoided consumer debt, but this blog convinced us that we could greatly increase our savings rate. It took a couple of years of gradual improvement, but this past year my wife has really jumped in with both feet.

Quick background: We live in the Puget Sound, and both work for the same company. Over the past six years our income has gone from 12.50 and 15 an hour to 200k combined. We max out our 401k (with a generous company match on top), my wife even switched to Roth so she could effectively put in more than the 18000 pre-tax. This year we started HSAs and have been putting money into a 529 since my daughter was born (three years old!). We also invested in solar panels this past summer, and took out a couple 401k loans to pay for it. We also have another 401k loan from buying an Outback last year (I admit, not a Mustachian move). On top of that we also put some into an IRA (though short of the 11000 limit).

Our goal for this year is to pay off all of the 401k loans (we just paid off the largest last week) while still maxing the 401k and HSA. After that, we will be able to save enough that we won't ever have to tap the 401k again, and then we will really be gaining momentum.

Last year, my wife started a detailed budget that estimates monthly up to five years out. I have had a retirement spreadsheet going for the past few years that tracks the bigger picture. One example of success is our food budget. We used to eat out at restaurants a lot and spent about 1800 a month on food. Now, we only shop at Costco, rarely eat out and have been consistently under 600 dollars a month.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: walrus on March 20, 2016, 10:29:09 AM
Hello all!
I found out about MMM from the New Yorker like some others here. I'm 24, graduated college two years ago with no debt and am employed so I am starting from a pretty good place! My lifestyle is already fairly mustachian - I don't have a car, I walk or ride my bike to work and to run errands, I pack my lunch every day. However, I live in Brooklyn and pay absurdly high rent, and I go out to eat a lot on weekends, etc.. So I am having a hard time saving at the moment. Would love to hear from others who are living in NYC!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on March 20, 2016, 11:07:09 AM
Hello all!
I found out about MMM from the New Yorker like some others here. I'm 24, graduated college two years ago with no debt and am employed so I am starting from a pretty good place! My lifestyle is already fairly mustachian - I don't have a car, I walk or ride my bike to work and to run errands, I pack my lunch every day. However, I live in Brooklyn and pay absurdly high rent, and I go out to eat a lot on weekends, etc.. So I am having a hard time saving at the moment. Would love to hear from others who are living in NYC!

Here is just the thread for you!

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/nyc-meetup-on-sunday-june-22nd/

Welcome to the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsTuxedocat on March 20, 2016, 05:38:55 PM
I have been lurking on this site for the last month (or so), and thought it was about time to join. I am 31 and recently married to Mr. Tuxedocat. We live in a very HCOL area and are trying to save for a downpayment.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wekeeprollingdowntheroad on March 20, 2016, 06:52:50 PM
Hello!
My wife (34) and I (43) travel full time, currently exploring America. I am an ex professional photographer, she is an ex dental hygienist. We've been on the road for about a year now and don't have any plans to stop. We mostly avoid people and the internet nowadays, so signing up here is new for us(me). I think I'm mostly here out of curiosity to see what other frugal retirees are up to.
We can be found on paddleboards,longboards,bicycles,disc golf courses or exploring natural or historic areas, or seeking out unique libraries or cinemas all over the USA. We do other stuff too as it pops up.
We got to this point in life by living in vehicles(i think living in a car exempts me from car clown status..) for 5 years while earning a nice salary(before marriage) then and having nice incomes and living (mostly) a minimum wage lifestyle after getting married. We enjoy the simple things in life, and our values most often coincide with that often spoken, but rarely embraced nugget that the best things in life are free :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on March 21, 2016, 05:56:55 AM
Hello!
My wife (34) and I (43) travel full time, currently exploring America. I am an ex professional photographer, she is an ex dental hygienist. We've been on the road for about a year now and don't have any plans to stop. We mostly avoid people and the internet nowadays, so signing up here is new for us(me). I think I'm mostly here out of curiosity to see what other frugal retirees are up to.
We can be found on paddleboards,longboards,bicycles,disc golf courses or exploring natural or historic areas, or seeking out unique libraries or cinemas all over the USA. We do other stuff too as it pops up.
We got to this point in life by living in vehicles(i think living in a car exempts me from car clown status..) for 5 years while earning a nice salary(before marriage) then and having nice incomes and living (mostly) a minimum wage lifestyle after getting married. We enjoy the simple things in life, and our values most often coincide with that often spoken, but rarely embraced nugget that the best things in life are free :)

I love that pic!! Awesome.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wekeeprollingdowntheroad on March 21, 2016, 06:55:15 AM
Hello!
My wife (34) and I (43) travel full time, currently exploring America. I am an ex professional photographer, she is an ex dental hygienist. We've been on the road for about a year now and don't have any plans to stop. We mostly avoid people and the internet nowadays, so signing up here is new for us(me). I think I'm mostly here out of curiosity to see what other frugal retirees are up to.
We can be found on paddleboards,longboards,bicycles,disc golf courses or exploring natural or historic areas, or seeking out unique libraries or cinemas all over the USA. We do other stuff too as it pops up.
We got to this point in life by living in vehicles(i think living in a car exempts me from car clown status..) for 5 years while earning a nice salary(before marriage) then and having nice incomes and living (mostly) a minimum wage lifestyle after getting married. We enjoy the simple things in life, and our values most often coincide with that often spoken, but rarely embraced nugget that the best things in life are free :)

I love that pic!! Awesome.

Thanks! This was after an unusual and epic snowfall in Kentucky a couple months or so ago. Everything shut down, but we went looking for the closest lake :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on March 21, 2016, 07:10:59 AM
I love that pic!! Awesome.

Thanks! This was after an unusual and epic snowfall in Kentucky a couple months or so ago. Everything shut down, but we went looking for the closest lake :)

Very nice. I think you are going to fit in quite well around here. Even though I'm pretty much landlocked here in Colorado, I somehow found myself often interacting with Prospector (canoes) (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/prospector's-journal-the-prospects-are-good-the-discipline-needs-work) and Jon Snow (kayaks) (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/reflections-on-first-6-months-of-fire-and-what-comes-next) and discussion often turns to paddling about and enjoying the wonders that are missed by louder and faster machines. Oh, plus there is a friendly rivalry between the two and preferred modes of transportation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wekeeprollingdowntheroad on March 21, 2016, 07:20:13 AM
I love that pic!! Awesome.

Thanks! This was after an unusual and epic snowfall in Kentucky a couple months or so ago. Everything shut down, but we went looking for the closest lake :)

Very nice. I think you are going to fit in quite well around here. Even though I'm pretty much landlocked here in Colorado, I somehow found myself often interacting with Prospector (canoes) (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/prospector's-journal-the-prospects-are-good-the-discipline-needs-work) and Jon Snow (kayaks) (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/reflections-on-first-6-months-of-fire-and-what-comes-next) and discussion often turns to paddling about and enjoying the wonders that are missed by louder and faster machines. Oh, plus there is a friendly rivalry between the two and preferred modes of transportation.

Haha nice!! I'm a long time canoe man myself, but when we hit the road, a canoe was just going to be too much to cart around. Inflatable paddle boards are the answer. I have love for kayakers, but mostly it's the feel sorry kind of love 😎❤️ I have been intrigued by the new foldable kayaks out now, but so far our paddle boards own any kind of situation
Amen to preference to louder and faster machines. We cart around folding bikes as they are our preferred mode of land travel. I did give up our push longboard skateboard for an electric board though. There aren't always hills where we go! There's gotta be some lakes around you no?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Azaor on March 21, 2016, 03:39:44 PM
Hi everyone,

Frugal by nature, discovering MMM has helped me to realize the potential of it and in particular that retiring early is possible. My goal (yet to be fully defined) is to be financially independent as soon as possible.

As a new member of this community, I look forward to improve my mustachian skills and learn more about FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Neo on March 22, 2016, 05:22:15 PM
Hello Mustachians,

I have been reading the blog for about 6 months. Today I paid off all my credit cards ($3,021 in total) and I will be closing on my first 4-family rental property in about 45 days. Already cut the cable cord, minimized electric bills, minimized cell phone bills, etc. I think I'm in a good spot to really start lighting the savings fire. I will have to pay out around $15k to buy the rental property, leaving only about $2k left liquid in savings. I do have an IRA with about $50k and a 401(k) with about $10k which I get matched at 7% for every 6% I put in, which is pretty sweet.

The big hurdles left to eliminate are my car ($460/month with about $26k left on the loan) and downsizing my house (I have a $300k home but probably only need a $180-200k home). If I can get those two items in check, along with my other progress, I will really be on my way. The plan is to keep accumulating rental properties as finances allow.

Anyway, nice to meet you all and I look forward to learning from the great community here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bananarama on March 23, 2016, 07:14:10 AM
Hello all! I'm Bananarama, and live in the NOVA area.

I found MMM through a CNN Money article (waaaaay back) and lurked a lot. I did manage to pay off 36kish in student loans in the last year using what I learned from the blog and forum! I still have a 27k or so car loan, but it's a Prius and I plan on driving it until the wheels fall off (also they gave me a 0% loan).

Recently started biking everyday - but haven't managed to incorporate it into my daily commute yet. My area has a lot of bike paths, they just don't go in the direction I need, and riding on the road is still slightly terrifying.

I hope to continue to optimize my finances so I can retire and really explore the world. My dream is to one day sell everything and drive around North America in a rv/van visiting anything that interests me while everyone else is stuck at work. I think if I really buckled down I could manage it by 35 (only 8ish years away).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ellabean on March 23, 2016, 07:43:06 AM
Hi! I'm Ella. I'm married and I have two kids, nine months old and 4.75 years old. I read through the entire blog and realized that I am a car-clown consuma sucka. I can't change the car part yet(at least it's paid off and not an SUV), but I'm working on making changes to my lifestyle-- not buying things for the consumer thrill, not going out to eat, and enjoying the challenge of cooking, yardwork, and DIY. My husband and I have enormous student loan debt (I have a useless PhD and he is actually using his Master's), a mortgage, and high day-care costs. Our savings rate has been 3%. We are working on paying down our debt and upped our savings rate to 6%, which is a start. I'm happy to be here and look forward to learning from y'all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BurtMacklin on March 23, 2016, 10:40:49 AM
Hi, I am Steve, my wife and I have taught in NC for 15 years. We plan to work 15 more years in order to have full pensions. I've been reading this forum for several months. We are working on paying off our debts and maxing out our Roths. Our goal is to be able to retire in our early 50's if we choose to do so and be comfortable.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mafire on March 23, 2016, 12:52:28 PM
Hi,

I'm Brian from Massachusetts. 25 years old and just starting my career. I'm looking to live a life with less things and more time to spend outdoors and with friends.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CLB on March 23, 2016, 01:42:59 PM
Hello from Texas!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Legg-Stache on March 24, 2016, 06:34:50 AM
Hi,

I'm a mid-20's Canadian (Ontario) personal finance junky working in a consumer-driven field knowing that it is not what I want to do with the rest of my life. Therefore my wife (a nurse, helping man-kind one step at a time) and I (not a nurse, not helping man-kind) have decided to build on an already fairly frugal lifestyle toward having enough F-You money in 3-5 years to have lots of babies and pursue employment that is less lucrative but more fun.

Currently landlording a couple duplexes (living in one unit) for a positive cashflow (i.e. no mortgage payment) and saving >40% of our income with the ultimate day-by-day goal of living life sustainably happy (pursuing FI and frugality makes this easier!)

Keep on rockin'.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moneycakes on March 24, 2016, 10:23:25 AM
Hi! I am Lisa, single mother of 3 college kids. I am a Registered Nurse and have been working full time in my career for 27 years. I found this blog by accident looking into ideas to speed my ability to retire. I raised my kids on my own and really lived paycheck to paycheck without saving anything. I started my first 401K in September 2015. I am working as a travel nurse now which enables me to save a lot more money because I do not have to pay living expenses. I am looking forward to gaining a lot of knowledge from you all and MMM. I have now read the whole blog in about 3 weeks time and have moved on to the forum to continue my education!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: elmustacho on March 24, 2016, 03:38:03 PM
Hi,

I'm El Mustacho,

I'm a Software Engineer, been reading MMM for a little less than a year. Found it after reading books like Millionaire Next Door and Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Currently debt free, moving two blocks away from work  and building the emergency stash.

I've saved lots by having medical procedures and hardware repairs in Mexico, if anybody needs tips on how to save major money on some repairs in Mexico I'm your guy.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AussieCat on March 27, 2016, 06:52:07 PM
Hey all, from Melbourne, Australia :)

We (Cath - who posts - and hubby Al) are both 40 and we have two boys (8 & 10). We are aiming at FI by 43 (I think, I might post a case study for review), but will be enjoying a SWAMI lifestyle on a part time basis for as long as we choose after that. That's what this is all about to me - the freedom to make choices :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FinanciallyIndependent on March 29, 2016, 09:31:49 PM
Hi everyone! My name is Raj Malhotra. My wife and I are engineers who migrated from India to LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM and have saved over a million dollars since 2007. We are in our mid thirties and have both quit working in 2016 (due to the oil crash).  We have two kids 4 and 2 yr old.  We are super savers have gotten lucky in the stock market and have rode the bull from 2009 through 2014.  Now we have effectively stopped working (because we think we are financially independent) to spend more time with kids, family in India and each other. 
It has been a week since I was laid off (I didnt have guts to quit and retire).  Now I am enjoying time but have no idea what to do?  I grew up wanting to make money and that was the single aim my wife and I shared.  But we feel that we have saved a lot and its time to relax.  The idea seemed nice when I was working but now with nothing to do I actually feel like doing something.  This is where I need your help.  I have no idea what I want to do.  All my friends have jobs during weekdays so I cannot bother them.  Are there any highpaying part time flexible jobs that you have found?  What else can I do to not go crazy by sitting and staring at a wall and feeling useless?  Is this normal?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coin on March 29, 2016, 10:09:09 PM
Hi everyone! My name is Raj Malhotra. My wife and I are engineers who migrated from India to LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM and have saved over a million dollars since 2007. We are in our mid thirties and have both quit working in 2016 (due to the oil crash).  We have two kids 4 and 2 yr old.  We are super savers have gotten lucky in the stock market and have rode the bull from 2009 through 2014.  Now we have effectively stopped working (because we think we are financially independent) to spend more time with kids, family in India and each other. 
It has been a week since I was laid off (I didnt have guts to quit and retire).  Now I am enjoying time but have no idea what to do?  I grew up wanting to make money and that was the single aim my wife and I shared.  But we feel that we have saved a lot and its time to relax.  The idea seemed nice when I was working but now with nothing to do I actually feel like doing something.  This is where I need your help.  I have no idea what I want to do.  All my friends have jobs during weekdays so I cannot bother them.  Are there any highpaying part time flexible jobs that you have found?  What else can I do to not go crazy by sitting and staring at a wall and feeling useless?  Is this normal?

From what I hear, yes, this is normal.  There was someone either here or another forum who saw a financial planner with his dad and the planner asked his father something along the line of 'you're retired.  It's 11am on a Tuesday.  What are you doing?'.  It's a valid point - with all this time, what do you want to do?  If you previously filled your time with work, you might have run out of hobbies to pursue during the day.

Maybe go travelling?  You could spend a few months in one country, another few in the next and give your children the experience of other cultures?

If you want to remain local, you could get really into the local activities?  Take your kids to the library for Story Time, take up a musical instrument and play in a local group, join a gym.  You could also take up unpaid or low-paying work in a neglected area, such as helping the homeless or promoting a local arts group?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on March 30, 2016, 08:31:07 AM
Hi everyone! My name is Raj Malhotra. ....  Is this normal?


Welcome and great job! Since you have kids, why not take them to the library, museums, and parks? On the personal front, why not volunteer? How about taking some classes? Here is a good introspective question you should consider, what did you enjoy doing when you were a kid? What did you dream of yet were maybe discouraged from doing?

No matter what though, I find that when you have all day to do as you wish, you will still have some extra down time. It is kind of a struggle for go-getter types, but you will get used to it and should be into a nice groove eventually. Good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on March 30, 2016, 08:46:43 AM
Hi everyone! My name is Raj Malhotra. My wife and I are engineers who migrated from India to LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM and have saved over a million dollars since 2007. We are in our mid thirties and have both quit working in 2016 (due to the oil crash).  We have two kids 4 and 2 yr old.  We are super savers have gotten lucky in the stock market and have rode the bull from 2009 through 2014.  Now we have effectively stopped working (because we think we are financially independent) to spend more time with kids, family in India and each other. 
It has been a week since I was laid off (I didnt have guts to quit and retire).  Now I am enjoying time but have no idea what to do?  I grew up wanting to make money and that was the single aim my wife and I shared.  But we feel that we have saved a lot and its time to relax.  The idea seemed nice when I was working but now with nothing to do I actually feel like doing something.  This is where I need your help.  I have no idea what I want to do.  All my friends have jobs during weekdays so I cannot bother them.  Are there any highpaying part time flexible jobs that you have found?  What else can I do to not go crazy by sitting and staring at a wall and feeling useless?  Is this normal?

You've gotten quite a few good suggestions so far. You will probably find some awesome information in the Post FIRE (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/post-fire/) section of the forums. Also, some of the journals of the people who've already caught FIRE (Jon_Snow (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/reflections-on-first-6-months-of-fire-and-what-comes-next) and TheGoblinChief (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/keeper-of-the-keys/) are two examples that come to mind, but there are a lot more). TGC does homesteading and home schooling, while JS is big on figuring out ways to appreciate the area you are in and combining hobbies and health.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dots45 on March 30, 2016, 02:11:44 PM
Hello,

I mainly decided to introduce myself here as I came across a couple other threads I couldn't resist making a comment on.  Figured I'd add something to this thread too.  I've been lurking for a few months before making my first post.

I'm 30 and live in the pacific NW.  I've always had somewhat frugal habits in my life.  It's not that I want to avoid spending money, but rather I want to get the most value out of it as I can.  This is what drew me into wanting to invest more.  I also do a lot of deal searching online and things such as earning CC bonuses to fund vacations and such.

I was raised with the mindset of avoiding debt, unless its for a home.  While I was told its good to invest, my parents ended up retiring just as the stock market was hitting bottom.  That did affect my mindset for a while.  Also, I was paying back student loans and saving up to put 20% down on buying a property, so I'm a bit further behind than I'd like to be in terms of investments.  But I accomplished those two goals and now live in a Condo and fortunately was able to buy just as real estate prices started shooting up.  I don't make a high salary for my area but I also don't have any debts outside of the mortgage, or any other expensive tastes.

I identify with a lot of the money saving concepts talked about here, though not all.  But I think as far as general mindset, I'm similar.  And sometimes reading about new or different ideas can be helpful, even if I may disagree.  My goals in the near future are to keep increasing my retirement contributions from what I made in 2016, build up my emergency fund to exactly where I want it to be, and to post more on the forums. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: techwiz on April 01, 2016, 09:08:03 AM
Hi,
I love the information and community here at MMM.

Look forward to participating in the Mustachian Forum.

I was doing everything right (getting debt free, saving for retirement, starting education savings for my kids as soon as they were born etc....) 
However I Really wished I had read this stuff years ago if I was a little bit more Mustanchian at the start I would already be "FIRE". 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nara on April 02, 2016, 01:14:50 PM
Hello! I've posted, but never introduced myself.

My husband and I are in our mid-30's (no kids). We like to try to be frugal (and succeed sometimes), but mostly it's a struggle. We are jumping in late to the game on retirement and were never good savers. My husband inherited a windfall recently which has allowed for us to be debt-free and buy our first home. However, we really want to learn how to manage this new wealth as best as possible so that we may catch up on retirement goals and develop better habits. We now have our dream lifestyle of being self-employed and homesteaders..which has forced us to reexamine some of our financial/budgeting issues and to simplify a bit more. This site is a huge motivator.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: geekinprogress on April 02, 2016, 10:16:37 PM
Hello!  I've been interested in FIRE and frugality since I was a teenager, and have been checking in on MMM for a few years.  This is the first time I've ventured into the forums, though.  Recently I've been taking more purposeful steps towards FIRE, but I don't really have any friends or acquaintances IRL who are on that path (that I know of), so I'm interested in learning from (and hopefully contributing to) the community. 

Demographics-wise, I'm a single 33 y.o. woman, live in a medium-sized Midwestern city, with a secure tech job I generally like and which pays ok.  No debt besides my mortgage.  I've been in my condo for two years, and I'm on track to have it paid off in another 2-3yrs.  I calculate my savings rate at 58%, and estimate I'll be FI within 10 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cyaphas on April 03, 2016, 01:25:14 AM
Hello everyone! Thank you for being the intelligent, awesome, frugal, inspiring bunch that you have been so far!

Looooooong time lurker. Finally registered! I've been a huge prophet for frugality for a few years now. Before MMM I thought I was a sane man in a sea of insanity. I've found this place to be a nice little island of clarity and I have many of you to thank for that.

My fiance and I are all about being and staying debt free. We will have the house paid off by the wedding date next January (On Oahu!)

I've lived in WA, WI, CA and TX. I currently live in the DFW area (White Settlement.) I work for a major transportation company and do a lot of side jobs to keep myself from getting too bored.
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DreamPassion on April 03, 2016, 09:02:41 PM
Hi to all! This is a good site for current plans especially about investments. I'm happy to join the community here. I'm looking forward to more tips around. Have a wonderful day ahead!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tiffany24 on April 04, 2016, 08:28:24 AM
Hi all! I'm Tiffany. I stumbled upon this forum and other FI blogs. I never considered early retirement but have always been a saver. Now i'm hooked and eager to learn all about this community!

Age: 24 (almost 25!)
Gender: Female
Location: Boston, MA
Occupation: Analyst
Dependents: None
Debt Status: Debt free
Current Objective: Learn all things investing (have been using betterment to get started)
Next Objective: Save enough that down the road when i decide I want to have kids I can stay at home full time. I'd love for my boyfriend to be able to do the same!
Title: Re: I'm so pleased to have found you!
Post by: Cyaphas on April 04, 2016, 10:31:54 PM
Hello all!
I feel like I've come home... I was raised with similar thoughts around spending, but in recent years, I've felt myself slipping. I just built a tiny house, and put the balance on credit cards. I've paid off half of the debt, but I've got $37,000 to go. My goal is to nuke that this year. A funny thing happens when in debt... It sure gets easy to charge more! I could sure use all the encouragement I can get! I'm so pleased to start really looking at my finances and cutting back in the places where spending has got out of hand!

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/04/18/news-flash-your-debt-is-an-emergency/


It sucks how 'natural' and prolific debt has become today. It really bothers me how many people I work around who make well over 6 figures and everything they own is through debt. When I take part in conversations at work that are soaked in debt and consumerism, I find myself screaming in my mind. It truly doesn't make any sense to constantly carry debt and especially over such frivolous things. When I see new cars, boats and giant empty houses I can't help but ask myself; this is worth debt slavery?

When I started writing this post I really thought it was going to be a bit more inspirational.

TLDR: I think of debt as slavery and it makes persoanlly buying things a lot harder, especially through debt.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: steve.edmund on April 05, 2016, 02:20:53 AM
Hello, I'm Steve.  I'm a US government contractor, living and working in Kuwait.  I'm 34, married with a 6 year old daughter.  My wife and daughter live in the US.  I stumbled onto this site last week and have really enjoyed the plethora of reading material. 
It's lit a fire beneath me and gotten me motivated to start saving for retirement and be able to return to my family.  So far I have saved basically nothing due to poor choices on my and my wife's part but I intend to turn that around starting NOW.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 on April 05, 2016, 04:12:54 AM
Hi!  I'm Kevin.  I'm 27 and married to a pretty great lady with our first child on the way.  I'm at the very beginning of my FI journey, and have really enjoyed looking through the MMM blog the past few days.  I'm looking forward to learning more!

Interesting user name considering the content of the post :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dollar Slice on April 05, 2016, 09:57:38 AM
Hi!  I'm Kevin.  I'm 27 and married to a pretty great lady with our first child on the way.  I'm at the very beginning of my FI journey, and have really enjoyed looking through the MMM blog the past few days.  I'm looking forward to learning more!

Interesting user name considering the content of the post :)

I wouldn't worry, he's probably just an old-school Tom Waits fan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7JlVJymax4

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Miss Piggy on April 05, 2016, 01:50:19 PM
Hi. I'm Miss Piggy. (Well, I'm not the REAL Miss Piggy. She's a little cuter than I am, but I'm a little thinner than she is.) 

I haven't lurked here for very long, but this seems like a good group of people who encourage each other. My husband and I are debt-free as of about 5 years ago, but I seem to have lost my motivation for saving. We worked our tails off to pay off our house and invest, and now...well...I need to jump back on that wagon. Hoping to learn and share a few things here with you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chris M. on April 05, 2016, 02:46:51 PM
Hi, I'm Chris.  I read about MMM in the New Yorker article (yes, I have a subscription, very wasteful I suppose, but luckily I get it as a gift). 

It has been very refreshing and inspiring to read the blog posts.  It's like a dose of tonic counter-acting 24/7 doses of consumerism from
every front pushing you to "buy buy buy".  It's causing me to re-think a lot of things.  My wife and I are fortunately already fairly frugal and debt-averse,
and in great financial shape.  But I'm realizing that there are a lot of expenditures that could get much smaller and thereby result in bigger savings in
the bank.  I've been biking more and making my lunches rather than buying them, for example.  The little things add up!  And reading MMM really
has helped me think more before succumbing to consumer temptations.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chris-93AUS on April 05, 2016, 11:34:25 PM
Hello All

Long time MMM lurker here, finally decided to sign up for the forum.

My name is Chris I'm 23, live in Hobart Tasmania - shout out to the other Aussies and any Tasmanians.. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SteelBrigade82 on April 06, 2016, 02:59:20 PM
Hello.  I've visited this site a few times over the years and finally wanted to stop by and sign up.  To be honest, I find MMM to be a bit strong to my liking but both Mr and Mrs MM have done it right and I hope to be in a similar spot that they (and many of you all) are in one day.

My first objective is to sell my vehicle (thankfully it actually has some equity in it) and use that money to buy a more full-efficient vehicle.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BECABECA on April 06, 2016, 05:31:41 PM
Hi! A job relocation saw us sell our house in the SF Bay Area last Fall, with the plan to rent in Southern Californa for ~6 months while we decided which neighborhood to buy our new house in. Luckily, a Google search for what to do with a bunch of liquid cash in the interim brought up an MMM article and I've been reading back through all the posts from the beginning (including all the comments, so it's taking me quite a while).

I've always been quite frugal, but I've still picked up quite a few gems from this blog. Since stumbling across MMM, we've bought bikes, have opted not to replace the second car that we sold in the move, have purchased a house that is less than 10 minutes from work, got our home loan through SoFi, and have added some Vanguard admiral shares to our portfolio, and discovered that my cousin is also a diehard mustachian!

Looking forward to all the things I'll learn as I make my way through the rest of the articles!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hodor on April 07, 2016, 12:04:48 AM
Another Aussie joining up here, I have been looking around for a couple of weeks so thought I might as well join up.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scrnplyr on April 08, 2016, 02:33:22 PM
Hi-  Long time lurker.  Having a case of the Sundays after a week of vacation and was reading the Epic FU series, figured I would sign up officially.  I am doing my cross-eyed best to fly this 747 into retirement (thank you Karen Black for the screen name).  DH and I already have large 401(K) retirement 'stache in place and are working on a big cash bridge to live on until we can withdraw that penalty-free.  We are both engineers and have lived well below our means our entire lives.  No debt, no mortgage, last kid almost done with college on a cash flow basis.  We are the Millionaire Next Door in every respect and when we read that book 20 years ago instantly recognized ourselves as prodigious accumulators of wealth, PAWs.  Shared the book around and were surprised at how many friends said they could never live that way (what? as a millionaire?  it is easy, so much easier than an under-accumulator of wealth, UAW). 

So when to pull the rip cord and FIRE?  Certainly before I am 50, though the hubby may want to work longer since he is less disgusted with working life.  For me, that date is almost exactly 3 years if I can stand it that long.  My health is starting to suffer from my high-stress job.  I do have FU money but the working gig pays pretty dang good so staying in the game will assure I can jettison easily before I am 50, so I just have to practice meditating through the crapola.  I am pretty good at calling BS and not putting up with it at work but it still gets under my skin too much.  I am torn for all the reasons we all know about and discuss here daily.     

I read Dr. Doom's blog, livingafi.com, and align very much with his attitudes (love you, Doomie!).  I realize I will never enjoy a job- any job.  I resent spending my life pursuing work that is unsatisfying and makes me nauseous every single morning.  Seriously, I feel sick every day I go and I start dreading Mondays on Saturday mornings.  I lead a team of technical experts and I love my group but really loathe the company.  I am a good boss and my group really seems to like me too since I am not a company hack, but it is still a high stress environment.  Dr. Doom has a great chart of fears/emotions/realities and even though I could leave right now I still can't bring myself to do it.  It is not OMY, it is TMY in my world.  When I was 20 I said I would be done by the time I am 50 and I have cleared that financial bar by 5+ years but still can't do it.  Perhaps it will take a medical crisis for me to wake the hell up, God help me.   

In any case I am glad to be on the board and perhaps making a contribution here and there will offer a nice outlet as the goal becomes nearer and my spine becomes stronger.

 "...I realize I will never enjoy a job- any job..."

lmao...i'm in the same sinking boat.  I should have practiced my guitar more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scrnplyr on April 08, 2016, 02:33:42 PM
Hi-  Long time lurker.  Having a case of the Sundays after a week of vacation and was reading the Epic FU series, figured I would sign up officially.  I am doing my cross-eyed best to fly this 747 into retirement (thank you Karen Black for the screen name).  DH and I already have large 401(K) retirement 'stache in place and are working on a big cash bridge to live on until we can withdraw that penalty-free.  We are both engineers and have lived well below our means our entire lives.  No debt, no mortgage, last kid almost done with college on a cash flow basis.  We are the Millionaire Next Door in every respect and when we read that book 20 years ago instantly recognized ourselves as prodigious accumulators of wealth, PAWs.  Shared the book around and were surprised at how many friends said they could never live that way (what? as a millionaire?  it is easy, so much easier than an under-accumulator of wealth, UAW). 

So when to pull the rip cord and FIRE?  Certainly before I am 50, though the hubby may want to work longer since he is less disgusted with working life.  For me, that date is almost exactly 3 years if I can stand it that long.  My health is starting to suffer from my high-stress job.  I do have FU money but the working gig pays pretty dang good so staying in the game will assure I can jettison easily before I am 50, so I just have to practice meditating through the crapola.  I am pretty good at calling BS and not putting up with it at work but it still gets under my skin too much.  I am torn for all the reasons we all know about and discuss here daily.     

I read Dr. Doom's blog, livingafi.com, and align very much with his attitudes (love you, Doomie!).  I realize I will never enjoy a job- any job.  I resent spending my life pursuing work that is unsatisfying and makes me nauseous every single morning.  Seriously, I feel sick every day I go and I start dreading Mondays on Saturday mornings.  I lead a team of technical experts and I love my group but really loathe the company.  I am a good boss and my group really seems to like me too since I am not a company hack, but it is still a high stress environment.  Dr. Doom has a great chart of fears/emotions/realities and even though I could leave right now I still can't bring myself to do it.  It is not OMY, it is TMY in my world.  When I was 20 I said I would be done by the time I am 50 and I have cleared that financial bar by 5+ years but still can't do it.  Perhaps it will take a medical crisis for me to wake the hell up, God help me.   

In any case I am glad to be on the board and perhaps making a contribution here and there will offer a nice outlet as the goal becomes nearer and my spine becomes stronger.

 "...I realize I will never enjoy a job- any job..."

lmao...i'm in the same sinking boat.  I should have practiced my guitar more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Interex on April 09, 2016, 05:00:38 AM
Hi - just joined as I was looking for an Ebates referal link.  Found a great community!
Title: Is MMM sponsored by Vanguard
Post by: NuAmerican on April 10, 2016, 06:38:14 PM
I am getting a lot out of your site, and I appreciate what I have learned. I am also a cynic. In all transparacny, does Mr MM or Mrs MM receive compensation form Vanguard?
Title: Re: Is MMM sponsored by Vanguard
Post by: Dollar Slice on April 10, 2016, 07:10:08 PM
I am getting a lot out of your site, and I appreciate what I have learned. I am also a cynic. In all transparacny, does Mr MM or Mrs MM receive compensation form Vanguard?

Hi NuAmerican :-)

MMM has a page discussing affiliates: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/affiliates/  He specifically mentions not getting paid by Vanguard because they have no affiliate program.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gimmi80 on April 11, 2016, 07:25:05 AM
Hi,

new member from Upstate NY, sharing the goal of FI.
-gimmi80
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugal Lizard on April 11, 2016, 11:27:05 AM
Until I found out about MMM in the Globe and Mail at New Years, it hadn't occurred to me to retire early.
My dad worked at a day job until 8 months ago but officially retired so that he could work more hours at his farm.  He turned 75 in December.  My father in law bumped into mandatory retirement and then spent two years being depressed. 
I have been working a few hours a week from home but am primarily a stay at home mom.  My husband had a good r&d job in automotive so after mat leave with youngest ended, I quit the job I disliked in 2005.  A few years later my DH had a decent severance package and no job prospects.  My work is development industry so earnings dried up about 14 months later for me.  We hunkered down and looked at the severance money for tuition.  We were mortgage free and had some savings.  DH went back to school after six months of job hunting with not even one job that he had the experience for being advertised.  He did three semesters full time and started a new job at an entry level salary 20 months after the layoff. 
We were still doing ok but we decided to move to a better house in a much better neighbourhood that week. Crazy timing but all the other families had moved out of the neighbourhood and every house had been purchased for rental income properties.  Our block was quickly becoming a student ghetto.  We took out enough mortgage on the new house to allow us to make some improvements and cover some of the training courses that hubby needed to get his professional designation.  Things were very tight but we didn't touch our retirement savings or borrow any other money. I don't think the kids felt poor.
We are now living in our one mile for the most part - although hubbies work place is two miles away.  We have amazing neighbours. Any of these neighbourhood kids can come and live with me - they are fantastic kids.  Non-parents probably can't fully appreciate the merit of this but it is pure gold.  We can walk to the river and I can tell the kids to come home for supper and not worry. 
This past October, my DH got a raise that now exceeds what he earned in 2008.  There is potential for continued growth and he is really good at what he does.  The kids are old enough that they don't need me to be at home after school although they really like it.  I am working on expanding my business network and am seeing some gains there.
We are older than a lot of the Mustachian community but our income is a lot less than most people our age.  We have a some wealth accumulated from our hard work fixing up houses and past savings. And we have had a lot of experiences that many have not yet had the opportunity to.
I had thought that I would be working until my 80's until I discovered MMM.  Time to really think about the life we want.  Wonderful way to see what others are choosing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CGooden on April 12, 2016, 12:18:21 PM
Hi, i'm new here, looking to learn from others experiences and hoping to provide people with whatever insight i have as well. Looking forward to it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: drunkenNoodles on April 12, 2016, 02:56:08 PM
Hi. Newbie. A few months of lurking. 29 and working tirelessly to pay off student loan debt (my only debt), but still crippling.

Began as a wise, thrifty youth. Lost control in college and early-twenties. In late-twenties now and thanks to some hard-learned money lessons, lots of research, and MMM, I have the mental part right. Now I'm working on the wallet part and striving for FI.

From NYC and living there currently, optimizing my budget and income to get FI in this depraved little city.

Really looking forward to contributing and interacting with the awesome MMM members.

Any New Yorker's or anyone visiting, feel free to reach out!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: notarealdoctor on April 12, 2016, 04:14:13 PM
Hi, I'm new to the forums, but have been reading the blog since last fall.

I'm 30, married, and a new father. I started feeling the need to learn about personal finance when I realized I was going to be a dad, so I started reading everything I could online and found that I really enjoyed the subject, as well as the insights that MMM have given me into what is possible. Thankfully, our family doesn't have and hasn't had too much debt other than student loans.

I'm also a PhD student in Colorado (so my student loans haven't been accruing interest for the last 7 years), almost finished with my dissertation, and unfortunately realized in the past year or so that I don't really have any interest in spending the rest of my life in academia, so I'm currently on a quest to both find a new career and eventually become FI.

I'm excited to finally get connected with the community here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ecomic on April 13, 2016, 02:43:04 AM
Hi everyone

I'm glad joining that nice community! Hope i learn more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mattattack08 on April 13, 2016, 10:33:39 AM
Hello, 

I'm new to the forum. My name is Matt and I'm from San Antonio TX.  Before I learned about MMM and the other great bloggers, I knew I wanted to retire early.  My wife's grandfather retired relatively early back in 1998 (IIRC) at around age 50.  Because of him, I knew I wanted to retire early too.  It wasn't until about Aug. of last year I stumbled upon Mr1500day's blog and soon after MMM.  I realized I really wanted FI more than RE.  Hope to learn a lot and contribute when I can.  Thanks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ESCH on April 13, 2016, 09:36:15 PM
Hi, I am 32 years old. When I was 19 I dropped out of college because I had a daughter and went into the workforce, quickly getting promoted and making great money at the time. Initially I was very frugal (my dad had RE, when I was in junior high) and I had picked up some of his habits. I was working a lot, taking care of my daughter (her mom dissapeared) and saving a lot without really even trying. However, within a couple years I saw my money growing and started thinking I need to enjoy life. I started spending like crazy. I stopped building savings. Three years ago I started a side business that did very well through dumb luck, and got married two years ago. Between my wife's income, my income, and my side business, we made over 220k each year in 2014 and 2015, yet my net worth was going nowhere. In early 2016 I decided enough was enough. I was making great money but spending it just as fast, and I was spending it on things that gave me happiness for only a short period of time. I came to realize I was more depressed than ever, and to see 440k of earnings in two years get frittered away with virtually nothing to show for it made me so disgusted at myself and what I had become. I finally drew the line in the sand and decided I was going to return myself to my old habits. I started reading MMM (refferal from my brother). The past two months I have been buying only necessities, drawing up a budget, cash flow projections and net worth projections. From 2003 until February 2016 I had built 378k in networth (most of that being 401k savings from 2003 to 2010 that grew with the market). I see myself/wife bringing in 250k in 2016 and 2017, and I should have a net worth of approx $500k by end of 2016 and $625k by the end of 2017. Although I'm disgusted by my financial behavior in the previous 5 years or so, I'm overjoyed with where I am headed. I feel like the people staring at there shadows in "The Allegory Of The Cave" and in the past couple months, I have finally seen the daylight. The past is the past, and I am extremely lucky in my ability to have very healthy earnings while living in a low cost-of-living area. My long-tem goals are to split our savings between retirement accounts and real estate rental properties and slowly but surely grow a real estate mini-empire that can not only set my wife and I up for the rest of our lives, but our children and (eventual) grandchildren as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PursuingIndependence on April 14, 2016, 11:27:05 AM
Hello!

My boyfriend "introduced" me to MMM a couple years ago. I enjoy MMM's frankness, writing style, and was envious of his lifestyle so I read through all the posts but never got into the forums. After reading through I started a budget, changed my spending habits and now have moved to paying off my only debt, student loans.

However, I noticed though that this last year I spent more than I should have. So I had another "come-to-MMM moment" and have started to get into the forum. Most of my friends and family are happy to spend everything they have and can while I try to be a good influence they can be a bad influence on me. This forum has helped me remember why I do what I do and to go through my budget again. I'm sure I will continue to get inspired by others here and will stay on the path to independence!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crillswilson on April 14, 2016, 02:07:09 PM
Hi Mustachians,

I am pretty new to this, but I'm hoping to get my mustache on. Is there a specific forum for posting sob stories and enlisting there-there's? I've got a bit of work to do on my habits and I wish I'd started earlier.

All the best,
Willie
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: steamboat89 on April 18, 2016, 05:42:33 PM
Hi, I'm Steve.  I'm a firefighter for Kansas City.  I've been a reader of MMM for a year or so and I've decide it's about time for me to start using this great forum feature.  Looking forward to asking questions and helping others on this site.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: runningthroughFIRE on April 19, 2016, 08:23:48 AM
Hi Mustachians,

I am pretty new to this, but I'm hoping to get my mustache on. Is there a specific forum for posting sob stories and enlisting there-there's? I've got a bit of work to do on my habits and I wish I'd started earlier.

All the best,
Willie
I'm afraid we don't do there-there's here, but you're welcome to a hearty facepunch and plenty of advice if you're willing to be open to it.  If you'd like specific advice, and don't mind sharing the details, you can always post a case study (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-write-a-'case-study'-topic/) for your situation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: everymonies on April 19, 2016, 03:57:42 PM
Hi.

I've been reading the blog for a long time and finally decided to sign up for the forums. We are just about to make a move from the quite expensive city we live in, to a smaller town. Can't wait for a more walk-able lifestyle!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gone on April 20, 2016, 10:38:36 AM
Hello!

I'm WestCanary. I'm from the south, and I don't like birds.

I'm a library manager who has always been frugal, but I recently had my first experience of "I would enjoy this job more if I didn't rely on it." My first real encounter with the stress of salary slavery convinced me that if I really want to keep enjoying my life and my work, I can't have one rely upon the other.

I've been a longtime reader of MMM. I've adopted quite a few of the tricks to save coin (and not adopted others cause I felt like they didn't apply to me). But I feel like it's time to really buckle down and figure out where I want to go from here.

Anyway, glad to be here folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NickM on April 21, 2016, 06:27:33 PM
Hi Guys!

I'm a self made entrepreneur that's had an interest in financial freedom since I understoood the concept of money as a kid.

The idea that money makes more money has always turned me on and it' been a focus of my journey as an adult in everything I do professionally.

In my prevous job of 10 years I worked as a director of an international commercial property firm, during which time I built up a decent sized residential investment portfolio. I then make the leap to start an online business and go out on my own. As it stands my wife and I have a net worth over $2mil and I run a company with 12 employees and thousands of customers dotted across the world at the age of 34.

I love the idea behind this community of like minded people and hope to be able to learn and contribute to the hundreds of ideas on this site.

Thanks :)

Nick 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREby2021 on April 22, 2016, 10:27:07 AM
Hi folks,

Been lurking, learning and reading MMM, jlcollins, GCC for the last year or so, and it has resonated with many of our goals and practices.  Wife and I have been in the mode of optimizing what we do and refining our goals - may start a journal on here to track the final path, as I find it hard to capture my thoughts within a spreadsheet.  Anyway, hello from TX with respect for the collective here.

FIREby2021
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ecomic on April 23, 2016, 12:32:48 PM
Hi Im Mark, I always run to places. Financial advisor. Clumsy as hell.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: beelea on April 23, 2016, 08:38:39 PM
Hi, my name is Merin, and I live in central Kentucky. I've been reading this blog and forum for ages, but registered just today. Glad to be a part of the community now! Honestly, I registered today because I reached a financial goal this week ($250K), and I have almost no one to share it with. Most of my peers are in a very different financial situation than I am, and I don't think telling them or asking them to celebrate with me would go over well, so here I am.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: .x. on April 24, 2016, 09:56:49 AM
Hi, my name is Merin, and I live in central Kentucky. I've been reading this blog and forum for ages, but registered just today. Glad to be a part of the community now! Honestly, I registered today because I reached a financial goal this week ($250K), and I have almost no one to share it with. Most of my peers are in a very different financial situation than I am, and I don't think telling them or asking them to celebrate with me would go over well, so here I am.

Congratulations on reaching your goal! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Allen Farlow on April 25, 2016, 06:40:09 PM
Just stopping in here to introduce myself. I'm Allen. I'm a real person, just like you. I didn't even know about Mr. Money Mustache.com until I was in the middle of a Google search today. Crazy, huh?! If I had known about this I would have joined years ago. Now if you'll excuse me I have a ton of reading to catch up on!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mistake Maker 501 on April 26, 2016, 01:21:44 AM
Starting over is nothing new to me.  This is the first time I've started with a serious goal in mind.  I'm 38 now & I want to retire.  I look at this site & I want to beat myself in the head with a frying pan.  I could be retired right now if I had started the right way on my way out of high school.  The first of many, many mistakes. 

What to do now?  The only thing any of us can - do better than I'm currently doing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rp2030411 on April 26, 2016, 04:02:39 PM
Hello
I'm Joe. Long time MM reader, finally joined the Forums. Thanks to everyone for all of the helpful info.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: weetziebat on April 26, 2016, 05:38:52 PM
Hi everyone! I've been a MMM blog lurker for a couple weeks and I finally signed up here to meet and chat with some fellow Mustachians. I'm pretty new to all of this but I really feel like the Mustachian way of life is so much more aligned with my own values and the way I want to live my life. Currently living in Los Angeles, CA, and working the 9-5 grind in a big tower downtown. Avid reader, knitter, painter, and biker. Hi :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BrianHM on April 26, 2016, 11:39:17 PM
Hello!!

I'm Brian... just found this site tonight.  Hardly know where to start, being somewhat ADD doesn't really help much!  I'm 57, four years from full pension but wishing I could walk out the door today (experiencing a significant level of burnout).  Never really good with money (mostly the ADD thing and not having great habits), hoping to find some direction here.  The thought of the upcoming necessity of decluttering and downsizing makes me hyperventilate.

::takes deep cleansing breath, then folds up paper bag::

Living with me here in Massachusetts are husband of 30 years, two cats, two very full junk rooms (AKA home office and garage), assorted dust bunnies that may or may not be animate, carpenter ants and the occasional garter snake that wanders in from the back yard when the frog supply has diminished.

Looking forward to diving in!

~B
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jimsmith on April 27, 2016, 11:08:48 AM
Hi folks--

Thanks for a wonderful site and vibrant community.

Having inherited a thrifty disposition from my parents, I'm looking forward to sharing whatever modest contributions I can make, and hope to receive advice+pointers myself.

Thanks again!
jimsmith
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sustythemes on April 28, 2016, 12:24:19 PM
Hi there,

Have been enjoying the posts for a while now, and just got in tune with the forum.  Looks like a great community.

I'm Julie ~ left my corporate job at 51, which seemed 'early' to me until I read about all of you!

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chanel No5 on April 29, 2016, 07:07:33 AM
Hello to all,

I am from New England and taking bold steps to make positive changes for a better quality of life. At this time, I am looking at what I have, what I value, what is the return and what may never happen again. I tend to be a little dreamy and hope things will just work out. Maybe someday people will understand me and I will understand them. Well, sometimes, it's not going to happen.

I like a quiet life out in a quiet town. I have a job but like most, it pays the bills and not too fulfilling, not many future prospects. I love to be at home, read, cook, garden, and write. I tend to be earth conscience and make many choices in the hopes I am doing my small bit to be responsible for what I do.

I finally cut the cable company yesterday. I tried to negotiate a better rate but found I was hearing a lot of marketing crap. I got a "better" offer when I asked to cancel service, but the better offer already had strings attached. So, I turn in the equipment Monday and will be readjusting. I hardly watch, but want to be informed, hardly go on line, but sometimes want to so options will have to be considered. My town library offers free wifi and that's most likely what I'll have to do. I use my PC at work to go online as well, but I hopefully don't abuse that opportunity.

I am back in school now taking on-line courses. My employer is supporting that so I can use the work PC to do many school related projects. Not sure how much posting I will do, but the reading is so interesting. I am glad to see how many people are working at improving life quality through choices they are making.

See you out there :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RedmondStash on May 01, 2016, 09:40:58 AM
Hello to all,

I am from New England and taking bold steps to make positive changes for a better quality of life. At this time, I am looking at what I have, what I value, what is the return and what may never happen again. I tend to be a little dreamy and hope things will just work out. Maybe someday people will understand me and I will understand them. Well, sometimes, it's not going to happen.

I like a quiet life out in a quiet town. I have a job but like most, it pays the bills and not too fulfilling, not many future prospects. I love to be at home, read, cook, garden, and write. I tend to be earth conscience and make many choices in the hopes I am doing my small bit to be responsible for what I do.

I finally cut the cable company yesterday. I tried to negotiate a better rate but found I was hearing a lot of marketing crap. I got a "better" offer when I asked to cancel service, but the better offer already had strings attached. So, I turn in the equipment Monday and will be readjusting. I hardly watch, but want to be informed, hardly go on line, but sometimes want to so options will have to be considered. My town library offers free wifi and that's most likely what I'll have to do. I use my PC at work to go online as well, but I hopefully don't abuse that opportunity.

I am back in school now taking on-line courses. My employer is supporting that so I can use the work PC to do many school related projects. Not sure how much posting I will do, but the reading is so interesting. I am glad to see how many people are working at improving life quality through choices they are making.

See you out there :)

Hi Chanel -- we just cut cable ourselves (but not internet), and we've discovered that you can get decent TV reception with modern antennas as long as your TV is new enough to have its own digital decoder. Some channels come in better than others, of course. We have tall trees and an indoor antenna, so we get a few channels with strong reception and a few others with weak reception and a lot of pixelation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Adge on May 04, 2016, 07:48:53 AM
Hello all! Another long-time lurker here who finally decided to make it official ;) Started reading MMM on a boring day in the office back in the fall, and it was exactly the kick in the pants I needed! I'm in my late twenties and have always been frugal, often by necessity, and have been saving money since I was 5, but in the few months since I started reading the site I've already started to make changes, and to see the real value of frugality as a path to freedom. Glad to be a new part of the community :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: prefixcactus on May 04, 2016, 09:00:31 AM
Hi!
I'm Ivan, also known to my friends as Cactus, an MSU student form Moscow with a cool bicycle, a serious DIY electronics addiction and a dream of making the world a great deal better someday, either with the power of SCIENCE, or with whatever other source of power I could lay my hands on :)

Naturally frugal by virtue of never having a lot of money to spend (but forcing myself to spend less than what I'm getting and 'stash the rest anyway, since I still have some terrible habits to get rid of, like eating in fast-food chains) and went through a serious philosophy shift recently due to a breakup with my (first and only so far) girlfriend, which paradoxically made me a lot happier with my life (but still occasionally missing the good times) in the end.

Full details on my situation in a full-size journal intro post, which I am hereby challenging myself to write before the end of the week for fear of Officially Obtaining the title of Soft-Bodied Wussypants.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GardenBaker on May 05, 2016, 12:42:13 PM
Long time lurker here, I've been "smart" with money, but I really need the motivation to start pouring money into my retirement accounts to make early retirement a priority. I would like to retire at 50; my husband says he has no desire to retire ever and would be incredibly bored. He does contribute to his 401(k) though and I contribute to my Roth and my company Simple IRA. Time to start funneling more money though into my retirement accounts; I would like to save as must as possible to make early retirement feasible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moustachibana on May 07, 2016, 10:16:15 AM
Hi, everyone.

I've been following Mr. MM since 2014 and decided to sign up. The presentation was long overdue. Just a random stranger that isn't very good at introductions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pylonian on May 08, 2016, 06:29:27 PM
New to MMM, have been a Dave Ramsey follower with a love-hate relationship with his methodology and attitude, and finding this community pretty refreshing. Some recent life changes have me and DW thinking about larger scale lifestyle management along the lines of what MMM discusses - though with our own particular flare of course. Looking forward to diving in.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kaybee on May 08, 2016, 06:51:15 PM
Hi, I'm Kristyn, I'm 35, single and still working on getting rid of my mortgage so I think I'm at -70k or so.

I used to be hardcore frugal and had scoured the web/library for all sorts of frugal blogs/resources, but I somehow missed MMM (it may have been timing, I think I stopped looking for new resources around when the MMM blog started).  A few personal issues came up and life was difficult in the non-financial sense so, because my income was fairly abundant, I stopped worrying about my finances and focused on getting well.  Then I moved across the country and took a paycut and realized I needed to get back to my frugal ways.  I'm so happy I found this "little" community, I sometimes felt like I was the only one making decisions that go against the societal brainwashing (You're walking? To the store??  Is something wrong with your car?!?!?).

Although I'm not deadset on early retirement (I *really* like my job...) I love the idea of being able to retire when I feel like.  I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's tips and making progress towards being debt free and then FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: G42 on May 08, 2016, 08:13:24 PM
Hi everyone
I found MMM in late February and proceeded to read every post in order and then punch myself in the face for ignoring my finances for the past 15 years... since 25FEB, I paid off one credit card, killed cable, sold the TV, dropped the phone data plan down by several notches, got a library card, tuned up my bike, and started biking to work several days a week.
I'm trying to bike to work everyday (not quite there yet)... the second credit card is on a major pay off schedule, soon to be followed by the car loan (yes, MANY punches to the face, but at least it was 0%)...once I have clear title, I'll sell the car and buy a suitably mustachian used one for when I can't bike.
I'm late to the party, but it's never to late to get situated... I'm fortunate to have a good engineering salary, so FI is about ten years or less out, but that's better than thinking it would be never!
Happy to meet you all!
Cheers
G42
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: prefixcactus on May 09, 2016, 02:01:41 PM
Hi everyone
I found MMM in late February and proceeded to read every post in order and then punch myself in the face for ignoring my finances for the past 15 years... since 25FEB, I paid off one credit card, killed cable, sold the TV, dropped the phone data plan down by several notches, got a library card, tuned up my bike, and started biking to work several days a week.
I'm trying to bike to work everyday (not quite there yet)... the second credit card is on a major pay off schedule, soon to be followed by the car loan (yes, MANY punches to the face, but at least it was 0%)...once I have clear title, I'll sell the car and buy a suitably mustachian used one for when I can't bike.
I'm late to the party, but it's never to late to get situated... I'm fortunate to have a good engineering salary, so FI is about ten years or less out, but that's better than thinking it would be never!
Happy to meet you all!
Cheers
G42

Awesome M180 there! Keep it up!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: whitecoatmoney on May 11, 2016, 03:33:02 PM
Hi everyone, I'm White Coat Money.  New to MMM but was told that this is one of the best personal finance blogs out there.

I also run a money blog targeted at healthcare professionals.  Feel free to check it out at http://www.whitecoatmoney.com/.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SaraDante on May 12, 2016, 01:23:01 AM
Hi all!!

Im new to this forum, i come from London so we can always go for tea :D

I have a post so feel free to leave your opinion.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/adidas-or-nike-or-some-other-brand/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EricNYC on May 13, 2016, 01:16:36 AM
Hello everyone!

I'm Eric, a 26-year-old software engineer from New York.

I've always had some Mustachian habits. I moved back home and paid off my student loans ASAP, less than three years after graduating because the idea of debt, or some portion of the money I got in my paycheck, after taxes and deductions and everything, not being "mine" really freaked me out. I've always walked or taken public transit, but that's a pretty normal NYC thing.

Finding MMM sometime around last summer was an extra kick in the pants. I was looking for financial advice because ooh, it's NYC, it's expensive (let's be fair, rents can be pretty high), and I forget how, but I found the blog and started obsessively reading. It wised me up to some of my sillier habits (the "modest" $60 a month on take-out coffee with my coworkers), made me feel proud of some of my other habits, and got me to start biking! In about half a year, I went from not being able to keep a bike upright to riding all 40 miles of the Five Boro Bike Tour a few weeks back -- for free, actually. And I hope to learn a lot more from all you fine folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: joey323 on May 18, 2016, 10:35:29 AM
I'm Joey, i'm teaching myself internet marketing, email, SEO, PPC, blog niche and amazon FBA, i have a bunch of what seems like legit resources and links. my goal is to make enough money so my mother does not have to work,and hopefully get her a house as my ultimate goal. currently 9-5 13.47$ an hour, Associates degree 28 years old. health nerd, nerd with women. PUA all that good stuff. Zen buddhist hindu rasta
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kinetic on May 18, 2016, 03:01:18 PM
I'm Joey, i'm teaching myself internet marketing, email, SEO, PPC, blog niche and amazon FBA, i have a bunch of what seems like legit resources and links. my goal is to make enough money so my mother does not have to work,and hopefully get her a house as my ultimate goal. currently 9-5 13.47$ an hour, Associates degree 28 years old. health nerd, nerd with women. PUA all that good stuff. Zen buddhist hindu rasta

your goal is pretty cool.  i've been doing FBA for 3 yrs (though i haven't set or accomplished goals but i also haven't focused that way). tons of resources on blogs, fb, etc. let me know if you are looking for something specific and/or have questions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rubinho on May 19, 2016, 02:35:50 AM
I'm rubinho, 35 years old and I have squandered most of life, wasting my time on games, smoking weed all day until I hit rock bottom 1.5 years ago. There were circumstances that led to that lifestyle though I can point fingers but it's me that messed my life up not caring about anything. Even though I have changed mentally and physically and feel better than ever before, I still face adversity and despair every day. I am angry and frustrated because I am nowhere near I want to be, feeling like a failure a lot. I never finished any education after high school and am still in a low wage pointless job with hardly and potential. I came to MMM after some google searches for stoicism. I don't know where to begin with my path to independence of being financially stable and secure. I have a very long way to go, though it feels as I am in the position where I have nothing to lose and can only win.. in that essence I am free..  I hope I can get some information or tips here that plants the seeds today for a better future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on May 19, 2016, 06:41:53 AM
I'm rubinho, 35 years old and I have squandered most of life, wasting my time on games, smoking weed all day until I hit rock bottom 1.5 years ago. There were circumstances that led to that lifestyle though I can point fingers but it's me that messed my life up not caring about anything. Even though I have changed mentally and physically and feel better than ever before, I still face adversity and despair every day. I am angry and frustrated because I am nowhere near I want to be, feeling like a failure a lot. I never finished any education after high school and am still in a low wage pointless job with hardly and potential. I came to MMM after some google searches for stoicism. I don't know where to begin with my path to independence of being financially stable and secure. I have a very long way to go, though it feels as I am in the position where I have nothing to lose and can only win.. in that essence I am free..  I hope I can get some information or tips here that plants the seeds today for a better future.

Damn, interesting back story. I'd love to see a journal or something. A place like where you are, while commonly perceived to be crappy, is pretty awesome as a starting place, especially if you use it to kind of create the life you want.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rubinho on May 20, 2016, 07:48:30 AM
Quote
Damn, interesting back story. I'd love to see a journal or something. A place like where you are, while commonly perceived to be crappy, is pretty awesome as a starting place, especially if you use it to kind of create the life you want.
Yes you're right it is a good starting place.. there are always people that are in a worse position than me. I still appreciate the things I do have. I recently registered a .com domain and I am going to make a website with content that is spiritual, life lessons and motivational. I hope to reach a big audience where other people can find a little peace in a life full of stress. Eventually I hope to make enough money of it but that is not my main goal.
Secondly my dream is to produce music, perform and travel the word and leave something behind when I die, my legacy. Third I hope to become a professional poker player. Those 3 are my prime objectives for the moment. I already worked very hard on my health by working out hard in the gym and by boxing. I believe that I can make my dreams a reality and I hope I can learn something here. I don't know why I found MMM maybe it's fate but I think I found the right place to hang out here once in a while and read/learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ender on May 20, 2016, 07:53:28 AM
Quote
Damn, interesting back story. I'd love to see a journal or something. A place like where you are, while commonly perceived to be crappy, is pretty awesome as a starting place, especially if you use it to kind of create the life you want.
Yes you're right it is a good starting place.. there are always people that are in a worse position than me. I still appreciate the things I do have. I recently registered a .com domain and I am going to make a website with content that is spiritual, life lessons and motivational. I hope to reach a big audience where other people can find a little peace in a life full of stress. Eventually I hope to make enough money of it but that is not my main goal.
Secondly my dream is to produce music, perform and travel the word and leave something behind when I die, my legacy. Third I hope to become a professional poker player. Those 3 are my prime objectives for the moment. I already worked very hard on my health by working out hard in the gym and by boxing. I believe that I can make my dreams a reality and I hope I can learn something here. I don't know why I found MMM maybe it's fate but I think I found the right place to hang out here once in a while and read/learn.

Post a journal or case study!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kinetic on May 20, 2016, 05:34:30 PM
i should introduce myself since i've been randomly commenting on things.  woman, mid-forties, married, have children, live in a costly paradise, 2 income family, waiting for one kid to finish high school and then we'll re-evaluate our plans about staying here or moving.  i've been using banktivity to get my financial house in order and it all doesn't look as bad as i'd thought. whew.  i plan on keeping a journal here . . . i just don't know how to start. have to go check out the first posts of other journals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: climbingbadger on May 21, 2016, 10:44:38 AM
Hi. I thought I would introduce myself. I am 34 and "living" in San Diego, CA. I use quotes because I live in my 2010 Prius and by "living" I simply mean sleeping. As you might have heard rent is expensive out here. I am divorced and putting one child through an expensive pre-school. I just started up working with an electrical contractor as a laborer and I'm pretty excited to get into an apprenticeship as an  electrician. The job takes me everywhere in the area and it seemed kind of pointless to pay rent on a place to just increase my commute. Currently I just pull into a nice neighborhood for sleeping wherever I may end up after doing what I need to do after work. I've been living some badassity for awhile now but I briefly did rent a place. In that place I had nothing in my room but a bed that was already there when I moved in. Again, seemed kind of pointless to pay $1000/month for that.

My motto is "efficiency, efficiency, efficiency". Without it I would be majorly in debt and definitely unhappy. However, I live the life of a bum, with a job. It's a tough mental balance an I know this situation can't last forever. Therefore I'm looking for some like-minded individuals in the area that would be open to letting me establish some inexpensive hut or trailer living on their property. Perhaps in exchange for regular labor. I'm looking to learn more about everything but specifically about fabricating and building things.

Thanks for reading!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brute on May 21, 2016, 04:37:48 PM
Well, I've joined. I've been lurking for a little while, and avoiding joining out of guilt. But I've been reading back through all the blog posts and decided it was time for some help from a community of people who have a similar goal. So, a little about me I suppose.

I'm male, early 30s. A competitive powerlifter and strongman. Software guy, not that handy around the house but slowly learning. There are lots of good things, and lots of things that I punch myself in the face over, so here are a few.

We have two incomes, over $150k combined. Holy crap. How did we even do this? I used to live on almost nothing. My life is stupidly luxurious now, even though I didn't recognize it until I started reading here. I didn't have a jet or a 10,000 sq ft compound or a fleet of humvees, so clearly I wasn't that well off.
No debt.
401k maxed out with employer matching on a good chunk
A few investments, though really not worth that much, but we're adding to them every month.

The downsides
I'm driving an 8.1L 4WD pickup. I actually printed out a picture of MMM to hang it in my truck to guilt me into not using it as much. 
We're renting. Not the end of the world, but I would like to be building equity
We're spending to damn much on things that don't matter.

I've worked a deal with my employer where I can work from home 3-4 days a week, so the truck isn't as bad as it could be. I'm trying to talk myself into selling it, but it's more connected to my sense of self worth than it should be. It's not a big jacked up thing, just an old work truck from the farm that I don't work on any more.

Food is something I'm trying to cut the budget down on. Because of the kind of training I do, I need around 250g of protein a day. So lots of meat. But I'm switching to chicken thighs over ribeye and the savings are rolling in.

I like spending money. I was poor for a while. Living on $7k a year, barely getting by. Food banks, no furniture in my apartment, that sort of thing. I feel entitled to throw my money around now. I'm going to crush that weakness out of me. It'll take time, but with the help of you folks, I know I can do it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Red_Gold on May 22, 2016, 06:19:22 AM
Hi there!

Long time lurker, pretty much life long mustachian by nature, although societal/peer pressures do get me at times.

37 y.o. female, originally from Russia but living in Sydney from 1995 (apart from 4 glorious years spent in Toronto, Canada). Married with 2 kids (17 & 14 y.o.). 2 incomes, 8 years left on mortgage (damn you Sydney property prices!!!) and about 50k in savings (AU shares, gold, silver and Vanguard managed funds). Librarian with about 55k annual salary, hubby makes about 70k. We both would like to FIRE before the newly proposed (by AU government) retirement age of 70. I am aiming to leanFIRE at 50-55. Even if that doesn't work out I'll be better off than a lot of people on similar incomes and should be able to at least work PT and devote time to volunteering and my hobbies.

I am hoping to learn much from this community and especially other Aussies out here.
Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MLynn on May 24, 2016, 12:14:04 AM
Hello,

Im 26, french, female, living mostly in Paris as for now.


I have no debt, no car, a useful degree so Im pretty happy.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoustachianWannabee on May 24, 2016, 05:36:43 AM
Hello everyone!

I'm new and very interested in learning The Way of the M(o)ustache.

I'm 35, just bought my own house. I live in the UK and have debt of about £11000 and student loans, but as student loans from the UK work differently, I'm not counting them as debt - they are more like a graduate tax.

Unfortunately, my current job is poorly paid so I need to get a better paid one, but I figure that I should try to get to grips with things as much as I can right now so that I can use whatever else I earn after that to get me into a better FI position.

I hope to learn much from you all and help you along the way as well. :)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scipsy on May 24, 2016, 01:25:38 PM
Hi, I have been reading the articles for a couple years now I think.  I'm a single 32 IT engineer living in Phoenix.  I just moved here from the Midwest after taking a small pay cut from doing consulting.  I live 1 mile from work and I bike everyday.  I also hike and mountain bike on the weekends.  The freedom I had financially was a big factor in being able to move.  It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I am a long way from financial independence but I have really embraced separating my money from my happiness.  I make decent money after bonuses and my new job has a pension which is rare these days.  I actually used to work for this company and got hired back.  I was able to negotiate credit towards my pension for my prior years, more vacation, better job, and more money. 

I discovered financial independence blogs around the time I finished my masters.  I have always been somewhat frugal, but like most Americans, I love cars and motorcycles.   Luckily, I always walked away from every new car I considered purchasing.  I currently drive a 6 cyc. truck with 200k miles that has been paid off for 6 years now.  I'd like to get something more Mustachian but my truck is so reliable and I hardly drive it now.

I have been maxing my Traditional 401k and Roth IRA for the past few years.  I also opened a Vanguard account and have some automatic investing set up.  I also have been using my bonuses to buy more index funds.  I love tracking my spending and net worth changes from month to month.  I got a late start compared to a lot of people on the forums, but I am doing very well compared to my friends and colleagues who always spend their money.  I am currently living off less than 25k a year in expenses.  My savings rate is about 60%.   I am planning on being completely financially independent by 40 (in  8 years) and actually retire by 45 so I can travel/hike/backpack/camp around.  I'd also like to beat my parents to retirement.

I wish I could share the excitement of investing and being frugal with people I know.  They can't fathom how reinvesting my quarterly dividends is like Christmas.  I am glad there is a forum for like-minded people to discuss FIRE strategies.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bertusg on May 27, 2016, 12:25:24 PM
Hi All - have been reading for a while after a friend forwarded a post, really enjoy that i've found a bunch of people who are thinking wisely.

My biggest hurdle thus far, for the last few months - how do I actually start squeezing my spending down? I have managed to say no to large purchases I would have made before (a new truck, etc. relatively easily, but I struggle with core expenses. (Discretionary is easier, and I can manage cutting out some "luxuries" - however it ends up not being very material). My biggest expense - RENT - is hard to save on in my area...i am in the next to cheapest place I can be. Second - meals and groceries - very tough given the amount i work to eat out less (at cheaper places) and prep meals. I don't doubt that eventually I will be able to afford the flexibility to affect these expenses, but at the moment it all seems somewhat too fixed and insurmountable.

So how did you start making significant progress in cutting expenses? It's the core of making it all work, yet it's the hardest part AND I am finding little practical tactical advice...

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scipsy on May 27, 2016, 01:08:09 PM
Hi All - have been reading for a while after a friend forwarded a post, really enjoy that i've found a bunch of people who are thinking wisely.

My biggest hurdle thus far, for the last few months - how do I actually start squeezing my spending down? I have managed to say no to large purchases I would have made before (a new truck, etc. relatively easily, but I struggle with core expenses. (Discretionary is easier, and I can manage cutting out some "luxuries" - however it ends up not being very material). My biggest expense - RENT - is hard to save on in my area...i am in the next to cheapest place I can be. Second - meals and groceries - very tough given the amount i work to eat out less (at cheaper places) and prep meals. I don't doubt that eventually I will be able to afford the flexibility to affect these expenses, but at the moment it all seems somewhat too fixed and insurmountable.

So how did you start making significant progress in cutting expenses? It's the core of making it all work, yet it's the hardest part AND I am finding little practical tactical advice...

It's all about living below your means and your savings rate.  Some people can save easier because they have a high salary already so it's easier to have a high savings rate.  It looks like you are already doing well (no car payment, cheapest rent for the area, and making your own food).  Also avoid expensive cell phone, internet, and cable plans.  I have lived without cable for 5 years and don't miss it.  I also have a $15/month cell plan with data. 

The way I put my self in the fast track to retirement was by investing in myself right out of college.  I am in IT and I spent many weekends getting career certifications.  I also job hopped 4 times to increase my salary in a 7 year span.  I also rented out extra rooms I had to people to practically pay my mortgage every month.  I am selling my home since I relocated 3 months ago for a new job so I am now in the cheap renting category like you.  Once I sell my home, I will save even more money (no real estate taxes, maintenance, mortgage interest, etc.) compared to just paying a low rent.

Keep reading information on this site and it will become easier and easier. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CheapTrick on June 01, 2016, 09:59:54 AM
Hi! I started reading the MMM blog a few months ago. I ended up here after reading travel hacking/points blogs for a while. I'm a tech consultant, 25yo single man, living in a major US city. I gave up having a car a few months after moving here, even though I owned it, because parking and insurance were costing so much. I started a 401(k) for the first time this year, but I'm not maxing it out. I put 10% gross in at the moment. My salary jumped an enormous amount last year taking this job, after being a teacher. However, my spending also increased tremendously. Although my rent is about 20% of my gross income, my total savings rate is about 20%.

I realize from reading things here that I'm spending way too much on food (eating out wasn't something I viewed as a luxury until recently). I also spend a lot on gym membership and entertainment (concert, theatre tickets). Electronics and books are another weakness. I guess by joining this community, I'm looking for inspiration. My parents were chronically in debt, and I never want to be in the same position. I was fortunate not to have any student loans, and I never carry a balance on my CC. But staying out of debt and living slightly under my means is different from aiming to FIRE, which is what I ultimately want.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nouveauRiche on June 02, 2016, 04:02:40 PM
Hi Everyone,

DH found MMM a little over a year ago via Bigger Pockets (real estate investment blog/forum) and we devoured all the articles (then waited impatiently for the next new one). 

Like many people here, I wish I'd known all this stuff at age 25.  Better late than never, I guess.

We're mid-40s and both have advanced degrees in STEM topics.  We've always been frugal - never bought a new car, no car payments since the 1990s, maxed out retirement contributions early on, lived beneath our means, etc.

Since finding MMM, we've shifted into high gear.  I didn't think there was any fat to cut but we (mostly DH) found a lot of little things.  Our plan is to be FI in Jan 2020.  We live in a high COL area.  If we were willing to move we could FIRE today. 

If MMM is reading these:  Thank you for the life-altering blog!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lake161 on June 02, 2016, 05:36:33 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm 50 and one year post-FIRE. My DH and I spent the first year living overseas and testing how low we could go on our budget. Now getting ready to head back to a much higher cost-of-living in the US.   

Our new budget is about double our overseas budget, but half of our spendypants budget pre-FI. We will see how it goes.

Not looking forward to owning a car again, but not an option where we will be living (serious winter, steep mountain roads, very limited public transport). Hopefully the car just sits in the driveway the other 8 months of the year when bicycling is a more realistic option.

Next goals: find a volunteer role I love, hike more of the PCT, travel internationally, nap in the backyard hammock (not necessarily in that order).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nouveauRiche on June 02, 2016, 09:09:03 PM
Hi All - have been reading for a while after a friend forwarded a post, really enjoy that i've found a bunch of people who are thinking wisely.

My biggest hurdle thus far, for the last few months - how do I actually start squeezing my spending down? I have managed to say no to large purchases I would have made before (a new truck, etc. relatively easily, but I struggle with core expenses. (Discretionary is easier, and I can manage cutting out some "luxuries" - however it ends up not being very material). My biggest expense - RENT - is hard to save on in my area...i am in the next to cheapest place I can be. Second - meals and groceries - very tough given the amount i work to eat out less (at cheaper places) and prep meals. I don't doubt that eventually I will be able to afford the flexibility to affect these expenses, but at the moment it all seems somewhat too fixed and insurmountable.

So how did you start making significant progress in cutting expenses? It's the core of making it all work, yet it's the hardest part AND I am finding little practical tactical advice...

I'm not sure how many of these apply to you but here are a few things we've done.  They are small things but they really add up.

Cut cable & negotiaged lower rate for internet
DH looked at our internet bill & realized we were paying $11/month to *rent* a modem from the cable company.  It costs $66 so we bought one and stopped renting.
Bring lunch & snacks to work
Low flow shower heads, faucet aerators, LED light bulbs
Switched cell phones from Sprint to Ting & bill was cut in half (maybe more)
Shopped for cheaper insurance
Removed collision insurance from the older car
Greatly reduced dining out and carry out
Got a cash back AmEx card that also gave us a $250 sign-up bonus
Generally paying attention and not buying junk we don't need
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DieHard_772 on June 04, 2016, 12:50:49 AM
Hi All,

Great to be here.  I've been reading MMM for about 8 months or so now.  Before reading it
I always thought there was something wrong with me for being frugal, that frugal=cheap.  Now I finally see how
powerful it is!

I really don't know where to start so I'm just gonna dump the whole enchilada here.   I'm a bit embarrassed to
be candid here but I think it might help.

My Money:
very little debt now that I've paid of the credit cards. only $5700 in student loan at 3.5%
$700 in savings, $3000 in IRAs.
I'm self employed, I have earned over $4000 six times in the past year, which is a record for me... looking to reach $5000 soon.
However, I need to overcome some earnings hurdle, as my income has dropped down closer to $3000 recently.

My Relationship:
 I have a great relationship with my wife in most ways, there
are a couple areas we are still working out:

1) She is 23 years older than I am... and we are both just starting to save for retirement. 
2)  She and I have VASTLY different views about money... I'm a total frugal non-spender who hesitates to spend $10
on myself if it's not essential... she on the other hand, loves both earning and spending money... just bought herself a
$1000 iPad today... her 3rd iPad in 3 years!  Also, I have a $35/mo
phone plan, she has a $150/mo plan.  I drive a 92 corolla that gets good gas mileage, she drives a gas guzzler SUV.

On the bright side, we are getting better at communicating and working together about money.
we have a $400/month grocery budget that we have been following mostly successfully for over six months. Last month,
for the first time ever, we actually kept a log of ALL our money going in and out (inspired by Your Money or Your Life).

My frugality has sometimes bordered on being a cheapskate and self deprivation.  Her spending tends to be very
pragmatic, but she does spend "a lot" by some standards.  We have spent about $70-80K each year of the last
few years.  If she earns it, she tends to spend it... even with my coaxing, though
 she is starting to see things a bit differently. 

I get excited by the thought of Financial Independence, yet sometimes have struggled to produce enough
money to set myself up for it.
She is more and more sympathetic to my MMM-style dreams but is still skeptical of it.
  Sometimes I get stressed out about the choice I made to be with a woman so different than me.  But on the other hand,
we have been married for 4 1/2 years now (together for 8 1/2) and most of the time, I'm happier
than I have ever been.

That's pretty much me in a nutshell.  Recently I have been more stressed than usual because my wife left a job
recently and I am going to be taking on an extra $600 in monthly bills that she used to pay... and I'm still
working on manifesting it.

I look forward to a day when we have a big 'Stache... right now, I do what I can to grow a few whiskers at a time...

Best,
Chris
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EsioTrot on June 04, 2016, 04:55:49 AM
Hi,

I’m a 38 year old from northern England whose been lurking around the blog and the forums for about 16 months now, and thought it about time to come out of my shell. I arrived here via a YNAB posting by MMM, thinking who’s this strange guy with a moustache making crazy statements about not spending money.  Read a bit more and what do you know, it makes sense and wasn’t an alien concept to me.

I’ve always been fairly frugal but never put the money towards a specific purpose.  I work in the public sector in the UK and my pension pot works a bit different- a mix of final salary and career average earning (a proportion of salary multiplied by the number years worked).  I’ll be interested to see how that works with FIRE-the earlier you access the pension, the less you get, so I think my stash will be being put towards bridging the gap between stopping work and claiming the full pension to maximise the returns from the pot. 
 
Family wise there’s myself, my partner and a teenager who likes saving his money and spending other peoples.  It would be fair to say they’re not moustachian, but I’ve been trying to nudge them in the right direction, and I think it’s starting to pay dividends. 

The blog and forums are great inspirations, hope I can contribute further.  Looking forward to the discussions and face punches.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Richie1 on June 04, 2016, 05:12:06 PM
Hi there,

Originally from UK but now in Australia after 8 years in NZ. 36 married with 4 kids 10 - 2yo. We have two homes that became investment properties after we left town and are halfway through repaying them. I currently earn 180K AUD with super in mining. Wife has established herself this year as a photographer earning 30k. This was a hobby which became a part time job that works around our busy family life. current net worth is 330k but apart from the 2 mortgages everything is paid off.

We live in a boom/bust town and so we rent at 465/wk. this is down from 600/wk 2.5 years ago. Good wages but high living costs.

I was hoping someone could point me to Aussie topics that focus on growing net worth, super, tax efficiency and most importantly how to make the most of living in this great country.

Thanks

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Red_Gold on June 04, 2016, 05:58:16 PM

I was hoping someone could point me to Aussie topics that focus on growing net worth, super, tax efficiency and most importantly how to make the most of living in this great country.


http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/australian-investing-thread/ (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/australian-investing-thread/) Australian investing thread in the Investor Alley forum has a lot of info and probably has links to other Aussie resources.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fomerly known as something on June 06, 2016, 06:23:16 PM
Hi I'm Jane, I'm a Generation X single working woman living outside a big city in the midwest. I expect I'll mostly lurk. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: my4fireflies on June 07, 2016, 07:51:21 AM
Hi. I'm a  married mom of 4. Yes, my husband is the father of all four children. ;) We get asked that a lot??? We have a lot of debt: medical, credit card, college loans, blah blah blah.  I was unable to work for the first 15 years due to the special needs of our twins so it was always paycheck to paycheck. Now that the twins are older and healthier I've been able to secure 2 part-timejobs and i've used that income to work on digging us out of debt, over 50k.  I'm super psyched to have reduced our overall debt by 11.1K since January! 6.1K of that was CC debt. We are on point to be debt free (except mortgage) in Oct 2018, but I hope it's earlier. We plan to sell this house and move to a smaller one once the other debts are gone and some of our children move out. We are shooting at putting the house on the market in 3 years.
So got any good advice for this newbie? :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: janavcosta on June 07, 2016, 09:44:28 AM
Hello, my name is Janaina (but you can call me Jana). I am 19 years old and live in Brazil.
I just found out the blog and I am really enjoying it cause I have always questioned this crazy consumist lifestyle most people live. We are stimulated to spend a lot of money in clothe, acessories, make-up and etc. So its really good to see people living in different ways.
I also like the idea of early retirement so I am learning and hope to start saving as soon as I get a job hahah
So if you also live in Brazil it would be really nice to talk and also if you are at a similar age and  "level" as me, just leave a message so we can trade experiences. Actually, it would be nice to talk to anyone about their experiences, so its really good to see this forum active :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: raygor on June 08, 2016, 04:21:15 PM
Hi, I turned 50 last year, have a younger wife, and 3 boys in school (1 middle, 2 elementary). We have some 401k, but almost no savings. We have high salaries, but are in one of the most expensive areas (SF east bay), and not terribly frugal. I work in a creative field, and could probably work remotely, but not at the same wage level. Since we bought our home in 2007, we have a LOT of equity in the house. I don't feel the need to retire per se, but I would like to move to someplace cheaper and drastically reduce our expenses, so that I can work on my own projects. I'd also like to move to a place where we can afford several acres, so I can start building a homestead now while I still have my health. The problem is we live in what amounts to traditional paradise for kids, small town feel, but near big city, 10/10 rated schools within walking distance, etc. Convincing my wife that this is a good thing to do soon, while the house prices are through the roof, has been problematic. I have run some numbers, and feel confident of a couple things; I could make 50k in the first year working from home, probably more, but that's being conservative (and wouldn't require full time). We could clear at least 500k from the sale of the house after paying off mortgage and other loans. I have been running lots of numbers on this, but have not yet been able to convince my wife that this is more than enough to make a major change, and while not exactly retire, we could drastically reduce our working time. I will be scouring the forums for help with these issues. Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: akzidenz on June 08, 2016, 09:08:07 PM
hi all,

i'm 22 and just started my first job this year. my parents are very MMM-oriented: both immigrants, very frugal (in their late twenties, they were saving money from their graduate school stipends to send home to their parents), and have quietly invested in property for the past 2 decades. in contrast, i've been pretty profligate with spending. in high school i had a part-time job and in college i was working every summer, but i was spending most of my money on music festivals, bougie restaurants, designer fashion.

i'm not really proud of that and i want to be more responsible about my spending. i found MMM some time back but never really took it seriously. i sat down this weekend and read through the archives, and i really want to commit to this. i'm making more money now than i ever have and i don't want my lifestyle to inflate, and to get used to a casual luxury here, a casual luxury there, and start blowing all my paychecks on things that won't matter to me in a few years.

my goal for 2016 is to save ~70% of my take-home pay. lurking the forums has already been super encouraging, and i'm looking forward to reading more thoughts and wisdom from the people here
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on June 09, 2016, 04:46:22 AM
Good for you for arriving at this new mindset at such a young age!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: akzidenz on June 09, 2016, 06:37:43 PM
thanks! honestly it'll be hard for me. i'm very attached to my current luxuries, but i'm hoping that being on this forum will remind me not to sacrifice my long-term goals. i just need to train myself to be conscious, aware, and frugal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hikeandbike on June 10, 2016, 09:12:18 AM
Just thought I'd stop in and say hello.

Ran across this site/forum while adjusting my investment portfolio and have been enjoying some of the info here and on bogleheads...has helped a lot, thanks!

I'm 46, and hope to leave the workforce for an extended time to get some outdoor living and adventures in. Planning a hike of the Appalachian Trail next year, followed by a bit of a US tour, then the plan is to tackle the Pacific Crest Trail and ride the Great Divide. All of this over the next 5 years. This will all be done with my girlfriend who loves the outdoors as much as I do.

Maybe jump back into the workforce between adventures. Maybe with my current employer, maybe not. We'll see.


I don't have a fortune amassed, but have some consistent income from a business of which I am a partner. That should be able to support us for the times we aren't working. We live pretty cheaply, and will even more while on the "road."

Anyhow, I'll post a bit more about the financials in another thread to get some feedback about if the community thinks it can be achieved...or if I'm being crazy.

So..hello. Talk soon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AMexicanHipster on June 10, 2016, 12:47:49 PM
Hello!

I'm Daniel, nice to meet you all! I'm 24 and I am from Mexico. I have a Computer Science degree, and I work as a .NET programmer.

I was introduced to MMM right this week, and it has come to me as a bucket of cold water. My personal finances are a disaster right now, but I will work to get them back on their feet, and I want to be able to share my successes with you.


See you on the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: englishteacheralex on June 10, 2016, 03:31:48 PM
I'm Alex and I live in Honolulu with my husband and 2 year old son. I am a teacher and have lived frugally my whole life because that's just how I'm wired. I love being a teacher and have no desire to retire early, but my husband and I will probably be financially independent in about ten years (we'll be 46 by then).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Burghardt on June 11, 2016, 04:06:57 AM
Hi,

i'm Stefan, 29, from Germany, and i'm currently trying to find tracks to put my life on.
I WAS a student in cybernetics/engineering, but i found courses slow/boring and saw little application to real life tasks i had envisioned for myself (robotics). I felt that university was giving students an equally low amount of interest as i ended up returning outside the 2-4 weeks per Semester i spent teaching myself in order to pass another set of what i thought were pointless exams, the courses of which i didn't visit at all after the first 5 semesters.

At the same time i was with a girl who sucked me into the life of her rich parents. Living life on a level i didn't have a taste for - big cars rushing down the Autobahn at 150mph, golf, ski, wine, fancy dinner once a week, concerts... all the negative habits of wealth, but nothing to help me become wealthy. At some point he said i'd never earn more than middl-ing 5-figures wages as employee in my field, anyway, and that didn't exactly help my already dampened motivation.

Disengaged and disheartened i didn't know what to do, didn't want to disappoint anybody and ended up doing the worst thing possible: nothing. Pretty much lost myself. Ambition, goals, passions, everything blurred and ever more distant. Helped my girlfriend finish her own degree (english literature and culture), helped out a buddy with math for his degree in CS & media.
Worked at the institute for a bit, researching computer vision for robot applications, but even there i didn't see what on earth this had to do with engineering. I was just using google, reading and programming tests of different approaches. No idea if this is the norm, but i felt like anybody could've done the job with a few weeks of training instead of 3+ years into university as was the requirement.

i drifted through life and spent my days playing video games, watching streams and looking at funny pictures of cats. For years. Until university finally decided time was up and i had not written a thesis to finish my degree with.

Currently at a real low. I don't know a single successful person. My social network is full of university dropouts and people with finished degrees in various fields who can't find jobs/work in completely different fields. I want to move to a different city and start over.
Looking at 4 potential options now to get back to studying in winter with something more suited to my goals while allowing some transfer from my previous studies, hopefully shortening the bachelors to 1-1.5years.
- engineering degree specialized for automation and robotics
- software engineering
- engineering & business
- CS & business
Until then i'm working minimum wage schlepping through the halls of a mail order business.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Roots&Wings on June 11, 2016, 11:46:24 AM
^ Burghardt, welcome to the forum, and I commend your motivation to get back on track with your goals. Many of us have been at seriously low points before too. This forum is filled with amazingly smart, successful people willing to share their expertise where they can help. You may want to consider posting a case study for targeted advice and perhaps check out the meetup area for forum members in Germany too. Best of luck in your journey ahead!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JediSpam on June 11, 2016, 02:59:41 PM
New member. Can't wait to learn about savings and early retirement
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Diniecita on June 13, 2016, 08:45:34 AM
Hi. I'm a bit new to forums like this. I live in rural Minnesota and we are working on biking more places. Hubby's job is about  30 mins away in the car. We love where we are, and don't plan to move. We want to retire on this property. No debt, working on paying of mortgage and then we might buy another house in the city (not THE cities, just one closer to everything.) I ride bikes with the dogs down our dirt road access. Since we have a half husky he needs the run. We've only tried to go a few places on the bikes so far. We're working on getting into good enough shape to do it more. Also, I'm currently riding a mountain bike. I'm looking at road bikes to get places faster, but they are so expensive! Anyways, that's our struggles right now. But, I feel like we're doing well. Also, I'm reading through all the old MMM blog posts right now, I'm up to mid 2012 now. I should be done by the end of the year! HA HA.
I look forward to growing an awesome mustache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bicycle_B on June 14, 2016, 05:07:49 PM
hi all,

i'm 22 and just started my first job this year. my parents are very MMM-oriented: both immigrants, very frugal (in their late twenties, they were saving money from their graduate school stipends to send home to their parents), and have quietly invested in property for the past 2 decades. in contrast, i've been pretty profligate with spending. in high school i had a part-time job and in college i was working every summer, but i was spending most of my money on music festivals, bougie restaurants, designer fashion.

i'm not really proud of that and i want to be more responsible about my spending. i found MMM some time back but never really took it seriously. i sat down this weekend and read through the archives, and i really want to commit to this. i'm making more money now than i ever have and i don't want my lifestyle to inflate, and to get used to a casual luxury here, a casual luxury there, and start blowing all my paychecks on things that won't matter to me in a few years.

my goal for 2016 is to save ~70% of my take-home pay. lurking the forums has already been super encouraging, and i'm looking forward to reading more thoughts and wisdom from the people here

Good for you!  You have chosen a great habit to develop for your new adventures in adult living. 

Next, I dare you to find ways to add joy to your living experiments without significant expense.  Stretch goal:  within a year, be having more fun than during your spendy period, but on less then 10% of the discretionary expense.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marion10 on June 15, 2016, 08:32:41 PM
I'm Marion and enjoying the blog- married and just became eligible to retire age 56-long time civil servant.  Two kids- in their 20s- who are on their own.  They both got BAs with no debt- thanks to our savings- an they seem grateful. Not sure how much longer I will keep working-we live in a high cost of living area-our property taxes are around $10,000 a year. Always been pretty frugal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Annette on June 15, 2016, 08:40:59 PM
Hi All,

My name is Annette. I am a teacher and I have 2 kids, I'm not in debt but would love to learn how to be safe financially.Looking forward to meet you all. :):)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fresh Bread on June 16, 2016, 09:07:08 PM
Hi everyone, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I was led to MMM via other frugal websites/ and an interest in downshifting - we've been living a low expense life basically forever. We had already paid off our mortgage before finding MMM so that I could downshift (ie leave my horrible corporate job) and get to do something that didn't pay as well but that I enjoyed. That worked out well at first but then a couple of years later I made the mistake of starting a business that now has me tied to working about 35-40hrs M-F, whoops. Hubby has continued to work a high paid job because he doesn't mind it but has switched to contracts.

We live in Sydney with our dog. We find ourselves in a fortunate situation in this HCOL city. Our home by the beach is paid off but is now (due to nothing more than good luck on our part) worth a small fortune after a crazy period in the property market. We also now have an almost paid off investment property, the income from which covers our essential expenses (about $25k including unnecessary private health) but no more. If we wanted to truly retire right now we could sell our house, move somewhere cheaper (out of Sydney) and invest the rest. Or we could stay here forever and pay for our fun stuff by working part time jobs. But hubby right now is having trouble finding a contract after taking a 5 month break, and to be honest, that scares me a bit, we both thought it would be more of a reliable income stream that we could turn on and off as we wanted. Which makes me think: maybe now is the time to cash in and leave.

But.... I do like our place, it's got a lovely feel about it. We'd also miss our friends (but we'd only be an hour or two away somewhere like Kiama). There's no real rush to decide, we make enough from the investment property and my business to live on and we can redraw from the almost paid off investment mortgage if there is an emergency. And as much as would like to retire, I worry that I would stay in bed all day!! 

PS Literally just got one of those phonecalls from a real estate agent asking if we want to sell up as I was typing...!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: adamR18 on June 16, 2016, 10:24:19 PM
Hey there! Adam here.

I'm a teacher located near St. Louis, Missouri.

I pay my credit cards in full weekly, and don't have a car loan. Unfortunately, I do have a rather large student loan burden.

Started to use YNAB a year ago, and somehow wound up here.

I'm paying extra every month on my student loan, hoping to get it paid off ASAP!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Boo on June 17, 2016, 09:57:27 PM
Hi. 

Mid 40's M in Ohio.  Recently divorced and split custody of 2 tween kids.

Before divorce we had no debt other than a mortgage, stellar credit, and some (not great) progress toward retirement savings.

Since separation and now divorce have made some head way getting the decrees settled (e.g. payout equity to ex-wife with re-fi) and my life and kids life going.

Refi will have a higher balance amount but a lower monthly payment due to lower rate which will help somewhat with cashflow. 

Have a car loan on a used car that I may be able to sale to pay off the loan or loose a bit.  Looking to get a used car that is more dependable and fits needs better.  Will probably be about the same monthly payment as what I have now but will be more dependable.

Have credit card debt that has mounted to 10K.  Drives me nuts since I always use to pay it off but attorney fees and other expenses have driven it up.

Child support and alimony are really hurting but taking it one step at a time.  One thing I've done in the interim is cut back on my 401K so I have cashflow so debt is not increasing as much.  I'm at 80% loan to value so I cannot put debt on home equity line to get the tax break.  Not sure if I should put the debt on a low intro rate credit card of 1.9% for 18 months and see how far I can get. 

Really trying to figure what to do now.  Scratching my head with the finances while trying to stabilize the kids, home, life, etc.

Thanks

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SouleroXT on June 20, 2016, 09:46:43 AM
So yeah, just found this place of reddit, and was curious about a few things: (BTW, live in South Carolina)

1. How badly screwed am I (19, no debt, only have 190 USD saved for a car fund) I plan on going to a local community college, and possibly snagging a business degree as I was told CA degrees are crap early on, and a business degree would help teach me how to learn to run a kitchen. (although if you guys have better ideas, I'm open to them.)

2. Should I try and work towards a 3 month emergency fund, then slowly build it up from there instead of rushing a 6 month emergency fund?

3. After the emergency fund goal is reached, do you guys have any ideas on how to best boost my income as much as possible? (keep in mind I will most likely be making meh wages due to a starting position in the restaurant biz, so any tips on stretching my dollar is appreciated!)

4. Anyone know what would be considered a decent living wage in SC? Dad makes about 45K~ or so a year, and it keeps food on the table/plus being able to eat out now and again with another person (thats me.) Anyhow, assuming I made that much, would I be able to use it more efficiently? I plan on having no kids + living in a small apartment once I move out.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anatidae V on June 22, 2016, 04:14:06 AM
SpuleroXT, you seem to be in a fine position for a 19yo! Might be worthwhile posting in Ask A Mustachians for tailored help :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sydneystache on June 22, 2016, 05:04:24 AM
Hi everyone, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster. I was led to MMM via other frugal websites/ and an interest in downshifting - we've been living a low expense life basically forever. We had already paid off our mortgage before finding MMM so that I could downshift (ie leave my horrible corporate job) and get to do something that didn't pay as well but that I enjoyed. That worked out well at first but then a couple of years later I made the mistake of starting a business that now has me tied to working about 35-40hrs M-F, whoops. Hubby has continued to work a high paid job because he doesn't mind it but has switched to contracts.

We live in Sydney with our dog. We find ourselves in a fortunate situation in this HCOL city. Our home by the beach is paid off but is now (due to nothing more than good luck on our part) worth a small fortune after a crazy period in the property market. We also now have an almost paid off investment property, the income from which covers our essential expenses (about $25k including unnecessary private health) but no more. If we wanted to truly retire right now we could sell our house, move somewhere cheaper (out of Sydney) and invest the rest. Or we could stay here forever and pay for our fun stuff by working part time jobs. But hubby right now is having trouble finding a contract after taking a 5 month break, and to be honest, that scares me a bit, we both thought it would be more of a reliable income stream that we could turn on and off as we wanted. Which makes me think: maybe now is the time to cash in and leave.

But.... I do like our place, it's got a lovely feel about it. We'd also miss our friends (but we'd only be an hour or two away somewhere like Kiama). There's no real rush to decide, we make enough from the investment property and my business to live on and we can redraw from the almost paid off investment mortgage if there is an emergency. And as much as would like to retire, I worry that I would stay in bed all day!! 

PS Literally just got one of those phonecalls from a real estate agent asking if we want to sell up as I was typing...!

Welcome fellow Sydneysider!

Don't sell your Sydney pad, keep it. If you want to move to Kiama, buy a second home and see if Kiama suits you. Use it as a weekender. The last thing you want to do is sell your Sydney place and not be able to buy back in. We have a second home/weekender on the north coast and my neighbours (mostly Sydneysiders) have a Sydney pied a terre to come to eg medical, education, family, friends etc.

The seachangers who are unhappy have sold off all their Sydney assets and given the prices now, are pretty much stuck on the coast and the not so pleasant aspects of it: unemployment, lower wages, drugs, bikies etc. the seachangers who have adjusted well have largely involved themselves in the community which we hope to emulate down the track.

The NBN is now in the process of being rolled in the north coast but won't count on it until say 10 years down the track to see if it is really viable income wise.

You seem to have good plans but at least keep a Sydney option eg downsize and build your dream home in the south.

Best of luck! It is good to have options living in this traffic rage roid city! Our north coast home is our weekend escape :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MousyMo on June 22, 2016, 10:24:23 AM
Hi!
Longtime Lurker here!

I don't remember how I wandered on this site. Glad I did.

Love reading posts on financial ah-ha moments! Love reading life stories/work stories.

As for me, DINK couple, Scientist/Engineer, great health, frugal enough-ish, comfortable living.

Itching to get out of the comfort zone. Just don't know how yet.

Still searching.

~ MousyMo
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyGoneRogue on June 23, 2016, 04:04:17 AM
Hey there,

Long time reader - first time writer! Come from Australia - learnt a lot from the site, very inspiring.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mynewchoice on June 24, 2016, 09:38:06 PM
Greetings everyone!

Thought I would jump in here with a little introduction as well.  Our family consists of myself (40) and my wife (I know better) and our two boys who are in high school--they will be a senior and sophmore this coming school year.  When I graduated college I had plenty of student loans and credit card debt, which I paid off as I became an avid reader of The Motley Fool.  Once the debt had been eliminated, I had my first introduction to the concept of FIRE (and had even started a blog about it, too bad I never did as well with at as MMM otherwise my story would be quite different) but I didn't truly adopt that lifestyle to get there.

Since that time, I have had the thought that we were doing okay.  We could be doing better but we were saving and chugging along.  I read a thread here on the forums and someone wrote something that really struck home with me.  It was a line that said this person thought they were doing okay because they didn't have any credit card debt and everything was paid off every month.  That has been the exact mentality that I have had for too long now.  As I have put together my new path to FI spreadsheet, courtesy of the amazing template shared by IndyPendent and WeinerDog, it was a facepunch moment as I realized how much better we could be doing.

I am working on introducing MMM concepts into our family slowly as I know there will be some resistance in certain areas, but full support in other areas.  Today I returned our cable modem to Comcast as I finally bought one of my own--talk about a foolish monthly expense when you can be in the green after 6-12 months with your own modem.  We are close to pulling the plug on DirecTV, although I would like to get an antennae before I do so I can get the local channels reliably for when football season arrives.  I have a motorcycle, antique car, and an old car that was my grandma's that I am planning to put into storage (i.e. post on CraigsList) and start to declutter.

It is so encouraging to be among so many like-minded people on this journey, and I look forward to learning from and sharing with so many of you in the future.

Thanks,
mnc
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Simple _Socrates on June 27, 2016, 04:46:59 AM
Hi everyone, signed up a few days ago, got here via a "art of manliness" archive pod cast. Love the site and the idea of frugality. I started on the path to debt freedom a few months ago after struggling to pay down debts left over from a failed business I owned. I'm going to use the ideas here to accelerate the process. If there are any Uk/Ireland posters that have journals can you point me to them please.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rickardo on June 28, 2016, 04:58:01 AM
Hi all. I am really happy to be here :) I used to be in a lot of debts before but not anymore.I have cleared all that out.But still I would like to be safe.Looking forward to read a lot of great posts and ideas :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ptobest on July 17, 2016, 09:24:52 PM
Hello!

I stumbled across this site a couple days ago when I was doing a skim of financial sites. Been trying for awhile to find a retirement calculator that didn't assume you will always spend a certain % of your salary, and this website finally gave me answers on that subject. Been crushing through all the blog posts this weekend, and figured I would give the forums a try.

Anyhow, I'm 36, in a relationship with a man who is frugal, I have no debt, and have the start (but still a ways to go) of decent savings. I've always been pretty good with money, but past bouts of underemployment and spendthrift exes have kept me from being where I'd like to be. High hopes for the future though - I've finally worked my way into a decent situation in the tech world, and will be relocating from the Bay Area to Denver, which will make my wallet much happier!

I've got some decent frugal habits - really like to cook, prefer shopping for clothes at thrift stores, like to walk and bike places instead of drive if I can - but I've got some weaknesses as well (online shopping as a mood lifter, an addiction to sushi) that I need to work on. Also need to work on better understanding the stock market, index funds, what to keep in savings verses invest, etc. I love the idea of financial independence - I am a creative person and would love the time to focus on art and writing without the 40 hour a week job sucking the energy out of me - I just need to work on the best path to get there for myself. Looking forward to learning more great tips on here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KayoticSully on July 18, 2016, 11:14:26 AM
Hello Everyone!

I found MMM about a year and a half ago, and have been lurking on the forums a bit. It is overdue that I say hi and introduce myself!

I'm a 26 year old software engineer and just married the love of my life two months ago!  Due to where we both grew up our wedding was quite expensive... However, it was this crazy event and trying to afford it that drove me to seek out MMM.  I am very grateful for everything this site and forum has introduced me to, from the idea of FI to Stoicism.  The past year and a half has been quite a journey and I can't believe the progress I have made.  Even my own mental shift and how I view money now vs then has surprised me.  That said I (we) have a LONG way to go. I'm sure I will eventually convert my wife over to the MMM way of thinking.  Shes actually pretty frugal already, but does have some expensive tastes, haha.

I'll see everyone around!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Investmenthunting on July 18, 2016, 04:06:48 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm Nathan. Long-time reader of MMM. I finally joined the forum today. I'm a 40 something who lives in the SF Bay Area. I have two teenage children, 18 and 15. I look forward to interacting with this forum. I also blog about my own personal finance journey over at Investment Hunting. http://www.investmenthunting.com/ (http://www.investmenthunting.com/). You can learn more about me and my journey here http://www.investmenthunting.com/about/ (http://www.investmenthunting.com/about/), if your interested.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dignam on July 19, 2016, 08:03:33 AM
Hi all - my first post!  I've been lurking for a while and figured it was time to join the fray.

Background: 30 year old guy, not married, no kids, work in the IT sector.  I have probably one of the most expensive hobbies possible: I'm a pilot.  That will be something I continue to wrestle with since I love aviation, but I also want to be FI soon (I think I used the acronym correctly ;) ).  Counting home equity from my rental property, my NW is around the $75k range.

I have one really stupid debt (car loan @ 3%).  That is my current target for paydown.  Besides that, a little over $10k in student loans, and my mortgage.  I rent, but am a landlord and lease my house to a family (rental income covers mortgage payment).

I've never paid a cent in credit card interest and will never ever do it.  Credit is excellent (just shy of 800).  I'm at the point now where I need to start slashing the spending: the big one is food/drink.  No more daily $5-$10 runs to the cafe.  Eat out less, cook at home more.  I'm about 6 miles from work and my car is fuel efficient so not much to gain there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CGSLI on July 20, 2016, 12:55:32 PM
Hi all,

My first post! From the Netherlands, so a new Dutch Mustachian over here. Have read a lot on the blog and thought it was time to register over here. Am working currently in the Netherlands, but plans are to work across the border, so maybe i'm joining the Americans in a few years, since the company i'm working for is based in the Boston area.

Have a girlfriend, who has the same mindset as I have. We are renting a nice apartment over here. Net worth now about € 10k, but planning to double that in the next months and save more every month. I'm going far to save some extra, some examples of what i did / what i plan to do:
- Showering cold -> main reason was my health
- Selling my motor and buying a cheaper one which is more reliable -> this one gives lot of concerns with maintenance and every month unexpected costs
- Already denounced a lot of unneccesary subscriptions and insurances

I'm already biking to work, since it's only 3 km's from my apartment. Hope to end this year with a savingsrate of around 55% from March on, since that's my starting date for getting Mustachian. When my girlfriend finally get's her self-employed business running I hope that this can increase to around 65% and that I'm able to start my own business, next to my daily job.

Net income every month for myself only is € 2600 :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bajabound on July 20, 2016, 01:35:20 PM
Greetings!  We are Mr. and Mrs. Seeks - aka Bajabound.  We are Idahoans but are temporarily living in Washington making some serious moola.  We are in our mid 60's and will retire in three years, actually 2 years, 11 months, 7 days, 11 hours and 59 minutes, but we aren't counting.

We have two grown children and thanks to them we have three beautiful granddaughters; 19, 14 and 4. 

We own a house in Idaho, a house in Washington and a casita in Baja, Mexico.  Our plan is to sell the house in Washington and buy another house in Idaho when we retire.  We will be able to pay cash for the house (it is our mother's house.) When we retire we will be debt free.  We plan to live six months in Idaho and six months in Baja.  We own an acre of sand and cactus on the Sea of Cortez near the bottom of the Baja.  It is paradise and cheap to live there.

We are using the snowball plan to pay off our bills.  Here is how that works if you don't know:
First, you have to have an extra amount of money you can put as an "accelerator amount (AA)."  Say that AA is $500.00.  You take your AA and add it to the payment for one of your debts.  So if my debt payment (DP) is $300.00, I now make a payment of $800.00 a month (AA+DP).  It will pay off fast.  Once that is paid off, you take the AA ($500.00) and the DB you aren't paying anymore ($300.00) and you apply that amount ($800.00) to the next debt; say your payment is $200.00, so now your new AA is 800.00.  So your payment on the debt is the AA+200.00= $1000.00 per month on that debt.  You do the same thing over and over until everything is paid off.  It's a great way to pay off houses, cars, boats, campers, everything.

I hope this information will help someone.

I wanted to say thank you to Mr. and Mrs. MMM for sharing your life and such great ideas.  We plan to glean as much as we can.

God bless ~ Mrs. Seeks
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pwcfan on July 20, 2016, 04:39:16 PM
Noob here..........interesting topics & responses here.
The wife and I are in our late 50's, and cannot wait to retire.
We learned as youngsters that we had NO rich relatives and have saved a bunch since our early 20's.
We own our home, est value $600k, have $1.3M in 401k's and prox $200k in other assets.  No other debt.
We feel like we are getting close......
We live within our means.  We have 2 5-10 year old cars, max our our 401k's, old clothes.........we enjoy saving $$.  I commute via bike.
You all make me jealous !!
We will keep coming back here to see what you all are discussing and try and figure out how close we are to FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AdaBeansonFire on July 24, 2016, 10:16:46 AM
Hi! I'm Mary. Found MMM about 9 months ago and am hooked. Started getting serious this month and am aiming for FIRE by 2019. Husband is on board now too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JohnRL on July 24, 2016, 05:21:35 PM
Hi-

I'm John, I live in Staten Island NYC and work in heavy construction in manhattan.
300k+ NW and no debts besides a small car loan. (worst car i've owned so far but love to drive)
Been reading since december. Finally joined the forum to respond to a topic and help a member, have a lot of questions and hope to ask them in the relevent areas in the coming weeks.
Ive been thinking about early retirement for years but always thought it was 10+ years out and not 1-3! (could've been sooner had a not waisted a lot of money over the years)

Guess I'll be sticking around awhile.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kiva822 on July 27, 2016, 02:03:33 AM
Hi

New here and introducing before really diving in.  Wife and I in our early/mid 40's but with twin 5 year olds (we got started late).  This situation gives life / the concept of FI a unique twist, to say the least.

We found YNAB about a year ago and sooooo bummed we didn't have something like that before.  Trying to decide where we fit into the MMM 'model'; i am more frugal than the Mrs., so that's always an item of discussion...

Current situation is no 'bad' debt (e.g. revolving or credit card). Bought a new family car late last year (which we will drive until the wheels fall off) which was financed for 5, but should be paid off within 2 years.  I have a student loan that has $17k and 9 years left.  Mortgage on primary house as well as rental.  Rental is self-sustaining / pays it's own maintenance and I want to start investing the profits. 

I think I will first start looking around here for investment advice, as our 403b of 100k is with American Funds and we just started a Roth IRA as well as another Roth (only about $5k each now). 529's for the kids.   I think our investment strategy may be a bit off / could be more efficient, so I'm looking to read more there. 

I guess that's it for now....will be interesting to see what we learn / take on here...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrRealEstate on July 27, 2016, 02:35:37 AM
Modesto, CA resident. 25YO. Engaged.

Real Estate Agent
Production Supervisor for KraftHeinz
Landlord
Production Supervisor/Equipment Operator for family's hay harvesting company

Kraft Heinz job is by far the least favorite, but it's the most consistent paycheck. I had a family friend who works as a manager here and is close to retiring but couldn't find anyone to take care of the computer work so I'm helping out. It's interesting to learn how the processing of food occurs so it's a nice job, but the most time intensive.

Living off 45% of the Kraft Heinz salary and a little rental income. Real Estate income helps buy new rental properties and pay down stupid debt(bout a house with 10% down, but the net cost of my PITI is $61 since it has a rental on the property, and a truck loan I got when I graduated 3 years ago( double face punch, but the truck is typically loaded down with a diesel tank, air compressor, and tool box over the summer for the hay harvesting company.) Also paid off my fiance's scion TC loan to set us up well for our marriage in a few months.

I can definitely feel the freedom of FI since I could survive if something happens to the Kraft Heinz jobs. My coworkers always get worried about performance reviews, but they also have new mercedes and corvettes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: celine31 on July 27, 2016, 09:34:52 AM
Well hi everyone!
I'm Céline, 31 year old and I currently live in Ireland.
I've been following the blog and board for a while but finally decided I'd like to join you guys and participate.
I've recently moved from London(after 8 years) to Cork which I think is the biggest financial decision of my life. I did love London but everything was just too expensive and I ended up spending way more of my savings than I wanted, even though I was working freelance.
I now work for Apple here in work and I'm planning to save up to half my salary and possibly buy a house in a couple of years if I can manage to save enough for a deposit.
I also downloaded a program to keep track on my spendings and it has proving to be very efficient, I guess there's something that happens in your brain when you see all your spendings in a big pizza shape circle with different colours, it allows you to see things very clearly I guess.
Anyway, I'm happy to be here and looking forward to participate in your discussions!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Channel-Z on July 27, 2016, 09:57:16 AM
I've lurked for a while. So, I might as well introduce myself.

I live in the Kansas City area, which is like having an economic cheat code. Skilled people can find good-paying jobs here and the cost of living is still reasonable. I turn 40 this year, no wife, no kids, just a rickety car.

I've never made a lot of money, so I've been living the saver/less-is-more lifestyle for a long time. The result is about $170,000 in cash and an extremely small retirement fund (never had much to put away in the early years). It's unlikely I'll ever be able to retire. But I hope to learn a few tricks to simplify my life as much as possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moof on July 27, 2016, 05:28:08 PM
Moof here.  Been lurking a bit. Thought I was doing pretty good, and I am by comparison to the average american, but feel I have been remiss now that I have seen how far a little more discipline goes.

Currently 39, wife, kid.  3 cars, but just $2k total car debt.  No credit card balances in years.  I was targeting mid 50's to retire, which seemed great till I realized I could possibly pull that in before I hit 50.  Currently sitting on $0.5 M in retirement accounts.  My own number is about $1.3M to feel comfortable cutting myself loose.

Currently I am saving a little more than 25% of my gross each year.  I am struggling to benchmark that properly given taxes and such.  Even doing my homework I struggle with properly weighting those effects between 401k's, Roth's, etc.

I grew up frugal (single parent, welfare, etc), but let things slide as I saw big paychecks come in.  I never questioned the save 10% mantra, wishing now I had kept it at 20% all along.  Luckily I have never racked up any real debt.  I used to freak out my girlfriend (now wife) by always carrying a few hundred in cash.  She never had that much spare, but it helped me stay disciplined.  I have let a lot of little things slide under the mantra of a happy wife is still cheaper than a divorce.  I need to work on getting us both on the same page better for not wasting so much money (or not being so damn cheap as she would counter).  Good times.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Pituga on July 28, 2016, 06:48:37 AM
I engineer stuff and I'm at the point where I need to grow my mustache even bigger!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hubert on July 28, 2016, 06:56:26 AM
Hello everyone.

My name is André, I'm 29 years old and I work for a design agency, but i'm now leaving my job to start my own business.

I have no debt and i never had a lot of problems managing my expenses, but i always felt i could do better,
This why i started looking for tips and advices, and why i'm joining this message board.

I hope i'm going to learn lot of things here, that we'll help me live a more frugal life.
See you all around.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CarrieWillard on July 30, 2016, 02:14:38 PM
Hi all,

I started following MMM a year ago but recently decided to dig in and read all the posts since the beginning of time. Awesome stuff, and hubby and I are intending on reaching that level of BadAssity in a few. Background:

I'm a 41 year old mom of 7, my husband and I are self-employed, him as a craftsman who owns a thriving business, me as a writer and blogger and homemaker/homeschooling mama. Second marriages for both, LSS we had very different money situations when we married. He came into the marriage with 100K in debt (he was worth it) but with a big income, and I was a single mama of 4 but debt free even on a low income.

With my encouragement and Dave Ramsey FPU classes I convinced my hubby he earned way too much to be in so much debt. Since the benefit of marriage to me :-) his business keeps growing, we added 3 "ours" babies (total of 7 in case you missed it) and got rid of all the debt - him by busting tail earning and me with my cheapskate homemaking skills.

So I'm glad to be here and will be asking questions about home ownership.  Our big money goal at the moment is to save 20% down for our first home.

Waving Hi from metro Atlanta, GA.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dancing Fool on July 30, 2016, 03:06:34 PM
Hi y'all! Made a couple posts but haven't introduced myself here yet.

Here's the deets:

Long story short, I've been blessed by my situation in life and I'm looking to leverage that into a FI or at least FU amount of money at a relatively young age.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: duckling on July 31, 2016, 06:04:17 PM
Hi. I'm new.

I started paying attention to finances when my husband and I got our first "real" jobs immediately out of professional school, made giant incomes, and felt like we were drowning in debt even though we didn't have a balance on a single credit card. We got our act together, paid off $340K in student loans, and suddenly found ourselves swimming in an abundance of excess cash that we had to figure out how to manage. (Mr. Duckling is happy to live Mustachian-Style, as long as he doesn't have to do any of the budgeting work.)

The goal is FI within 5 years, with another 5 years of semi-retirement to build up a safety margin, and then...whatever we want.

I spent the last 2 weeks reading the archives, deciding to ditch my second car (I work from home, for crying out loud) in favor of a bike, and going through our budget which has gotten ridiculously flabby over the last 2 years of excess income and lining out the things that don't make us happy. Thanks for the excellent resource, and looking forward to Mustaching it up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tiger Stache on August 01, 2016, 02:51:36 PM
What up. Married, three mini staches. I am the one that does all the finances, so wanted to join to learn and share tips to get to two commas faster.

Been reading for about a week. Not sure where I first read about this, maybe while lurking at bogleheads. Listen to Ramsey off and on, but mostly for the drama stories.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thehungrycuttlefish on August 01, 2016, 03:08:17 PM
Well hello! My name is Lindsay and I'm a graphic designer living in Florida.

I'm married and we have 1 child, a son who is almost 9 months old. We also have 3 lovely cats.

I am really struggling financially and through Youtube surfing, the MMM name came up a few times and I decided to take the plunge!

I'm a YNAB user and while we're not overdrafting anymore, we are living paycheck to paycheck with zero savings. Terrifying, I know. 

My issues:
- I have over 6 figures of student loan debt from private art college, though only a small portion of it is federal
- We have 2 cars and 1 really expensive car payment
- We have expensive phones and a phone plan through T-Mobile
- We spend wayyyy too much money on groceries
- Due to a tax exemption issue, I still owe the IRS about $800 from 2015's taxes
- We have zero emergency savings

We have a lot of places we can trim, but I think the hardest thing will be getting my husband on board. I'm hoping to arm myself with as much data as possible to help him/us success.

I look forward to chatting with everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LadyFI on August 02, 2016, 06:57:25 PM
LadyFI here. I'm a long-time lurker (2 years maybe?) who finally decided to sign up.

DH & I are late 30s/early 40s with one preschool age kiddo.
We are FI - I'm a SAHM and DH plans to RE early next year.
We just moved from an e(xtremely)HCOL area to a regular HCOL one to accelerate FIRE.

Love the forums and am looking forward to participating!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GrumpyPenguin on August 03, 2016, 08:50:01 AM
Hi folks!

I've been posting throughout the forum, but never did get to introducing myself here. 

I'm early 30s, live in the DC metro area, and love reading FIRE blogs and forums :).  Recently hit FI but haven't retired yet. Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CareCPA on August 04, 2016, 09:03:03 AM
Hi everyone.

The wife and I have been reading the website/forums for about a year now, and finally decided to join in to participate. We are mid-20's CPAs who are fine-tuning our spending optimization. We've hit most of the low-hanging fruit, and we're working out squeezing out any additional amounts we can. We look forward to interacting with everyone here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cshell on August 04, 2016, 11:04:43 AM
Hello!

I'm a 22 year old aspiring CPA located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I've been lurking for a few months now and decided it's finally time to contribute!

Growing up, my parents had extremely mismanaged finances. We went dumpster diving, ate the McDonald's dollar menu daily, could never afford to play school sports, etc.. Our family went on two modest vacations growing up--the only two times I ever left the state of Oklahoma until I turned 18. We mostly stayed within a 30 mile radius of our house. I thought I was so neglected growing up, I was so resentful. I wanted nice name-brand clothes and to do and see things that my friends had done. So, naturally, I got a job the week I turned 16 and spent every penny (plus some) from the time I was 16 till about a year and a half ago. I bought expensive clothes, purses, shoes, food, and vacations. Eventually, I realized that having expensive things wouldn't make me any happier and thus begins my journey to FI.

I paid off about $8,000 worth of credit card debt in February working full-time as a bookkeeper (and going to school full-time) with a modest hourly wage. My next financial goal is the $5,000 I have remaining on my car loan. I intend to have that paid off before the end of the year. I just started contributing 3% of my pay (my employer's match) into my 401k. I have a little over $1,000 in an emergency fund. Things are looking up and I'm happier than I've ever been.

I graduate in December with a BS in accounting and $22,000 in student loan debt. After I graduate, I need 15 more hours before I can sit for my CPA exam, so I'll probably be a student for another half year after I graduate. Hoping to have my student loan paid off within two years after I pay off my car loan. Also hoping to land a well-paying job soon!

I currently rent an apartment in Tulsa with my boyfriend and the best dog in the world. My boyfriend grew up more on the opposite end of the spectrum: his parents had a lot of money and were very generous with their spending. That money stopped whenever he turned 18 (long story). His lifestyle, however, didn't decrease when the money stopped. We're now both in pretty much the same financial situation. He is a little more reluctant to be frugal, but we're making progress.

I'm determined to get out of debt and have a significant savings so that I can travel and relocate to a different part of the US with better weather and less natural disasters. (Really sick of the tornadoes and earthquakes.)

I realize now that I was being a spoiled melodramatic brat and I now understand the importance of being frugal.  I had to learn an expensive lesson to get here, but I'm glad I learned my lesson at 22 rather than later down the road when my mistakes will be much harder to fix.

Nice to meet everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cab591 on August 04, 2016, 07:28:37 PM
Long time lurker, made a thread already celebrating a goal, but figured a proper introduction was in order.

Name's Chris. Currently live in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Work for a fortune 500 company, and do military stuff on weekends. Also work occasionally on a racetrack. Just hit a major milestone, am officially out of debt! Can't wait to start growing my net worth.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalFarmer on August 05, 2016, 11:49:10 AM
Hi!

I found the MMM blog about two years ago, and since then I've read all the blog posts twice.  I love the articles because they are so aligned with the goals and values I already practice, but at an even higher level of badassity!  For example, I had already been bicycling to the grocery store and for all short errands for years.  But MMM gave me the inspiration to start biking to work full time (9 miles each way) and even in winter!  I have squeezed even more out of my budget thanks to this blog, and I am now buying index funds instead of hiding my money in a savings account.  I'm 4 years from FI at my current calculation, but I'm working hard to cut that down to 2-3 years.  I'm a software engineer / photographer / farmer, and I don't desire to quit pursuing any of those passions.  However, I've always had a deep desire to be able to live life on my own terms, cut out the bullshit, and bring my own ideas to life instead of implementing someone else's idea.  Looking forward to joining the discussion after 2 years of lurking!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LivlongnProsper on August 05, 2016, 04:17:05 PM
Hello Everyone,

I have been lurking for a while and learned a lot from you all. I have always been frugal and saved but MMM opened my eyes to the possibility of retiring earlier than I thought possible. I am married with three kids and live in Washington. I am a retired Navy nuke, currently working for the federal government. I look forward to continue learning from this community and making some positive contributions as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DebtFreeinPhilly on August 06, 2016, 06:17:27 PM
Hey Everyone!

My name is Brian and I live near Philadelphia. I recently found the MMM blog and now this forum...I'm excited to get my Stache going. I'm 35 and my goal is to retire completely in the next decade.

Looking forward to it all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ceichanski on August 06, 2016, 08:46:04 PM
Howdy! Name is _______and have two young children with my beautiful wife. Decided it was time to learn about savings and investing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mulligan on August 07, 2016, 05:01:41 PM
Greetings Everyone,

I wanted to introduce myself before posting a few questions about leaving the full time workforce.  Here's details:

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mulligan on August 07, 2016, 05:20:02 PM
I hit that send button before providing my details:

•   I've been living in Texas the last 16 years with my wife and two children
•   Both of my kids are in college, my youngest is a freshmen, oldest a senior
•   My wife and I are in our mid-fifties, and since moving to Texas have been able to save about 40 percent of our take home income
•   I work for a megacorp and the grind is starting to take a toll
•   I’ve been saving in a company sponsored 401k plan for 30 years
•   Really want to bail out of the corporate job and find my niche either working part-time, or maybe seasonally or not at all

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brokemillennial on August 07, 2016, 06:04:32 PM
Been reading the blog for a while, finally getting the nerve to post in the forums!

I am in my late 20's, single/no kids, working in healthcare administration and living in a major US city. No college degree, but $50,000 in student debt (all federal loans, thank god), plus another ~$6500 in credit cards. But I do have around $1300 in a savings account and another $6500 in my 401(k). Currently making around $23,000 after tax and health insurance, which is the most I've ever made. I currently live on about half that, more if you count my debt payments.

Originally, I had been paying around $10/month through income-based repayment, until I realized that my payments were so small that I was effectively adding $250/month in interest to my student loan balance, and I was basically screwing Future Me over. So now my goal is to throw as much as I can towards my credit cards, and then put everything towards my student loans. I should be debt-free in less than six years. I believe in making my goals public for accountability, so I've started a blog (http://www.simplyworthsaving.com/) to talk about my financial journey and to keep myself on track!

I'm planning to finish my degree since my employer will cover the cost of my tuition, and I should graduate next summer (hopefully). I also am learning web development and wordpress through Treehouse, and I'm trying to come up with another side hustle or two.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Enigma on August 08, 2016, 11:57:37 AM
I am in my mid 30's, single/no kids, working in computers/IT and living Washington DC. Both a BS in mathematics and a master's degree in IT.  I own almost 1.3M in residential properties in which 75% of that is paid off.  My monthly rental income tends to be around 15k with various expenses.  As for my job I tend to bring in about 6k a month from that.  Overall I live well below my means and have focused on paying off my debt.

I am thinking about FI and have even thought about retiring early.  Especially because I havent enjoyed my job...  Lately though it is starting to grow on me a little better.  The longer I work the faster I am paying off my debt.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MinimalistMark on August 09, 2016, 10:13:52 AM
Hey Everyone,

Loooong time lurker, finally posting!
Still early on my frugal/FI journey, hoping to further optimize my lifestyle and increase fulfillment by shedding dependence on excess and the corporate craziness I currently endure to fuel it. Part of that challenge is balancing relationships with spendy friends and family who consistently provide distractions and speedbumps on the path to financial responsibility *ugh*
I'm in my late 20s, single/no kids, working in Finance (MBA) in the tri-state area making decent money. In the short term (1yr), I plan to pay off my 15k-ish student debt and start saving for a house downpayment. I currently contribute up to the company match in a work 401k but will increase that once my loan is paid off. Hope to learn from many of you, with the relevant reality checks as needed going forward! Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MntnFIRE on August 09, 2016, 12:15:17 PM
Hi,

Another long time lurker here. I've been reading MMM since almost the beginning of the blog. I've always been adverse to debt and spending on status symbols - cars, cloths, etc. I was fortunate to read "Your Money or Your Life" at the beginning of my career which helped clarify ideas. I FIRED about 2 years ago but am still in the process of fully transitioning to a non-working life (moving to LCOL area, etc.). I'm primarily interesting in investing and withdrawal strategies, paying for health care, emotional/psychological adaptation to not working, etc.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mustache -March-ing on August 10, 2016, 06:02:20 AM
Hi!

I'm Ryan and am new to the idea of FI. Make plenty of $$ but can't seem to ever save any.

No degree and married to a hard working full-timer for both school and work.

Washington DC is home for now until USAF decides otherwise, which I can't wait for.

Any help or advice on getting started here is appreciated, right now just excited to browse through everything,

Mustache -March-ing
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: runningthroughFIRE on August 10, 2016, 09:24:55 AM
Hi!

I'm Ryan and am new to the idea of FI. Make plenty of $$ but can't seem to ever save any.

No degree and married to a hard working full-timer for both school and work.

Washington DC is home for now until USAF decides otherwise, which I can't wait for.

Any help or advice on getting started here is appreciated, right now just excited to browse through everything,

Mustache -March-ing
If you're willing, the best way to get advice is to post a case study in the Ask A Mustachian section of the forums.  There's a list of suggestions to include stickied at the top, but here's a link for the lazy (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-write-a-'case-study'-topic/).

It might seem like it's a lot of personal detail, but we're pretty open about this stuff here.  The best tip for anyone starting out is to track your expenses using Mint, YNAB, or similar (and reading the main MMM blog).  It'll help you fill out a case study, too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Waterbug on August 10, 2016, 12:15:51 PM
Hi everyone!

I am in my mid 30s, my husband is in his mid 40s, and we have an adorable toddler. We are happily living in the beautiful state of Oregon.

I learned about MMM through a coworker when he told me his plans to save 60% of his income and sent me a link to the 'Shockingly Simple Math behind Early Retirement'. I was intrigued and started reading through the site and found the article 'Your Debt is an Emergency'. That is still my favorite article because it helped me convince my husband that our debt (in the form of credit cards and car loans) was an emergency. I can happily say that now it is all gone!

I am now ready to move on to the next chapter of planning our financial future and look forward to learning from and with you all.  Here we go!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Maenad on August 10, 2016, 04:41:04 PM
I've been lurking for a while, but figured I should at least post an intro. I'm 41, spouse is 40, we're both engineers just about at the peak of our careers, and so far planning on retiring in ~3.5 years. We both make plenty of money, have just a small mortgage with about a year left of payments, and we're saving 50% of our gross without breaking a sweat. We're not nearly as Mustachian as a lot of folks here, but I really enjoy the discussions and thought-provoking ideas.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyRatRace on August 10, 2016, 11:11:13 PM
Hey all the awesome mustachians.

35 years old, 3 kids, 2 cars, 1 house, no debt. No "rainy days" fund as well :( , but working on it.

Entrepreneur by spirit, trying to kick off a side-business.

It's a pleasure to meet you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thoughtfullymark on August 11, 2016, 10:21:18 AM
After reading through three full years of posts I figured it was time to spice things up and join the forum.

I'm Mark. I am a recent college graduate working as an engineer. I have a savings rate of about 75% and look forward to learning tons of tips and tricks here on the forum to increase that.

I'm looking forward to meeting and interacting with all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fearthebait on August 13, 2016, 03:50:39 AM
Hello friends,
   I just stumbled upon this site from REDDIT after following their investing advice for a few months. I am so bummed I didn't know about this site for the last 5 years as it has been eye opening.

Anyway...26yrs old, no family, no debt since March, loving the Army life. VERY excited to keep up with this community and maybe meet some of you in the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Spog on August 14, 2016, 10:20:43 AM
Hi all,

I was referred by a friend who is also quite interested in FI. I have been reading through all the posts from the beginning and have already made some changes, including, most excitingly, getting a free bike today. However, I have an unavoidable 87 mile round-trip commute for the next 10 months, which, although I do get 45p to the mile travel expenses to make the journey, does lead to 'wussy' spending decisions on treats/easy meals and the like as I feel I deserve them (especially on days that I get back late) which is why the net worth is £0 and the waistline has expanded.

I'm looking forward to changing that, however!

James
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: smallpeachfuzz on August 16, 2016, 02:57:56 PM
Hi everyone,

I got introduced to MMM a couple of weeks ago and now I'm trying to get through all the posts from 2011. I'll be starting undergrad soon and am specifically looking for ways to reduce my potential debt and work towards FIRE at the same time. I did not apply for scholarships or get a side-hustle to pay for college because parents told me not to worry, but I'm raring to take charge of my own finances. I'm just glad I was able to find this blog and forum so early.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: littlelykke on August 17, 2016, 12:56:39 PM
Hi!

I'm Lykke, 25-year old girl from the Netherlands. My boyfriend and I have just bought a house and have started living together. So now it's time to get our finances on track to be financially independent in some time. We have just started and are still calculating a lot. What is realistic for our situation, etc. etc.
Hope to learn a lot here!

Lykke
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Charlie Foxtrot on August 17, 2016, 01:04:35 PM
Hello new best friends!

I'm Charlie. Im 41 and live in NE Ohio with wife and two little girls. Glad I had the second before I read that I should only have one kid! Shooting for FIRE class of 2017!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NghtSkyyStarz on August 18, 2016, 10:17:03 AM
I guess I should intro myself. I'm a 33YO F, married with 1 child + 1 on the way. I've spend some time stumbling around the forum, read many of MMM posts online after finding his site from a Pinterest post. I like what I have read but I don't have much experience with financial planning and investing. I've read a couple of books, like Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover and Alan Haft's You Can Never Be Too Rich. I recently realized that I've been surviving on half of my annual gross earnings for my salary and my husband's salary (about half that of mine) which is left after all our deductions come out and we get our take home Net Pay. For while now I've been trying to figure out why I'm so broke every week, but it's all starting to clique. Last year we bought a brand new SUV and a $400k+ house and it's really been a challenge to stay afloat with medical bills and whatnot. I always thought I was a reasonable responsible person with my finances having only a handful of debt besides the house and car but now I'm starting to rethink that. So I'm here to see what other snippets I can pick up on things I'm doing wrong and how to be more successful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shini on August 18, 2016, 09:29:25 PM
Hi there!

I'm 30 this year and I'm from pretty far away in Singapore!

I have never been good at the money stuff. Throughout my twenties I was a dreamer (in many ways I still am) and was always looking for a passion and something that would give me freedom - in all senses of the word. I never had much money in the bank, and whenever I had some I'd spend them all away. I'm not very interested in status symbols, but I love food and books and travel and cameras and other hobby-related toys, so much of my money was spent on these stuff, lots and lots of stuff.

(I also didn't have a good core mindset about money. I thought money was there to be spent, to buy experiences and stuff I like. But I have since realised that money buys freedom, and that is what I yearn for the most.)

About 3 years ago I began working as a freelance photographer. I'd finally found something I was good at and that I loved to do. Over time my career picked up and I began to earn money - more than I have ever earned in my life previously! Sometimes I'd earn up to SGD$20,000 in 2 days for an advertising shoot. Over the last 3 years I think I have earned about at least $200,000 of clean profit from my work as a photographer, but at the end of each year I'd never have more than $10k-$15k in my bank left. Most of the money earned was squandered away. I simply didn't know how to keep my money. And to help give you some perspective, I don't have to feed anyone else other than myself!

Months ago, near the beginning of the year, I began to wake up from this horrible financial nightmare. I swore to start saving properly. I was sick of earning money and then throwing them away at... God knows what. It was around this time that I found the financial independence blogging community. It really opened my eyes. My heart was beating so fast reading all of the inspiring accounts. I began to make some changes in my lifestyle, but it wasn't until I found Mr Money Mustache that I really got spurred into feverish action!

Since then I have accumulated about $30,000 in liquid assets, the most I have ever had in my life. The good thing is I have no debt at all (my one good financial saving grace!). Every month I am putting away at least $3,000 in my savings account - hoping to increase that amount drastically over time.

I have since:
- cut off all my internet subscriptions (still trying to wean myself off Netflix though)
- stopped eating at expensive restaurants every other meal;
- stopped buying brand new books and started borrowing them from the library instead;
- stopped traveling so voraciously (I have already been to more than 10 cities across the world this year alone, from Japan to Europe to the US);
- stopped buying random big ticket items like foldable bikes, original art works (this happened during my I-want-to-be-an-art-collector phase), the newest iPad / kindle, etc;
- stopped shopping and buying things in general (unless I really need it, like the external hard drive I just bought to replace my old used-up one);
- started taking public transport instead of driving the car I share with my friend or cabbing everywhere;
- started tracking my expenses religiously (and now I have a much better idea of what I spend on every month!)

In other words, I am a far different person from a few months ago, and I have to thank Mr Money Mustache for this new mindset. I now understand that it's not about how much money I make, but about how much I can save and invest. But of course, I am always working on making more money doing things I like (a strong principle of mine) and I hope to eventually retire / achieve financial independence by age 35.

I know it sounds pretty impossible to most people, but I believe I can do it!

There's still lots I need to learn from MMM and the very inspiring community here.

=)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on August 18, 2016, 09:43:52 PM
Welcome Shini and thanks for sharing! Great story and glad to hear you're on your way to gaining true freedom.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: luchorpan on August 20, 2016, 09:50:55 AM
I've lurked for a while and just made my first post. I love this forum and site!

27 with a 30-yr-old spouse. Both in overeducated but low-paying career tracks. FIRE is a ways off, but we demolished our student loans last year and we've always tried to live off one income so we could transition into the kid years with maximum flexibility. This site has helped transform our saver instincts into proper 'stasher instincts.

Teensy-tiny FU story: I quit my old job/grad degree because I was unhappy. Had no job lined up but knew we could get by for a while on just my spouse's grad stipend. I didn't quite understand why a committee member told me I could always work at Starbucks until I found something, until I realized financial stability isn't universal... got a job offer on my very last day. :)
That job unfortunately came with a 30-mile commute, so I got hooked on MMM from the clown commute post. I worked there one year, but just started a new local job that I'm really enjoying, and I plan to try out a bike commute next week.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: amnash on August 20, 2016, 09:46:51 PM
Hello,

How's everyone?  I'm a late 20's nursing student in Central New Jersey (shoot me now at how expensive this state is), originally from bubble-fudge (explicative censored here) Mississippi. Howdy ya'll? I am also a distance runner who enjoys occasional rock climbing, cycling (my newest hobby), and moderate amount of hiking if time allows. 

I love this site, as I tend to lurk a couple times a week for long intervals searching articles. Looking forward to future articles and everyone's experience.

Toodles,
Amnash
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FlemSnopes on August 23, 2016, 10:18:44 AM
Hi!

I'm a 32 year old lawyer.
 I took a trip to my wife's mother's (my mother-in-law) homeland in Central America last year and realized I wanted to:

A) Move there as soon as feasible
B) Retire or semi-retire very early
C) Raise my kid(s) in the more positive, pro-family environment of that country

I had another revelation last summer: that, once I move, I don't want to pay the USA taxes anymore, as I have deep moral disagreements with how much of my money is being used by the government. So I suppose that means renouncing citizenship.

This summer, I realized that there was only one way to do this - making as much money as possible in a short period of time, spending as little money as possible in that time, and acquiring any and all skills needed to make the eventual transition to a foreign country.

My hobbies are cheap: I like reading, playing a number of instruments (haven't bought any new equipment in 8 years), competing in club-level sports, and camping/outdoors.

My wife is mostly onboard. She's an obsessive deal-finder but probably buys too much stuff. I'll likely have to push to convince her to leave the USA but feel confident that I'll be able to.

We have one daughter right now, who is the greatest thing in the world.

I'm in a relatively cheap area and think my mortgage isn't too bad. I make approximately $85/hour gross, $60 net. I try to bill around 9 or 10 hours every day.

The millstone around our neck is the $150,000 in student loan debt we've got.  My biggest financial weakness is spending too much on charity and causes I believe in.

I look forward to meeting all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: damnedbee on August 23, 2016, 11:54:34 AM
Hi, all!

I'm a 40-year-old single female with no kids and a quest to find the world's best beach bar.

I only recently got serious about FIRE. I spent the last few years following Dave Ramsey's plan and successfully got out of debt and built an emergency fund--an amazing feeling. After that, I felt like, what now? I graduated to harder-core MMM principles, and the stars aligned. I spent a month or so obsessively reading every MMM post and running numbers through every calculator out there. Without my even realizing it, my attitude toward money changed from one of dread and stress to one of joy and freedom. I'm feeling a lot more educated about investing in general, and have a good vision of where I need to be. Although I must admit, I've yet to hit the point where my eyes don't glaze over from reading about tax shelters and backdoor Roth conversions.

I'm hoping to FIRE in 10 years (stretch goal) but am confident that it will be within 12. I love my field (publishing) but am burned out from the corporate rat race and have been setting up an LLC to go freelance in the next year. I'm hesitating to make the leap because of how the shift might impact my FIRE goal. I'm also looking to move to a lower COL area to make my FIRE plan work but haven't picked where. The research is fun, though. Because I've only recently embraced a more Mustachian lifestyle, and things are uncertain with my career and relocation plans, I'm having a hard time estimating my future spending for FIRE purposes.

My short-term goals are to bolster emergency savings to cushion my move to freelance and increase my investment savings rate from 30% to 45%.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Saskatchewstachian on August 25, 2016, 11:21:26 AM
Hello,

Another Canuck joining the MMM party from Saskatchewan. I am 25YO and a mechanical engineer with a mining company married to the greatest wife (Registered Nurse) and no kid, yet. I stumbled onto the April fool's article about MMM spending rising to over $250,000. Because it was my first article I was actually surprised when I got to the end and he was joking. Since then I have read every article ever posted and now have moved onto the forum.

I love spreadsheets and even before finding MMM i have been tracking every cent I have made or spent since my first university internship in 2012 (makes for a very cool graph). Since DW and I are new to MMM we are working on the basics like getting rid of the $100/month/person cell phone plans and other other obvious items that deserve a good face punch.

Don't have a FIRE date set yet but have a great spreadsheet set up (shocker i know) to look at all the different variable including return rates, spending rate, contributions between TFSA's, RRSP's, company matches, tax rates, etc. Thinking maybe around the 45YO mark.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs Brave on August 25, 2016, 04:08:56 PM
Hello, I am Mrs Brave. Mr Brave and I have been married 31 years and have 3 now adult children.

We have no debts other than a mortgage.

We got started on this a little late, but we are here now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moneetalks on August 27, 2016, 12:07:12 AM
Hi, I'm David.  I stumbled upon MMM a couple years ago and binge-read the whole list.  I must confess to only "partial" badassity.  But better than none, right?!  Congrats on a great thing you and your family have got here,  Mrs MM! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GailNYC on August 27, 2016, 12:03:07 PM
Hi, I'm Gail. I found this website after reading about MMM in the New Yorker magazine last February or March. Although I am not a badass and probably never will be, MMM has changed my life in several ways. I'm a teacher, and I now own a bike and bike to work 2-3 days a week. I've started line-drying my clothes. I moved my emergency fund to a bond index fund from a savings account and am no longer throwing away money (in that way, anyway). I switched to Cricket from AT&T and am now paying half what I used to for my cellphone plan. MMM and his readers give me a lot to think about, especially about making environmentally conscious choices. So thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GailNYC on August 27, 2016, 08:48:09 PM
Oh, I should probably add that I'm 51 years old and a high school English teacher living in the Bronx, in New York. So not really your target audience, but I get a lot out of this site anyway.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on August 27, 2016, 09:23:47 PM
Oh, I should probably add that I'm 51 years old and a high school English teacher living in the Bronx, in New York. So not really your target audience, but I get a lot out of this site anyway.

Oh, arebelspy (and his wife) were both teachers. Find them.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ketojenn on August 28, 2016, 11:35:22 AM
Hello, I'm Jenn!  I'm 42 years old, married for 19 years and we have 5 children, 3 still at home.  We live in a very tiny town in the middle of North Dakota.  We could be financially independent by now, but have been rather stupid over the years.  We are just now joining the party, so to speak.  I'm hoping to fix things and be FI when our youngest graduates in 10 years.

We do have one thing going for us, our house is fully paid for.  Unfortunately it's location is less than ideal.  We may move in the next few years.  North Dakota has been good for us.  We moved here 7 years ago with our last dollar and started from scratch.  We paid off the house and have taken several fun trips, but haven't saved anything.  We always had the 'can't take it with you' mindset.  That has to change.  I want to live near recreation and go car free.  Not going to happen here.

I do ride my bike everywhere I can.  No one out here walks or rides a bike, even though the town is only 5 blocks long, and 4 blocks wide.  I get teased.  I don't mind.  I work part time for the USPS, or as I like to think of it, I get paid to hang out a couple hours a day and chat with people.  My commute is less than 5 minutes or 2 1/2 blocks, my husband drives for a major company and parks his semi one block from home.  I also have several side hustles going and plan to put all that income right into investments as soon as I pay off all credit cards and the car loan we never should have gotten. 

The hardest part has been changing our way of thinking.  Now that I see our money differently I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to get started.  So glad to find this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tyler2016 on August 28, 2016, 11:40:02 AM
Hello,

I found mrmoneymustache.com when looking for ways to reduce my utility and grocery bills about a year ago.  I have always been somewhat frugal, saved, avoided debt as much as possible, and invested, but MMM has motivated me to take it further.

I like what I do, but really hate having a full time job. I feel like I am missing seeing my children grow up.  I have FU money, but still have a ways to go before I am FI. I hate being dependent on having a job, and that any of a small handful of people could cause serious damage to my finances if they decide they want to get rid of me. Whats worse, they are good people now, but what about in five years. My boss or his boss could leave and be replaced by some sociopath.  I hate thinking that I am spending 40% of my waking hours working, commuting, or preparing for work.  This dependency on a job, and the amount of time it eats up, is my biggest cause of stress.

Since I found MMM, I have been aggressively paying down debt and investing, and buying nothing for myself. I'd rather have time to do things then more stuff. I started a website (the one attached to my profile) to turn my professional skills into passive income (suggestions welcomed).


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TexasEric on August 28, 2016, 08:07:01 PM
I am Eric from the Houston area, and I am 34. My wife and I have a 2 year old and we are seriously thinking of having another. We both have decent jobs. We actually used MMM's advice to payoff my wife's student loans, our car notes, and save for our daughters birth. Since then we have sold our house and moved MUCH closer to our jobs and daycare.
After she was born then we have relapsed into financial insanity. Buying a shiny red Jeep, and no longer tracking our expenses.
Our FU money is gone, but have a fully funded emergency fund that could be put toward a house new house account we are saving for.

I am taking responsibility and getting us completely back on the right path.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Regular Guy on August 30, 2016, 10:49:44 AM
Hi all,
I'm an Army officer currently enjoying a year long all expenses paid vacation in beautiful Afghanistan.  I was recently turned on to this site and have been devouring MMM posts over the last few days.  I've even shared this blog with some of my fellow Soldiers.

Looking forward to try to adopt some of these practices once I get back home to the states, my house, my wife, and my two teenage daughters.  The hard part will be convincing the rest of the people in my household to join in the frugal fun.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: catan on August 30, 2016, 07:02:28 PM
Hi all! I'm a single mother of two young kids. Very excited to have stumbled onto MMM blog and forum. I've always considered myself frugal and lived within my means, but have done nothing towards investments or saving for retirement, only cash in the bank due to major changes in the past 8 years (moves, marriage, kids, divorce). Living abroad now and looking to return to the US in the next 6 months.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kapnfriday on August 31, 2016, 07:06:01 PM
Hello fellow mustachians.  I'm 46 and recently discovered the MMM blog and have been making a lot of changes - cut cable and dish, reduced my auto and home owners policies by about $400/year, increased my 403b contribution, cut my own hair, started biking to work again - at least once or twice a week.  My wife is 44 and can retire in 10 years from the state of NC with 30 years of service.  This realization got me thinking, "hey, I want to retire in 10 years too."  We aren't starting from scratch, so that helps, but there are some hurdles we'll have to overcome to get there.  I've very much enjoyed reading these forums - very inspiring.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nemesis. on August 31, 2016, 09:00:34 PM
Hello all you wonderful mustachians!
I'm a 44 year old single architect living in Houston.
I stumbled upon MMM about a month ago and it was like the heavens parted and the sun shone down!
I've been pretty frugal most of my life and really wanted to retire early but didn't think it was possible. Those traditional calculators are awful for potential mustachians!
Anyway, I've spent the last two years trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life because I was not happy and I knew it.
I finally have my path forward and it feels amazing! I have between 6-10 years to FI depending on a number of variables but have already gone from a 25% savings rate to about 51%.
So glad to have such a supportive community to make this journey with!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kelo11 on September 01, 2016, 08:05:00 AM
Hi all,

28yo here, living in the DC Metro area. High COL and High lifestyle inflation around here. Found MMM about 2 years ago, but have always been naturally frugal thanks to parents that helped me learn to value the money I earned. Made some mistakes in the past, didn't invest as much as I should have after college, but am on the right course now. Paid off $40K in student loans 2 years ago (5 years early), paid off my car note 2 years early, use credit card for everyday expenses (rewards) and pay off in full each month. Do everything myself that I can, no use paying someone else for convenience. Cut cable, saving about 60% of take home pay, and maxing 401K, Roth IRA and HSA annually. No debt.

Live with the beautiful soon-to-be Mrs. Kelo in a basic no frills one bedroom apt. Recently got her into the MMM lifestyle, bought her a bike, use public transit more, buy food in bulk (costco) and sold off her unnecessary gas guzzling wrangler she was paying $500 a month to rent from the stealership, so she can start attacking the rest of her student loans (Approx. $35K). Now looking to get her something older, smaller, more reliable and longer lasting. Also teaching her more about saving for retirement/investment and padding our stache as much as we can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rubyvroom on September 01, 2016, 08:46:21 AM
Hello!

I've been lurking a few months now and catching up on old MMM blog posts, but wanted to officially join and introduce myself.

My husband and I live in Minnesota and are hopefully on our way to FIRE in the 2020-2022 time frame. I literally just did my monthly tally of where we landed at the end of August, and we're up $55K from the beginning of the year in terms of net worth. Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'" is now stuck in my head after seeing how well we're doing. :)

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were in worse financial shape. Maybe because it was only 2013... we still had student debt, car debt, and our home mortgage was at a ~6% rate. 2013 was the year we finally got our adult lives together as I like to say, although it took us till our early 30s to figure that out. We refinanced our mortgage (3.25%), paid off the student debt and car debt, and have had nothing but a mortgage outstanding since. We never had credit card debt, thankfully.

This will be the first year we max out our 401ks, max out our HSA, and have an ample emergency fund available. I've also been tracking and making small changes to reduce our expenses all year. I believe we're approaching a 50% saving rate.

I would say the area I'm struggling the most with is feeling comfortable diving into taxable investments when I know we want to buy land and build an Earthship with cash in 4-6 years (p.s. if there are any other Earthship fanatics out there, I'd love to talk more about this). I'm reading/learning more about investing though and I'll get there. It's purely a psychological block I have to get past.

Anyway... I've already found a ton of good info here, so thanks for the informative posts. I'm glad to have found this blog and forum community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frugalmaybe on September 01, 2016, 07:03:26 PM
Hi,

Just found this site today. Read the first few posts, and it resonated a bit as I'm in my 40s now, have maxed out my 401k and have a lot of disposable income, but I spend too much and have only just started thinking about investing strategies.

Some facts about me, that are probably relevant(but nonetheless will be organized randomly here):
- I live in a very, very expensive part of a very, very expensive city. I.e. my rent is just under 3k/month for a one bedroom. But it's extremely important to me to have a comfortable apartment (and this one's close to work).
- I'm planning to move out of this area within a year or two
- I am relatively frugal compared to my coworkers and friends in the same profession in this city, but i still spend 2k a year on clothes, probably 5-7k on food per year, and my passion is travel so I spend about 10k-ish a year on that. I generally don't care about "prestige" when I buy things, but I do care about style with clothes, so I shop at h&m and buy timex watches, and value, with other consumer goods. When I owned a car it was a subaru and my laptops are always wintel.
- My salary is well above the median for my profession, but other than the 401k i'm not really saving money.
- When i moved to this apartment my salary was 60k a year lower (gross) and my rent was 500/month lower. I don't remember how much I was putting into 401k then, but say i wasn't saving any, then my salary was like 42k lower gross. Which is like 28k net. which is a little over 2.3k a month. So I could be saving at least 1800/month after taxes, but somehow i'm not :)
- I chose a very practical career, and it has always felt like the wrong "calling" but I've tried to make the best of it and when I like my coworkers and my work environment I like my job, despite not loving the work.

I have a lot of personal goals, some of which have nothing to do with money, and some that do. But some of the big ones have a huge opportunity cost as I am definitely planning to go back to school. So I'm trying to figure out how to make non-disastrous financial decisions without ignoring my "heart".

The education would take three years so the opportunity cost is high, given my current salary (and savings potential), but the income potential for the other profession is essentially identical (based on bls.gov salary data), though  i'd be starting over from entry level, so there is an opportunity cost with the lost seniority. And the cost for the degree is 50k + 3 years of living expenses.

In the near term, I'm beginning to look at after-tax investing...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cooperadyk on September 04, 2016, 07:57:37 AM
Hello all,

I discovered this site a couple of years ago, and really wish I had discovered it back when I started my PhD program instead of when I started to fail out of it. For the past two years I've been working as many odd academia-related jobs I could and living frugally, and managed to buy my first house this year! (I try not to think about the fact that if I had done this four years ago, the house I could have bought then would be worth twice as much now...) I actually call myself "semi-retired" now, since between my 10hr/wk job, tutoring gigs, collecting rent on my two larger bedrooms, and teaching one class in the summer, I can live (frugally) without eating into my savings.

I'm getting into coding, and thinking of doing some sort of startup or walking into a nice 6-figure  job for a year or two so that I can properly retire. But for now, I am just starting to bike and am picking up skills DIYing repairs around my house. Life's pretty grand, now that I think about it. But it's been hard to find other people in my situation, and it would be nice to!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hotrod on September 05, 2016, 03:34:54 PM
Hi. My name is Hotrod and I am trying to embark on spending less money. I am an electrical specialist with a large oil and gas company. My amazing frugal wife and I have 5 awesome kids. She has an education degree and has home schooled all of them until high school age. We have basically lived off my income the whole time. We lived on an amazing 10 acre acreage in a large house, renting it and renting out the basement suite. Lots of great memories, building a ice rink every year, a bobsled track,motorbiketrack and golf driving range. Unfortunately the owner sold his acreage so we moved into the city. We bought a $500,000 dollar house so now have a big mortgage. Trying to chip away at a 30k line of credit debt. I need to help my wife but still want to enjoy life and live every day like it is my last with no regrets. Any tips? If anyone needs electrical help feel free to ask me.
"Keep it real"
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yorch on September 05, 2016, 11:32:33 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm approaching 40, and living in Canada. Until early this year I was quite profligate and foolish in money matters, with a cushy job and a comfortable salary that somehow was never enough. I discovered Mr. Money Mustache through the New Yorker profile article, in February. Since then my partner and I:



Oh and the New Yorker subscription is not getting renewed: not worth it when I can access all material through my public library :-).

Many, many thanks to the Money Mustache family and community. You've been an inspiration and a life saver.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 on September 06, 2016, 01:37:11 AM
Hi. My name is Hotrod and I am trying to embark on spending less money. I am an electrical specialist with a large oil and gas company. My amazing frugal wife and I have 5 awesome kids. She has an education degree and has home schooled all of them until high school age. We have basically lived off my income the whole time. We lived on an amazing 10 acre acreage in a large house, renting it and renting out the basement suite. Lots of great memories, building a ice rink every year, a bobsled track,motorbiketrack and golf driving range. Unfortunately the owner sold his acreage so we moved into the city. We bought a $500,000 dollar house so now have a big mortgage. Trying to chip away at a 30k line of credit debt. I need to help my wife but still want to enjoy life and live every day like it is my last with no regrets. Any tips? If anyone needs electrical help feel free to ask me.
"Keep it real"

Obvious question... Can you sell the Hotrod to pay off the line of credit?

Of course, I'm assuming you have one based on your username :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nick_Miller on September 06, 2016, 06:58:49 AM
I am Nick Miller, a lovable law school dropout with a crooked nose and questionable hygiene living with 3 (4?)(sometimes 5?) wacky roommates in LA. No wait...that's my screen name's description.

In real life, I am a (still lovable) attorney, 42, married, with two elementary school-aged children. I discovered MMM a few months ago. We've been so stupid over the years, paying ourselves last, which typically resulted in our not paying ourselves at all. We haven't been outrageous, and we've paid off a lot of debt over the years, but we still have big law school debt and smallish investment accounts.

But that is changing! This I pledge, nay, promise!

The goal is for my wife and I to be FI in 10 years and be able to downshift in our careers from my age 52-62 so that we can travel more and work less while we're still relatively youngish and healthy. I would LOVE for my "downshift" to look like this: me tapping away on our home computer writing novels.  I've had one book published thus far - it's doing pretty well, and I'm working on #2 right now.

I really like this site! These people are fountains of information.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Macca on September 06, 2016, 07:53:47 AM
Hi guys,

I'm 37 years old and based in the UK. I have a very non-mustachian lifestyle and recently have realised that aspects of it are simply wasteful (for example eating out way too much due to laziness) and other aspects of it (buying high end luxury goods) are not particularly fulfilling, certainly when considered in light of the effort that has gone into earning the money. I have a not unsubstantial income stream from my self-employed job as well as other investments but the amount I shred through every month with little to show for it is ridiculous.

There are various other aspects of my life I've become a bit dissatisfied with, which I will go into a bit of detail on later. My initial goal, from starting to get a grip of my finances, is not necessarily super-early retirement or absolute pared-back living but really just to gain a better perspective on myself, what makes me (genuinely) happy, work a bit on those aspects of myself and my life that are dragging me down a bit and see what improvements I can make. I think then I'll be better placed to set goals for where I should be aiming to take my life in future. I think enough of the issues I am looking to deal with are related or can be related to Mustachian living that this would be a decent place to set out my goals and track my progress.

I'll start a journal shortly to provide a bit more background about myself, my situation, my "problems" and my goals. Hopefully it will be successful and provide me and others with some inspiration along the way.

Mac.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MuttIsMyCopilot on September 07, 2016, 01:59:06 PM
Greetings, y'all!

I stumbled on to the concept of mustachianism a few months ago and have been soaking up all the information I can. Figured it was time to join in. I'm currently married with two dogs and no kids in Arkansas. Growing up my family was fairly well off but never discussed money, so I've made a few significant financial missteps and am working on digging my way back out. I'm sure I'll lurk far more than I post, but am really enjoying the vast and varied knowledge this community has to offer.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Physicsteacher on September 07, 2016, 03:34:41 PM
Welcome, MuttIsMyCopilot! I'm a married Arkansan with two cats and no kids.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RichAndMeaningful on September 08, 2016, 10:43:37 AM
Hello everyone.

Just an early 20s millenial who likes to read and is excited to start working towards financial independence. I start working full-time in October.


My current financial situation is fine, flying to a new city to check out apartments before I sign a lease. Of course I'm using https://www.flyfrontier.com/ (http://Frontier Airlines) to find cheap tickets, and I'm also looking at cheap lodging for the few days that I'll be there.

Currently living at home with my parents. Been entertaining myself frugally with books from the local library, online reading, and practicing Spanish.

Edit: Interested in renting in several locations in the Midwest and Southwest US. Perhaps I'll look into owning rental properties once my finances are in order.

Edit2: I should clarify. My current financial situation isn't that fine, I'm about $26k in student debt, while I have about $4.5k in savings currently. I stay with my parents rent-free...in return I cover groceries now and then, cook major dinners for them 4x a week, and run errands whenever they ask me to. Pay for my own gas, but I don't pay car insurance.

I've got it pretty good with my parents right now.

Not making any money currently. I guess I could walk around my neighborhood and ask people if they need the lawns mowed...but more money isn't necessarily going to bring me more fulfillment!

I'm enjoying this time to just chill at home, learning and how to cook, and learning how to read. Taking mid-afternoon naps in the beautiful Georgia heat is something else!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KLK75 on September 08, 2016, 08:42:44 PM
Hi.  I'm new.  I'm getting my stuff together.  This forum has been very helpful to changing my frame of mind.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bones81 on September 08, 2016, 10:47:07 PM
Hi All,

35 year old single guy with no wife or kids.  Make good money and only debt is a mortgage and credit card I pay-off every month.  I max out my 401k and IRA contributions and save some additional money on top of this, but I also spend way more than a single guy should on going out, etc.  Looking to cut back on expenses (I've already dropped satellite TV for a cheaper Sling package) and trying to get an idea of what my magic FI number is as I really don't enjoy my career at the moment and figure out what I want to do once I no longer have to work. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dividendmentor on September 09, 2016, 10:32:20 AM
Hi all Mustachians!

Thank you for letting me become a member of this forum. I have been following this site for a while, and thought it was the about time to join.

I am a 30-year-old man, living in Copenhagen in Denmark. Not married, and no kids, at least not yet.

My goal is to achieve financial independence within 10 years. I love freedom!! I want to be choice whether I would like to work or not. I intend to achieve my goal trough savings and dividend growth investing. At the moment I am saving around 30 percent of my net Income.

I have been investing for a couple years, primarily in my local market (Danish equities). I started reading about dividend growth investing about 2-3 years ago, and I believe that it is the best long term investment strategy. Today, I consider myself being a dividend growth investor. I have therefore made a transition of my portfolio into dividend growing stocks within the last year or so. The transition is almost done, ny now.

I am really looking forward to joining this community.

DividendMentor


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Heleen on September 10, 2016, 05:31:29 AM
Hi all!

I'm a 27yo from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. I've discovered this website through my boyfriend, who I met 3 years ago. We happened to have similar spending habits, but for me it started when I was 22 or so because I wanted to care more about the environment (I don't own a car, my gas/electric bills have always been very low, I spend little money on food and clothing etc.) Just now I'm getting interested in the money saving part and gaining FI later on in life, my boyfriend teaches me a lot about what I should be doing with my money.

I'm in lawschool and work parttime. I have a students loan, but in the Netherlands the interest on this dept is lower than the interest on a plain savings account, you only have to pay if you earn above a certain income and if you cannot finish paying in 15 years because you income was too low, you don't have to pay at all anymore. So I guess I will keep working parttime, volunteer a lot and just keep my spending habbits as optimal as possible and I should still manage to save 60% of my income. :)

So far I love the positive energy and great tips on this forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cy on September 10, 2016, 11:27:36 AM
Hi! I'm Cy, a college student who.. has yet to touch any significant money? And is working on alternate life skills before that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: minimalistgamer on September 10, 2016, 04:25:17 PM
Greetings. I am from the US of A, from the midwest.

I've been reading MMM for a while now, and I tend to agree with a lot of what is said on the blog (there are others that I disagree quite a bit), but that's life right?

Anyway, see you all around.

-MG.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: summer.ruth2013 on September 10, 2016, 10:44:21 PM
Hi I am Summer. I am a married mom of 3 (10, 4, and 3). I came here to learn how to get a handle on my debt so I can help my husband with his.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Markk on September 11, 2016, 10:45:57 AM
Hello, my name is Mark K and came upon this MMM community a few months ago.
My wife and I have been working the Mustschian lifestyle and didn't know there were so many of us.
I have worked for the same company for 31 years, enjoyed my job...didn't love it, but enjoyed it...until a few years ago, the company merged with another and I now exist in a cubicle about two days a week (work at different field office the rest of the time).
The cubicle/office atmosphere is just soul crushing to me. I can retire in about three years and if I get laid off next week, that is ok. This website has enlightened me enough that I can walk away from my job if I need to.
The one thing that keeps me working is the health insurance issue. I am not ready to spend $1000 dollars a month, but I am educating myself on that also.
This forum and website is very informative and helpful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GreenShirt on September 11, 2016, 07:07:54 PM
Hello all, meet me!

I'm an infant in the adult world. I graduated college almost debt free about a year and a half ago and started working full time in the big city. My wife and I initially budgeted but stopped after a few months because it didn't seem to get us anywhere (silly us!). I enjoy my office job and what I do but it doesn't give me the warm fuzzy feelings that I experienced while working part-time as a tutor in college - though for obvious reasons, the difference in pay is night and day. I somehow discovered MMM 2 or 3 months back and since then have started budgeting again with my wife in an attempt to better the lives of our future selves.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: evearino on September 12, 2016, 06:17:16 PM
Hi. My name is Eve. I found MMM about 2 months ago and am working my way chronologically through his posts (almost to 2014). This is my first time actively 'reading a blog' and 'joining a forum.'

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

Mustachian cred: I already ride my bike to and fro, small Saturn Ion in driveway has no loans and rarely used, live close to everything, actively reducing my lifestyle inflation, thrift shop advocate.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIFoFum on September 13, 2016, 01:04:30 PM
Hi everyone!

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

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


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

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

I've been starting small - I ride my bike every day to work now, I have automated some savings from each paycheck, started cooking for myself (only for 2 weeks though, the challenge for me is going to be to stick to it), and I listed my ridiculous sports car for sale. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: newelljack on September 13, 2016, 08:34:27 PM
Hi, I'm Jack. I have been reading for over a year but am still working on my DW's conversion. Thanks for everyone's help in the Ask a Mustachian thread! No more face punches for me...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MightyMauler on September 15, 2016, 01:26:25 PM
Hi All-

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

I’m hoping that joining the MMM community will give me the inspiration I need to get fully on board and tighten up any slack in my budget.   It can be hard to stay frugal in a spendypants world and I’m hoping to use your collective wisdom for encouragement!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lucky Recardito on September 15, 2016, 01:56:38 PM
Hello! Been reading/lurking for the past year... just about to post my first question to the boards, so thought I'd drop by with a quick intro first!

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

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

Very much enjoying this blog and forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Eilonwy on September 15, 2016, 03:12:01 PM
Hi all.

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

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

Money was tight for awhile, but then the mortgage eased up and my husband started earning more. And we were both intimidated -- I grew up very poor -- and didn't know what the heck to do with any of the extra money. So I asked a friend who I knew managed on a small income and he pointed me to the MMM blog. So now I'm managing money and buying investments and stuff, and it's all still somewhat terrifying, but also satisfying.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zoomzip on September 16, 2016, 02:14:19 PM
Patent attorney in an expensive urban center - 37 years old with two young children.  I've been lurking for a while but have decided to join the fray on these message boards.  I have always been pretty frugal and a good start on FI (currently have half my FI goal in investment accounts and I have a good amount of equity in my home) - looking towards 2019/2020 for FI/RE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sharonpope on September 17, 2016, 11:29:50 PM
Hey everyone, 35 here with kids, looking forward to learn new things from this great community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MissMustache on September 18, 2016, 05:18:01 PM
Hey all!

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

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

I realized I'm more frugal than I thought, in comparison to the people I know but I know I can improve a lot.
I'm really enjoying learning with this community, let's keep it going :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BrokeLawyer on September 20, 2016, 04:41:07 PM
Hi all!

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

I purchased the house with my girlfriend (soon to be more than girlfriend). She makes 85k and has no debt. We are so very excited to get started in earnest as mustacheans!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Martin04 on September 21, 2016, 06:53:53 AM
Hi everyone!

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

Don't know much what to say if not that today is THE day I try something to get closer to retirement : I joined this forum :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: heyitsryan on September 23, 2016, 09:39:17 AM
Hello everyone,
     I'm Ryan.

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

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

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

I'm a Healthcare Administrator and married with 3 kiddos.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DailyGrindFree on September 24, 2016, 07:53:14 AM
Hi everyone, we are Mr. & Mrs. DailyGrindFree , I am in my late 40's and she is in her early 40's. We just got started to get serious about early retirement several months ago. We already have some accumulated for our retirement and hoping to retire in the middle of 2020 or some time in 2020. I didn't do the specific math and read about portfolio theory until just a few months ago. Since We realized that it was attainable if we lower our expenses and be smart with our money we decided to shoot for 2020. If we need additional income I can always work part time for a few more years. My ultimate goal is to be done with cubicles and 9-5 routine as soon as I can.

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

Here is where we stand as of today: http://www.dailygrindfree.com/net-worth/ (http://www.dailygrindfree.com/net-worth/)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Owl and the Pussycat on September 28, 2016, 07:19:16 AM
Hello,

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

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

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

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

The Owl
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MarcherLady on September 28, 2016, 09:19:08 AM
Hi Owl, welcome from a Midlander!

There are a few of us UK people about on the forums - and also a few who are escapees turncoats expats and are now in the US and other locations.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Owl and the Pussycat on September 28, 2016, 10:40:42 AM
Hi Owl, welcome from a Midlander!

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

Hi there,

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

Thanks for the welcome.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hideous Hog on September 28, 2016, 05:13:09 PM
*shuffles into the forum and looks around*

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

Ahem.  Sorry about that digression.

By day I fix computers.  By night, I'm an author.  At least, that's what I tell myself.  I hope to have my novel completed by the end of NaNoWriMo.  My wife is an attorney - not silk-stocking; she works for the government.  We live in Florida with two cats.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BalanceLife on September 29, 2016, 12:42:53 PM
Hi,

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

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

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

Thx
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: doug111 on September 29, 2016, 11:32:36 PM
Hi everyone,

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

I'll go first.

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

Who's next?
Hello my name is Doug, nice to meet you. I pretty much live in Portland Oregon or 5 minutes from there and I was soooooooo sad that I heard that your husband was here 2 nights ago !!!! I want to get a selfie with him soooooo bad !!!! Is he still in Portland right now on vacation maybe ?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Roundy on October 02, 2016, 12:33:26 AM
Hi, all. I've been reading the blog for a few weeks and taken a hard look at my current state of affairs in the process. Currently dealing with a huge pile of debt I placed myself under, but looking forward to accelerating the payoffs and stasching all of those workers in better places.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: camry78 on October 02, 2016, 02:03:38 PM
Hi, I read about Mr. Money Moustache when I was reading articles online about frugality (can't remember where exactly).  I've been reading the board for a while without signing up, so I finally signed up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Troutskigolf51 on October 03, 2016, 08:56:33 AM
Hi MMM community,
Brand new poster interested in getting my financial house in order.  I've recently have been doing a lot of reading on investing and more importantly retiring!
My spouse really would like to retire but isn't interested in finances and planning, so I have taken it upon myself to do the research and figure out a realistic plan where we could actually make it happen.
I've read a lot of posts here and like the tone and energy of the community.  I have lots of questions and especially clarifications and hope to find some answers and perspectives here.  Hopefully I will also be able to add something to the community from my own life experiences.
Thanks in advance,
Brandon

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hajade on October 03, 2016, 03:16:36 PM
Hey Mustachians. I'm a 22-year-old recently converted to Mustachianism by my 26-year-old fiancé. We are both lucky enough to have jobs we love, but are trying to configure our lifestyle so that we can A) be less wasteful and more badass, and B) be able to retire before having kids. See you around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tavish on October 04, 2016, 11:19:56 PM
Hi, I'm a long-time lurker, finally ready to join in the conversation.  I'm recently (mostly) FIRE'd, and look to MMM forums for advice and inspiration on frugality, investing, work, and most importantly,  how to live a good and meaningful life. 

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

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

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

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











Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: erinw on October 05, 2016, 12:53:21 PM
Hi, everyone!

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

I'm kicking myself for not having found this site while I was still in college or soon after I graduated, but I'm excited to get started now!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stein79 on October 06, 2016, 08:32:23 AM
Hey Folks, I've read through the forums on and off for the last year or two. 

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

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

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

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

Look forward to learning more from everyone here.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: filescopying on October 06, 2016, 08:13:41 PM
Hi I'm Marcus and I am learning to want what I have instead of buying more things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: redturtle on October 08, 2016, 10:42:15 PM
Hi guys, my name is Rob. I stumbled across this site through reddit. It seems to have some great resources! Looking forward to saving with all of you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: doodlebug77 on October 11, 2016, 10:51:32 AM
Hi, I'm doodlebug. I'm a 39-year-old divorced female who is going to graduate in May 2017 with an MBA... and tons of student loan debt (100K). I'll be moving to Boston next summer and making a good salary, so I'm interested in figuring out how to save for retirement and pay off my loans as aggressively as possible. I'm worried about being able to do so in such a high cost of living city. Any tips are greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: monocleman on October 11, 2016, 01:21:06 PM
Hi, I'm Chris.

I like beer.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eyerishgold on October 12, 2016, 04:12:29 PM
Hi Ya'll,

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

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



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jankle NSS on October 13, 2016, 09:36:29 PM
Hey Mustachians,

Really excited to be joining the community!

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

-Jankle
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 on October 14, 2016, 04:48:50 AM
Hi, everyone!

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

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

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

What are you going to do when those loans disappear?

Hi, I'm Chris.

I like beer.

I do too. I may have had a few too many tonight...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Enigma on October 14, 2016, 06:26:23 AM
Hey Mustachians,

Really excited to be joining the community!

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

-Jankle

Combined 27.9 years?  or average 27.9yrs?  I mean if it is combined does that mean you are both roughly 13.95yrs old?  Welcome to MMM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Enigma on October 14, 2016, 06:29:33 AM
Hi Ya'll,

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

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

Good luck!  I think I did better at saving when I started monitoring where I was spending money and why.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chris88 on October 14, 2016, 01:41:52 PM
Hi, I'm Chris if you couldnt tell by my really imaginative name <<<.

I am 28 from Tampa, FL and a long time lurker but new contributor.  My wife and I are very fortunate to own our own home, have over $700K in total net worth (including our home paid for) and a savings rate of around 70%.  I feel like we should be close to FIRE in a few years but my wife worries about an increase in lifestyle when kids come into the equation.  I'm wary of us falling into the "One More Year Syndrome".  After all I love my job. I work at a tech startup and get to wear shorts and flip flops with free food every day. Perfect for a Florida Mustachian!  Glad to be part of the community. I love biking to work and the looks my rich neighbors give me as they pull out of their driveways in their brand new BMWs.  It's refreshing to share a community with like minded individuals. Hard to find in my neighborhood.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jankle NSS on October 14, 2016, 03:57:06 PM
Hey Mustachians,

Really excited to be joining the community!

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

-Jankle

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


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

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shockers on October 14, 2016, 09:36:23 PM
Hi I am Jeff.  I am 42, married and we have two girls. 

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

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

Looking forward to learning from all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JimboJones31 on October 16, 2016, 03:42:25 AM
Hi All

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

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

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

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

Looking forward to being involved in the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tssuila on October 16, 2016, 02:55:19 PM
Hi Fellow Mustachians,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Glad to meet you all!

Noel
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: barkerl2 on October 17, 2016, 07:29:45 AM
Howdy,

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

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

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

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheUniverseGuru.Com on October 18, 2016, 10:36:17 AM
Hello Everyone!

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

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

Looking forward to getting to know you guys!

Mina & Irfan
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EMPrindle on October 18, 2016, 11:18:58 AM
Hi! I'm Elizabeth.

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

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

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

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

Looking forward to learning more from everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Car Jack on October 18, 2016, 12:51:51 PM
Hi, I'm Jack and am probably already to be FI but the wife doesn't believe we ever could be (blue collar upbringing....how could we possibly stop working ever?).  We've always been frugal, having both put ourselves through college and living like that for years after.  Even so, I know we can always do better.  I drive THE favorite vehicle of this entire forum.  A Jeep Unlimited!  (let me snicker in the background as I listen to the cyber groans and boos)  Hey..I started out as a bike mechanic and bike racer........so I can't be so bad, right?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeeebus on October 20, 2016, 07:41:08 AM
Hi,

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

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

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

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

Since making these changes our lives have improved dramatically. We no longer argue about money, and we now have very few worries between us. We can think clearly and focus on planning ahead for the arrival of our baby next year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrSwayze on October 20, 2016, 05:08:50 PM
Hi, I'm Mr Swazye, I got the nickname from a friend and got new license plates made (before I found MMM) and they messed up and didn't put the space in between and now everyone calls me MrsWazye.

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

Long story short, I've seen the mistakes I've made in the past and I also don't want to work until I'm 65 and too old to do much anymore, so I've been paying off my debt and should be free and clear by Feb. After that, it's all going towards my RRSPs.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Robbo on October 21, 2016, 05:28:33 PM
Hi all,

We are living the good life here in NorCal foothills ready to retire early next year. Love the frugality concept tendered here and look forward to learning and contributing!

Thanks - Robbo
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Aoede on October 22, 2016, 09:09:06 AM
Hi, I'm a recent SAHM of a one year old, who was breezily going through life without even a budget a month ago when my husband revealed the financial mess we were in. In the last month I've taken over our finances and have been building my money knowledge up from zero (a month ago I didn't know anything - not even how interest worked). I've rounded up all our financials, gotten them into ynab, and started making huge changes to how we live. I managed to pay off two credit cards this month with the money we saved by cooking at home this month (and making hubby return a big, unnecessary purchase on one of them). I found mmm by googling the best way to pay off ccs, which I sadly didn't do the the right order, but now there is only one left to focus on before we move to paying off student loans and and one car (other is free and clear).

We are about to be relocated (joys of being a military contractor) to a hcol area and I'm so glad I found you guys before we bought a ridiculous house. I've gotten husband hooked on fixer upper in the hopes that he won't balk when I want to buy a smaller, cheaper house in need of work instead of a huge McMansion we'd never afford that would require a huge commute. I just have to sell him on living in an up and coming neighborhood instead of on the water with the other debters. 

I'm introducing myself partly to keep myself honest and accountable as well as get ideas, as I teach myself how this money thing actually works and how to make our lives less miserable than they currently are. I'm hoping to get my husband on board the fi train, so that once the debt is going we can keeping rolling towards a better future for us and our kids.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: optimisticone on October 23, 2016, 03:50:52 PM
Hello I'm Optimisticone. I chose this name because I believe being a member of this family I have a chance to retire in the next 6 years. I am a real estate agent that recently moved back to Northern California and renewed my real estate license, in the process of selling my first house in years. I loss thousands of dollars when the market crashed in 2008 and lost al three homes I owned, which was my retirement plan so I'm starting from scratch. I can't totally depend on Social Security so I need to have a serious plan to try to retire by the time I'm 60 which is in 6 years. I would appreciate any advice anyone can give me to start this process. My goal is to try to put away $1,000 a month if possible but I dont know where to start my retirement investment. Please Help! I just started a new job that has a retirement plan with no matching so not sure if that's the best way to go. I would greatly appreciate any guidance and welcome all advice.

Thank you all,

Optimistic one : )
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: drp on October 23, 2016, 08:04:24 PM
Hello all,
I'm a newbie who used to be frugal in a former life and has long been off the wagon. So, at present I am immersing myself in truly frugal blogs (ie - not ones that claim to help you be frugal but really just make you want to buy everything that's presently on sale...hello frugalwoods & goodbye moneysavingmom...), trying not to let anything die in my fridge, eating lots of beans and fine tuning the art of balancing my checkbook.

My name, by the way, is Des. I'm a mom of 2 - I stay at home - I teach my kids stuff. The husband is a blue-collar worker (went from quality supervisor to quality wood stacker...but I'm not complaining because he looks super hot in that hard hat) The pay is mediocre, but we're making it work and socking away what we can.

Looking forward to meeting/being inspired by people who are far more hardcore than us...and possibly inspiring someone else! In the future. Doubt it'd happen right now...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: todthedog on October 25, 2016, 08:55:31 AM
Hello all
Grumpy old Brit living in Sweden. My wife and I gave up the day job some 16 years back. We moved to Brittany France and had an organic small holding, own veggies, pigs chickens etc. We are into renewable energy PV, solar thermal, and a wind turbine. Great fun but decided it was time to move on. Sweden just looked good, so far no regrets. Looking forward to picking your brains.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: julielaursen on October 26, 2016, 10:53:52 AM
Hi, so I'm Julie and I live in Austin, TX and am looking for any way to alleviate my expenses and save money. I'm doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and following Mr Money and Mad Fientist and just trying to figure this stuff out. I guess I don't get how Mr Money just says you can save 50% of your expenses just like that, like it's that easy. I do have a car payment, but i only have about $1800 left on it for a ten year old car. I've never bought new cars, never had cable, and until I was 25, I never even had TV or a computer at home. I actually didn't even have a phone til I was 23, I used a payphone on the corner next to a Walgreens. I cook almost all my meals at home and I stock up on rice, beans, oats, apples, eggs, etc. I have a smartphone, but I get half off because I work for the company, and my internet through my own company is $5. I can't figure out how to live any cheaper.

In Austin, it's very difficult to find rent for less than 1k. After my roommate wanted to jack up my rent to $700 for a place that was rat and roach infested, I was managing to find studios for $800-900 that I was pretty comfortable with. I will admit this is where my mom kicked in and basically demanded I buy a condo, and paid for the down payment. I got a 1BR condo for $115k 3 miles from downtown Austin last year (also walking/biking distance to work but Austin's bike paths don't go over highways so the bike commute is a bit terrifying). Mortgage and HOA is $1100. Problem is, this is almost half of my income right there.

Now, in a perfect world maybe I could save a third of my income instead? But this is where things get complicated. I have COPD, Endometriosis, Adenomyosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I've had three surgeries just this year, finally ending with a hysterectomy. My health insurance is very high deductible and I use up the max out of pocket almost yearly. Additionally, things just keep happening. The reason I got into debt in the first place was my Aunt went to the ICU for an emergency. When the people she was living with bothered to call me, her only living relative, she'd been in the ICU for 4 days and they were reading last rites. I jumped on a plane ($1200 to Cincinnati same day), rented a car ($700) and spent a week in a motel, because she had died while I was mid-flight and I had five days til the funeral ($1000... Ohio has some ridiculous $100 per night motel fee). I also miss a week of work because my company pays for almost any time out for a funeral but not if they're an aunt or uncle.. Right after that, my mom decides to put the down payment on a condo for me, and I find black mold that the inspector missed ($8000 for a new shower).. now as of last week, my mom was in the ICU for a subdural hematoma. Now I'm saying fuck savings and racking up my credit card in the idea I might need another expensive flight in case she needs surgery to relieve the pressure in her brain. I was the only living relative on my dad's sisters side before she died and I'm the only living relative on my mom's side as well. If she dies, I have zero family and I haven't been in a romantic relationship in ten years.

I listen to these Dave Ramsey calls and it's literally all couples, all healthy, throwing two sets of incomes at one set of expenses and patting themselves on the back for it. I don't hear anyone like me, single, with elderly ailing family members, no money, and dealing with chronic medical conditions herself, with no one to help. I even stopped dating because it was costing me too much money to go out for beers twice a week and not having a partner is just plain hard. So I sign on here and I see a bunch of crap about 'oh just save half your money it's super easy' along with some tips on things I'm already doing that aren't going very far for me. The Dave Ramsey class is the same thing, I go in and talk about clipping coupons and taking market research studies and donating plasma and working second jobs and everyone else is just talking about selling things like F150s and jetskis and unplugging cable... changing lifestyle habits I was always too poor to develop in the first place. I'm out of ideas. Anyone?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LivlongnProsper on October 26, 2016, 11:14:07 AM
Julie,

Welcome. I am sorry for your loss and the hard breaks that have been coming your way. You are right it is easier for many to save than it will be for you, MMM is primarily geared towards people that earn over $75k/yr. You have been living frugally from what you have shared so good job overall. Keeping your nose to the grindstone should start to pay off in little amounts at first followed by bigger and bigger amounts. With your car payments almost over with you should be able to chip away at the debt and start an emergency fund. Look into ways to increase your income to help grow the gap between spending and earning. If you are interested there is a mustachian and single section in the forum.

Hi, so I'm Julie and I live in Austin, TX and am looking for any way to alleviate my expenses and save money. I'm doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and following Mr Money and Mad Fientist and just trying to figure this stuff out. I guess I don't get how Mr Money just says you can save 50% of your expenses just like that, like it's that easy. I do have a car payment, but i only have about $1800 left on it for a ten year old car. I've never bought new cars, never had cable, and until I was 25, I never even had TV or a computer at home. I actually didn't even have a phone til I was 23, I used a payphone on the corner next to a Walgreens. I cook almost all my meals at home and I stock up on rice, beans, oats, apples, eggs, etc. I have a smartphone, but I get half off because I work for the company, and my internet through my own company is $5. I can't figure out how to live any cheaper.

In Austin, it's very difficult to find rent for less than 1k. After my roommate wanted to jack up my rent to $700 for a place that was rat and roach infested, I was managing to find studios for $800-900 that I was pretty comfortable with. I will admit this is where my mom kicked in and basically demanded I buy a condo, and paid for the down payment. I got a 1BR condo for $115k 3 miles from downtown Austin last year (also walking/biking distance to work but Austin's bike paths don't go over highways so the bike commute is a bit terrifying). Mortgage and HOA is $1100. Problem is, this is almost half of my income right there.

Now, in a perfect world maybe I could save a third of my income instead? But this is where things get complicated. I have COPD, Endometriosis, Adenomyosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I've had three surgeries just this year, finally ending with a hysterectomy. My health insurance is very high deductible and I use up the max out of pocket almost yearly. Additionally, things just keep happening. The reason I got into debt in the first place was my Aunt went to the ICU for an emergency. When the people she was living with bothered to call me, her only living relative, she'd been in the ICU for 4 days and they were reading last rites. I jumped on a plane ($1200 to Cincinnati same day), rented a car ($700) and spent a week in a motel, because she had died while I was mid-flight and I had five days til the funeral ($1000... Ohio has some ridiculous $100 per night motel fee). I also miss a week of work because my company pays for almost any time out for a funeral but not if they're an aunt or uncle.. Right after that, my mom decides to put the down payment on a condo for me, and I find black mold that the inspector missed ($8000 for a new shower).. now as of last week, my mom was in the ICU for a subdural hematoma. Now I'm saying fuck savings and racking up my credit card in the idea I might need another expensive flight in case she needs surgery to relieve the pressure in her brain. I was the only living relative on my dad's sisters side before she died and I'm the only living relative on my mom's side as well. If she dies, I have zero family and I haven't been in a romantic relationship in ten years.

I listen to these Dave Ramsey calls and it's literally all couples, all healthy, throwing two sets of incomes at one set of expenses and patting themselves on the back for it. I don't hear anyone like me, single, with elderly ailing family members, no money, and dealing with chronic medical conditions herself, with no one to help. So I sign on here and I see a bunch of crap about 'oh just save half your money it's super easy' along with some tips on things I'm already doing that aren't going very far for me. The Dave Ramsey class is the same thing, I go in and talk about clipping coupons and taking market research studies and donating plasma and working second jobs and everyone else is just talking about selling things like F150s and jetskis and unplugging cable... changing lifestyle habits I was always too poor to develop in the first place. I'm out of ideas. Anyone?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: watchitgrow on October 26, 2016, 03:18:07 PM
Hi everyone!

My wife and I started our debt snowball at the beginning of this year by following Dave Ramsey's baby steps. We have paid off our student loans, a new car, and are currently working on paying off the mortgage. After reading MMM for about a month now I've become obsessed with the idea of early retirement.

At this point I'm trying to learn more about building our wealth so that we can develop a detailed game plan.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: psychprof on October 27, 2016, 12:00:46 PM
Hello, all! A quick introduction before posting a question that I just can't seem to find an answer to. I've been a reader of the site for some time now and occasional lurker on the forum. I'm a part-time community college psychology professor. Mom of 2. Wife of 1. I really enjoy the philosophy of the blog. I am looking for ways to incorporating some mustachian ideas into one of my classes (and therein lies my forthcoming question) and improving how I incorporate them into my life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hoping2retire35 on October 27, 2016, 12:14:59 PM
Julie,

Welcome. I am sorry for your loss and the hard breaks that have been coming your way. You are right it is easier for many to save than it will be for you, MMM is primarily geared towards people that earn over $75k/yr. You have been living frugally from what you have shared so good job overall. Keeping your nose to the grindstone should start to pay off in little amounts at first followed by bigger and bigger amounts. With your car payments almost over with you should be able to chip away at the debt and start an emergency fund. Look into ways to increase your income to help grow the gap between spending and earning. If you are interested there is a mustachian and single section in the forum.

Hi, so I'm Julie and I live in Austin, TX and am looking for any way to alleviate my expenses and save money. I'm doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and following Mr Money and Mad Fientist and just trying to figure this stuff out. I guess I don't get how Mr Money just says you can save 50% of your expenses just like that, like it's that easy. I do have a car payment, but i only have about $1800 left on it for a ten year old car. I've never bought new cars, never had cable, and until I was 25, I never even had TV or a computer at home. I actually didn't even have a phone til I was 23, I used a payphone on the corner next to a Walgreens. I cook almost all my meals at home and I stock up on rice, beans, oats, apples, eggs, etc. I have a smartphone, but I get half off because I work for the company, and my internet through my own company is $5. I can't figure out how to live any cheaper.

In Austin, it's very difficult to find rent for less than 1k. After my roommate wanted to jack up my rent to $700 for a place that was rat and roach infested, I was managing to find studios for $800-900 that I was pretty comfortable with. I will admit this is where my mom kicked in and basically demanded I buy a condo, and paid for the down payment. I got a 1BR condo for $115k 3 miles from downtown Austin last year (also walking/biking distance to work but Austin's bike paths don't go over highways so the bike commute is a bit terrifying). Mortgage and HOA is $1100. Problem is, this is almost half of my income right there.

Now, in a perfect world maybe I could save a third of my income instead? But this is where things get complicated. I have COPD, Endometriosis, Adenomyosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I've had three surgeries just this year, finally ending with a hysterectomy. My health insurance is very high deductible and I use up the max out of pocket almost yearly. Additionally, things just keep happening. The reason I got into debt in the first place was my Aunt went to the ICU for an emergency. When the people she was living with bothered to call me, her only living relative, she'd been in the ICU for 4 days and they were reading last rites. I jumped on a plane ($1200 to Cincinnati same day), rented a car ($700) and spent a week in a motel, because she had died while I was mid-flight and I had five days til the funeral ($1000... Ohio has some ridiculous $100 per night motel fee). I also miss a week of work because my company pays for almost any time out for a funeral but not if they're an aunt or uncle.. Right after that, my mom decides to put the down payment on a condo for me, and I find black mold that the inspector missed ($8000 for a new shower).. now as of last week, my mom was in the ICU for a subdural hematoma. Now I'm saying fuck savings and racking up my credit card in the idea I might need another expensive flight in case she needs surgery to relieve the pressure in her brain. I was the only living relative on my dad's sisters side before she died and I'm the only living relative on my mom's side as well. If she dies, I have zero family and I haven't been in a romantic relationship in ten years.

I listen to these Dave Ramsey calls and it's literally all couples, all healthy, throwing two sets of incomes at one set of expenses and patting themselves on the back for it. I don't hear anyone like me, single, with elderly ailing family members, no money, and dealing with chronic medical conditions herself, with no one to help. So I sign on here and I see a bunch of crap about 'oh just save half your money it's super easy' along with some tips on things I'm already doing that aren't going very far for me. The Dave Ramsey class is the same thing, I go in and talk about clipping coupons and taking market research studies and donating plasma and working second jobs and everyone else is just talking about selling things like F150s and jetskis and unplugging cable... changing lifestyle habits I was always too poor to develop in the first place. I'm out of ideas. Anyone?

I should pay more attention to this thread.

Julie,
Sounds like you are having  some troubles. There are a lot more of us low single income households on here than you would think. Post a case study and we can find some fat to trim. We ALWAYS find fat, the effort will be worthwhile.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on October 27, 2016, 12:20:20 PM
Hello all
Grumpy old Brit living in Sweden. My wife and I gave up the day job some 16 years back. We moved to Brittany France and had an organic small holding, own veggies, pigs chickens etc. We are into renewable energy PV, solar thermal, and a wind turbine. Great fun but decided it was time to move on. Sweden just looked good, so far no regrets. Looking forward to picking your brains.

Välkommen!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moonwaves on October 27, 2016, 01:07:57 PM
I am looking for ways to incorporating some mustachian ideas into one of my classes (and therein lies my forthcoming question)
This sounds like a fantastic question to have its own thread. When you start one, could you come back and post a link here so that we can find it?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bestideaever on October 27, 2016, 02:20:30 PM
Hey hey!

I'm a 31-year old female living in San Francisco with two dogs, and a boyfriend who lives one street over. Work a well-paid job that has allowed me to build almost 100,000$ in retirement savings so far, but I never managed my money well otherwise until this August. I was basically treading water, often spending more than I made. There had not been a net worth change since January for example, though I was paying into a 403b all year. My eyes have finally been opened to an entirely different, less spendy way to approach life...

Now I am enjoying the challenge of becoming frugal! I do believe it is a muscle to be exercised, so I still spend way more than is needed for an MMM lifestyle. I am making great changes, though, seeing that for October, I will finally not have spent more than I earned. Success! Now to tackle my lifestyle to reduce my budget every month to be more mustachian even in a HCOL area.

My goals for the rest of the year are:
- Max out 403b
- Pay off credit card balance (currently $6820)
- Declutter and sell off items for extra cash to save/invest
- Reduce recurring expenses like internet and phone bill
- Plan next year's holiday by learning about travel hacking vs. paying in cash

And many more :).

Looking forward to reading many more opinions and expertise in this forum. So many great role models here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scapee on October 27, 2016, 10:58:10 PM
HI! Frugality comes naturally to me, since high school as far back as I recall. The philosophy of retiring early has always been in the back of my mind. I thought about it a lot more in university, and less each year since then.. My wife and I have been living a medium frugality life together since 2005 with only mortgage debt. Neither of us had/have ever taken on any other form of debt in our lives.

I didn't discover MMM or this forum until just a week or two ago after I'd purchased my new car and google pointed a Leaf search to MMM's purchase of his Nissan Leaf. Uncanny... After reading the Leaf post I curiously looked around this MMM community and was pretty amazed at the many similarities in my life to the MMM philosophy.

I live in vancouver, bc with my wife and daughter. We're fortunate enough to have bought RE in 2010 and worked our way up the real estate ladder by maxxing out extra lump sum mortgage payments to being able to buy a 'real house' in vancouver in 2015. (And we were only fortunate enough to have bought in 2010 at 28 because we were frugal, employed, and debt free in our 20's) Our stashe is about 1.4M now. I'd allocate that to about $300k salary income related savings and about $1-1.1M RE gains.

Since finding this site last week I've been reconsidering our finances to see if/when we can FU! It will take a renewed effort in frugality; I've noticed since both being back at work post-baby, our spending is way up to compensate for the complete exhaustion and lack of time for negotiating and shopping around. Heck we've even dabbled in maid services, have our groceries DELIVERED (!), and spend for frequent office lunches out since I run out of time to make it. But these are things that we would certainly do if we weren't at work all day and dying to spend time with our daughter for a few hours in the evenings and weekends.

We want to bail on this 9-5 work life and soon to spend time with our daughter and maybe have another. We're 35 this year so I hadn't been thinking seriously about retirement in the last few years, but I should be. And now I am..

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: delfin on October 28, 2016, 02:08:19 PM
Hello! I have been following Mr. Money Mustache's blog for some time. I love that I can now open my fridge and have dinner on the table in one hour. I was incapable of doing this 5 years ago, following recipes exactly and then two or more hours later, it would have been better just to make sandwiches.

I love spending time with my family but when they want to spend time doing something else, I enjoy reading online and then turning ideas into reality.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bmayzing on October 29, 2016, 11:13:48 PM
Brandon here...I've been transitioning to the mustachian way for about a year now without posting.  I've got a beard??
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LP-Roadster on October 30, 2016, 08:07:45 PM
Hey all, newbie here who found the site through a friend!

I know this is a great community based on what I've read and will see how the usage of the KNAWLEDGE (Tai Lopez reference) will work for me! To begin I'm 21 years old, have worked in banking 2 years, and am being promoted first of the year, while also set to take some license tests to sell securities (investments)! Love this industry and have learned lots, as well as have seen sad situations from customers who can only wish they had guidance when they were my age. This in turn, and not to sound arrogant, has shown me what I want out of life and how I don't want to end up.

 School systems do not do a very good job of preparing the younger generation in financial literacy and it's something I am very passionate about as I am able to not only advise all sorts of age groups, but I am also able to provide alternatives that make life easier for many of them.

I have actually dropped (more like taking a semester off and maybe another due to exciting job changes!) temporarily out of college, and have worked and gone to school the past 3 years since graduating highschool full time! (still worked 25-30 hours/week after school in highschool... Anyways..

My financial picture isn't perfect, but I blame my younger pre-banking age/immaturity and income I had straight into the full time workforce! :P
I'll save some non-interesting details and get to it. I am definitely excited and working to get my debt paid off by May 2018. At that point, I believe I will be re-locating with my employer and possibly will buy a house, or at least rent while I save even more.

So current debts:

Car Loan
~$18,415

Student Loans
~$14,000

I know, why do I have student loans when I worked full time my first few semesters? Poor choice of buying a car when I was 18 and nobody advising me differently. I worked at a dealership at the time too..so..

But yeah, this is my picture and I'm 8 months ahead on my car payments, I continually pay about 50-150 more each month more than the minimum, and I have enough in savings to wipe out a couple of my student loans. However, since they are low interest (3-4.25%) and in a standard 10 year repayment period, I am saving them last. I would like to pay my car off (2% rate) since that would free up more monthly income. I know it would probably be wise to sell my car, but it's a car I've wanted since they came out a few years ago. It's a vice. I've spent some money on modifying it too, which wasn't smart.

My income is expected to increase $600-800/month based on my estimates with my promotion so it's possible if I get to it and penny-pinch, by the end of the year I can realistically be debt free. I'm also pursuing a part time job possibly, or will grow my side hustles to throw even more money at the debt till it's gone.  Hope this isn't too long but I am open to advice from everyone and look forward to growing a 'stache!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: todthedog on October 31, 2016, 04:57:49 AM
@lemanfan
Tack
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: A.freedom on November 01, 2016, 12:55:02 PM
Hey folks!
I'm a 26 year old living in North Vancouver, BC in lovely Canada. Originally from Sweden, I moved here for good 4 years ago. Currently about 10% of my way to my retirement goal working a pretty low paying job and living super frugally.

I love learning how to make things myself, especially food! This summer was spent pickling, fermenting and making jams and cordials from delicious produce picked up from the farmers market. I also enjoy foraging, hiking and getting in touch with nature.

I also run my own blog where I enjoy sharing my recipes and ideas!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alexb2746 on November 02, 2016, 01:01:19 PM
Hello everybody,

I've asked some questions already so I should probably post here finally.

I'm 25, married to an awesome nurse, live in northeast Ohio and I am an IT professional.

I discovered MMM a few months ago, thankfully was already decently frugal (compared to  the usual American). The biggest change I made is biking to work 16 miles a day, hoping to continue this through winter with a fat bike.

I know we can comfortably retire by 40, but I am hoping to getting there sooner with buying and holding rental SFR's.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SouthLand on November 03, 2016, 11:58:48 AM
Howdy!

I'm a 27 year old from the south (of the US). I'm a manager with a low-to-middle salary (decent for my area) with designs to move up in my field. I've been reading and trying to practice Mustachian habits for about a year but decided it was time to join in as I start really working towards my own FIRE. I've got a long way to go, but I look forward to the trip. I'll probably lurk a bit longer before really making any contributions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kevin M on November 03, 2016, 09:58:50 PM
Hey everyone, I'm a 24 year old from NE Ohio. I am a Supply Officer in the US Navy so I move around quite a bit; I' currently living in upstate NY. I graduated from college about 1.5 years ago which is about the same time I the MMM blog. After binge reading the entire blog I made some major changes to my spending habits and was just recently able to achieve a positive net worth for the first time in about 7 years because of it. I look forward to meeting more mustachians and continuing to learn more about personal finance and living a more fulfilling life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: arrintonpalmer on November 04, 2016, 09:27:25 AM
Hi all, 32, Army Officer who discovered MMM about 2012 and have put about 300k in the bank since! My wife, new son and I would have FI'd around the end of 2019, but I'm leaving the Army now so our new date will be around 2022 depending on how civilian life goes.  While financially it makes sense to stick with the Army, the Infantry is not a place you stay for the money.

I decided to join the forum as we change our financial plan to fit the new reality.  We will be living off the GI Bill and a part time job for a couple years, and a farm income until we reach FI.  It's not as sure a bet as the military for sure, but it is time to start doing what I'm passionate about now!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fordman302 on November 04, 2016, 11:01:15 AM
Hello, I'm 39, wife is 38, we have two kids 6 and 3.  We have a decent nest egg put away, but also have a large mortgage as we have just built our 'Dream House' on our farm.   Fortunately, that's our only debt.   We have been saving money to build a barn and to replace our ten year old suv and truck.   I came to this forum to learn how to pay for ER.  Right now we looking at retiring around 2030.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moonsheep on November 04, 2016, 05:17:26 PM
Hi all! I'm 31, single, living in an expensive part of the USA. First heard of MMM a couple years ago, and only recently decided to really put my nose to the wheel on building my own 'stash. Always been somewhat frugal, but have definitely succumbed to lifestyle inflation in the past couple of years; time to reverse that trend!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Littlebrotherlifecoach on November 04, 2016, 06:56:26 PM
Hi, I'm Chad  29 from Ohio. I started a blog as my side hustle and aspire to be a blogger and life coach. I'm addicted to podcasts and I heard about the forum from arebelspy's interview on the mad fientist.  I'm almost 40k in debt, planning to pay it off and retire with a million+
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TightFistedScot on November 05, 2016, 10:14:04 AM
Hi MMM Community!

This is my first post, but I have been following MMM for nearly 2 years. I first learned of MMM listening to him interview on CBC radio (I'm in Toronto). It was a critical learning moment for me as I was just entering my first semester of a phd program. I was really beginning to feel the financial struggle of going from earning about 70k per year with very little expenses, down to 45k and managing my first home with a rental unit (more on that in a sec).  I voraciously read everything I could, nerded out with a couple of friends who were into living a frugal lifestyle, and subsequently had a "buy-nothing-year" from January 2015-February 2016. I allowed myself to buy life experiences (ie I did buy a flight to Mexico but all my other expenses were covered by my parents who were there for the winter), but no material items. I ate in a restaurant about 3 times between Jan '15-April '15. As part of this lifestyle I also sold my car over a year ago and I bike approximately 20 kms per day to and from my office. I will take public transit in the winter, though.

Some more specs:

-I'm 31, single, no kids, no debt except for mortgage.
-I don't follow a budget, but a frugal lifestyle/orientation toward finance and living a simple life.
-I purchased a small house in Toronto a couple months before starting my phd (2+ years ago), because I knew I would never qualify for a mortgage again for 5+ years (until I am back in full-time work force). I was incredibly fortunate to have my parents help me toward downpayment. Thank god I got in at that time, the Ontario government has recently made some policy changes which make purchasing real estate more difficult for those earning less than 100k.
-I live in the basement apartment and rent out the main floor, which covers the mortgage+property taxes. I pay all the bills for the house (approx $500/month). I also learned how to do some renovations myself this way! Cool life skills.
-I was lucky to get a merit-based federal scholarship and fellowships this year (all tax free), and a teaching assistantship (taxable) which pays about 4k per semester. This, along with rental income (taxable), brings my earnings to around 50-55k this year.
-I am considering to sell my place and buy a condo, because based on the strength of the Toronto market now I could sell and essentially buy a condo for cash and live nearly mortgage free. I also hate being a landlord with a burning passion. LOL
-I am just starting to learn about investing. I am a total newb and would love to pick someone's brain on the subject. I may put 5k into a wealthsimple account this winter and see how it goes.

I don't know if I want to retire early. I glean a lot of pleasure and life satisfaction from the work I do (my research/advocacy work is all around improving the health of LGBTQ people). But I do know I want to have the option to make that decision later in life. Also, I do wonder if I will perhaps want to have a kid in the next few years, so also saving for that. :P

Thanks for listening and really looking forward to participating in the community and learning lots from all of you!



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BuffaloStache on November 05, 2016, 12:03:28 PM
Hi MMM community! Like many here, I've been following the MMM blog for a long time (~2 years), and finally decided to jump into the discussion. I've always been somewhat frugal, but I admit I had a serious bought of Wanderlust when I was in college and grad school. As such, my 'stache isn't nearly as large as it should be.

I'm a soon-to-be-30 engineer in Colorado, making a pretty good salary. I'm looking forward to becoming a community member and building my stache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BaronB on November 07, 2016, 07:50:18 PM
Howdy from Oregon. Mid-30's pharmacist shooting for FI around age 45. Just got a mortgage but tackling down consumer debt before really socking money into my Vanguard account. Going to go ahead and do the 401k with my employer since there's a match. Here's to not having to spending the rest of our lives punching a clock.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aceyou on November 08, 2016, 08:52:50 PM
Hello from Michigan.
- I'm 33 and married with 4 year old and a 1 year old. 
- Im a teacher, my wife is in public education also as a consultant
- Found MMM 2 years ago
- Expect to be FI around 41
- Looking to FIRE at 48 (so we get pensions)

Before MMM: we were naturally saving about 20% of our income, but didn't do anything with it, it just piled up in the bank.
After MMM: we now have our savings rate over 50%.  Most goes to 403B/457/Roth IRA, some goes to principal on mortgage. 
How this has happened:
 - Cut food spending in half
 - Cut car spending a bit
 - Refinanced mortgage
 - less random spending
 - way fewer taxes from using 403/457
 - we continue to earn more each year
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BuffaloStache on November 09, 2016, 09:42:12 PM
Before MMM: we were naturally saving about 20% of our income, but didn't do anything with it, it just piled up in the bank.
After MMM: we now have our savings rate over 50%.  Most goes to 403B/457/Roth IRA, some goes to principal on mortgage. 

Great progress! good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BrokeNoMo on November 10, 2016, 07:45:04 AM
Hello MM world!

I'm 47, married with 2 kids that have moved out; and now we have a 5 month old grandson! (He's the best :) )

We have recently found MM and started down the path of FI. Chronic health issues have long clouded our judgement in money matters. Our oldest daughter was saved from SIDS at 3 days old, but ended up with life long health issues until she passed away at age 12. My wife was born with transposition of the great arteries which meant surgery early on, then a pacemaker for most of her life, then a heart transplant at age 29. Needless to say these events made accumulating any capital almost laughable. It also skewed our vision in many other ways. Our plans were often way-layed by unexpected bills which after a number of years became a cycle of despair that allowed us to talk ourselves into splurging on things we couldn't afford. We never planned on EVER being able to retire.

For many years we lived as frugally as we thought possible. Doing all the little things just to make it payday to payday. It was through my interest in all things frugal that I ran across the MMM blog. I absorbed every page and began to question our choices and WHY we had made them. It hasn't been easy, as this is a very emotional issue when you live an entire lifetime believing that the casino of life was rigged against you and there was no way out.

The last few years have been one of minimalism and prioritization. We have dug ourselves out of a big hole and are nearing our first goal of being debt free except for the mortgage. For the first time in our lives we are going to save more than the company 401k matching. We have each opened Vanguard accounts and we are discussing how to best attack our mortgage and get the freedom we are so desperate for. To me it is more than just my hair on fire; every waking minute of what we have left in life is too precious to spend stressed out and working for uncaring, faceless corporations.

Hope this wasn't too much too fast. Glad to be a part of this forum. I have learned alot from you already!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Seattle Carter on November 10, 2016, 08:01:58 AM
Hi all,

I am 39 and am married with 2 children (5 & 6). We live in Seattle and are both full-time employed in the tech industry. I have been aware of MMM for a few years, but have only started reading his posts and this message board in the past few months.

My interest in FE lies in my desire to spend more time with my children and more time doing things that I'm passionate about. I am currently in the process of researching a move out of Seattle and to a nearby but more rural setting. My wife and I have only just begun to get a handle on our monthly budget and spending, but we're naturally frugal people so I think it's more about visibility than making massive changes.

Anyway, happy to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VoteCthulu on November 11, 2016, 12:29:08 PM
Hi, I'm 36 and single from Minnesota. I've been reading MMM for a few years now, and recently started to get serious about not working (at least a 40+ hr week) ever again.

Fortunately I'm a natural saver, but unfortunately I've made a number of bad investment choices over the years. Buying too much house and investing in oil before the crash has delayed my retirement, but hopefully the lessons I've learned can prevent worse mistakes in the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JerBlue on November 11, 2016, 06:09:12 PM
Hello from Utah!

I'm a 33 year old single guy from the greater Salt Lake City area. I have been reading the MMM blog regularly since July of this year, although I had previously read some of the articles here and there over the past couple of years. I have also been reading a number of the ERE blogs, as well as read the ERE book(rented from the Library). I often search the internet/library/YouTube/TEDTalks for all information on FI that I can find. I generally take most information I read/view with a grain of salt and a healthy dose of skepticism, however, overall I have really enjoyed the information I've learned on the blog thus far. I am just now joining the forum portion of MMM and I look forward to learning from many of you and perhaps I'll hopefully have some value to add and share with you all as well.

Some random info about me:

-Not FI yet, not sure exactly when that will occur. I do enjoy my career that I have been with for 12 years, it does provide great benefits/pay, and it's fulfilling.
-I don't spend much aside from mortgage, utilities, insurance, and food.
-Estimate that I probably have a savings/investing rate of approximately 45-50% of my Gross income. Continually finding ways to become more efficient with spending.
-I feel quite a bit at home here, being a bit "extreme" with finances compared to most people in my life (Family, friends, coworkers, etc.) I am often referred to as cheap, which is untrue, I just don't buy things where I don't see value.
-Have also recently been intrigued by the minimalism movement as well, and I find a lot of value from it. Much of it correlates with FI.
-House wise, just refinanced from a 30 year 4.125% to a 12 year @ 2.99%. (Closing cost was ultra low -with a Credit Union). Planning on paying off early anyhow, although I've been debating on whether to invest what I would have used to pay off early in a low risk investment earning at least 2.99% so that the money isn't all tied up in the house. I see the pros and cons, so we'll see what happens there. I do live in my basement and rent out three extra rooms upstairs, so it basically pays for itself.
-One of the major cons of this lifestyle is dating...I am not sure about the rest of you singles here, but I have found dating to be rather challenging, at least in my area. I can't imagine it is much different elsewhere in the USA, however I'm curious to see how others find and meet other FI/Mustachian minded singles. Most people in the dating scene here seem completely turned off by frugality, efficient use of resources, and FI?! (I get that it's a paradigm thing, but rather frustrating nevertheless).
-No debt aside from the mortgage, and I currently drive a 1998 Honda Accord, although I have been wanting to upgrade to something a bit nicer and more functional like a used Pruis or Yaris Hatchback...although to be brutally honest, a large part of me really wants a 4Runner, for many reasons, most notably the functionality and extremely high reliability. (It's not particularly fun getting stuck in the snow/ice in the high altitude canyons of Utah). The gas mileage, environmental impact, and price tag make me ultra hesitant however. (I do still plan on buying a carrier to pull behind my bike as I do enjoy biking for fun, local travel to work, etc..).
-Love the outdoors; camping, hiking, backpacking, etc. Also love cooking healthy meals, fitness, training for Spartan races, and enjoying the simple things in life.
-I obviously have a lot to learn, so I am very glad to be here! I haven't read many of the threads yet, however it seems there are a lot of experienced Mustachians!!

Once again, I'm looking forward to learning from you all and perhaps making some new friends.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalFox on November 12, 2016, 02:16:37 PM
Hey everybody,
I'm 35 years old currently saving fairly hard to achieve financial independence. I've started a blog where I discuss Frugality, Investing, Saving and Travel. The site is hotelsandmoney.com
I'm interested to find out how many people have achieved FI but still have a partner that still chooses to go to work.
FrugalFox
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Crillst on November 14, 2016, 04:41:26 AM
Hi there!

Working towards FIRE in a Swedish economy. Got two months a year covered by dividends so far.
I've been reading Mr Money Mustache posts for around 3 - 4 years now and figured i would join the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rlcoronado on November 14, 2016, 09:36:12 PM
Hi folks,

I'm Rocky, from Philippines, 24 years old. Saw MMM last year but only decided to join the forum and read through its contents this week. I've already setup my emergency fund, I have a mutual funds investment, and looking forward to learning more so I can achieve the Financial Independence I set for myself.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ferociousfinancials on November 15, 2016, 09:22:42 AM
Hi, I'm John, I'm a millenial striving for FI and entrepreneurship.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: travelawyer on November 15, 2016, 10:20:35 AM
Hi!

I'm a 33 year old financial services lawyer in San Antonio (DH is 34), and I'm currently pregnant with our first child!  My FIRE goal is $2 million and a house, aiming for 2026 (age 43).  I want to slow travel the world, and with a family that won't be cheap. (DH would rather move to CA and stay put, so we have some negotiating to do...)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlohaOrang11 on November 16, 2016, 12:19:16 PM
Heya!

In my 30s. From Toronto, Canada.
Was in Engineering but went into Branding - still have those Engineering OCD tendencies though...

Been following MMM for the last couple of years and have been systematically cutting down expenses.
At that point where the "cutting" is affecting social relationships (or maybe this is just in my head).

Eitherway, looking forward to learning/contributing in the community.

Cheers,
Steve
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GrowingStache on November 16, 2016, 02:25:23 PM
Hi everyone,

I am 42 years old, married, no kids. I have been following MMM for a few years but we started making FI a priority back in 2005 and we have surpassed our initial FIRE goals. We currently live in an expensive location. The plan is now to move to a cheaper location next year and semi-retire. Hopefully we can still make enough money from work to pay the bills without touching the stash so that it can compound a few more years. But our portfolio should be able to pay the bills even without earned income if need be.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BussoV6 on November 17, 2016, 03:55:03 AM
Greetings from Johannesburg, South Africa.

I'm 55, a metallurgical engineer, working for a large global chemical company. Plan to cut back and just take on the technical part of my job and palm off all the shitty admin on someone else in the near future. My DW has been retired about 10 years but makes quite a bit in private equity mining projects. She wants me to retire now, but I really enjoy a good part of my current job.

Lots of useful info here for me. Thanks in advance!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EEBookDesign on November 19, 2016, 03:08:24 AM
Hi everyone!

I've been a reader/lurker for about 2 years now and decided to finally come out of hiding and join the forum!

Im forever grateful to MMM not only for changing my focus in life from spending to living, but also for introducing me to marksdailyapple. Both websites have positively changed my life and that of my SO.

I'm a 35 year old Dutch woman living in France (my SO is French). We have 3 kids (6, almost 4, and 6 months), and I work 32 hours a week as a desktop publishing technician.

Thanks to MMM i've got some savings and new life priorities that will allow me to quit my office job and start my own business somewhere in 2017.

Thanks for reading and see you around on the forum!
E

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BetweenSips on November 26, 2016, 01:02:43 AM
Hello MMM forum!

I've been digging through the backlog of posts, and the more MMM spoke about the forum the more I wanted to join.

Although not a reader, my Partner has always led a fairly mustachian lifestyle. When we first moved in together I remember his sheets were worn with holes (but they still work and they were comfy!). He's been an excellent influence but I came here to learn more for myself and keep me motivated and inspired.

I am 29 year old from Scottsdale, AZ with one 2 year old and one on the way (3 more weeks!). I recently left full time employment as a Project Manager for Franchise rollouts so I could stay home with my sweet little ladies full time.

We do not have any debt currently, but we are renting an apartment in Scottsdale to be close to work. My Partner rides his bike, and soon I'm going to be offloading my Charger in exchange for a more reasonable hatchback.

I am very interested in living a more sustainable/lower footprint lifestyle. In my relationship I tend to be the handy one and I love DIY! When I say DIY, I tend to mean plumbing and building not so much crafting.

I am excited to connect with others on the board!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bamfsaver on November 26, 2016, 06:16:35 PM
Hey all!

Been lurking here for awhile and I guess it's time to finally come out of the shadows.

I'm 26 years old from Singapore - still single so I have a huge runway of savings and investing ahead of me. I've had an interest in finance and investments for quite a while so naturally my full time job is working as an analyst for a boutique fund.

I've been a natural saver since forever so it isn't that difficult for me to adopt the Mustachian way of life. Only thing that's holding me back is the fact that Singapore is currently one of the most expensive places to live in the world, and that in itself is anti-mustachian. The only light at the end of the tunnel would be Singapore's tax regime - 0% capital gains and dividend taxes.

Looking forward to contribute and learn from you guys!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rachellynn99 on November 27, 2016, 11:46:03 AM
First post, I've been stalking the MMM blog for a bit, and the forum more recently. I'm 34, husband is 36. We have three kids. I'm a faculty member at a public university and a Registered Dietitian. I probably could be making more in the corporate realm, but enjoy having the breaks with the kids and not working during the summer. My husband is in IT.

We make decent, especially for our tiny town in the South. We have a lot of debt. We like to spend too much money. We travel too much. We each contribute 10% to our 401k and have a match through our companies. We put a bit away into each kid's 504 each month. We pay our bills on time, but find we aren't making much progress on our debt, and need to be saving more money.  We haven't accumulated any additional debt in a while, but again, just need to be making better progress.

We do some frugal things; eat only deer meat we harvest ourselves, I can a lot each summer from our garden. But we also enjoying fancy foods and dining out.

We really just need to focus, and I think we are both finally to a point to do so. I'm ready to get some traction. I look forward to getting to know more of you and learning.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MommyCake on November 28, 2016, 03:57:56 AM
Hi everyone!

I have been reading the articles and posts for several months and I thought I'd finally post... I'm 35 with an 8mo old, living with boyfriend.  I have no debt except for a mortgage on a rental property (formerly my residence) which I'm upside down on.  I found this site while home on maternity leave, which is when I realized I'd rather stay home with my baby than keep working. I have a few different (and conflicting) financial goals, and I know that clarifying what I want (and when) will be the first step.  This site has been tremendously helpful as I'm learning to live more simply and scale back on the expenses.  I look forward to talking to you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MissPiggy on November 28, 2016, 04:46:54 AM
Hi guys from Sydney, Australia!

So nice meeting you all!

Just discovered MMM blog and forum after listening to a Mad FIentist podcast interviewing MMM about a month ago. Since then I have listened to all his podcasts, started commenting and following numerous MMM forums, and reading many other FI bloggers and vloggers.

A bit about me:
- 26 yo, 3 years out of uni and in a full-time job
- save about 25% of my income, have the potential to save 40%
- always been money-conscious but since working full-time (3 years ago) I've regularly blow the budget and lived outside of my means, mostly due to entertainment expenses (dining out/drinks at bars) with friends
- never had a credit card, only debt is student loan (which is deducted from my pay through tax)

Since reading FI blogs, I'm:
-  monitoring all my expenses to the dollar!
- focusing on seeking value out of purchases instead of cheap-thrills
- challenging and questioning social expectations and pressures in my social circle which is focused around high-cost wining and dining
- aiming to be financially independent by 35
- even started a personal FI blog to catalogue my journey!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marty998 on November 28, 2016, 04:49:43 AM
Hi guys from Sydney, Australia!

So nice meeting you all!

Just discovered MMM blog and forum after listening to a Mad FIentist podcast interviewing MMM about a month ago. Since then I have listened to all his podcasts, started commenting and following numerous MMM forums, and reading many other FI bloggers and vloggers.

A bit about me:
- 26 yo, 3 years out of uni and in a full-time job
- save about 25% of my income, have the potential to save 40%
- always been money-conscious but since working full-time (3 years ago) I've regularly blow the budget and lived outside of my means, mostly due to entertainment expenses (dining out/drinks at bars) with friends
- never had a credit card, only debt is student loan (which is deducted from my pay through tax)

Since reading FI blogs, I'm:
-  monitoring all my expenses to the dollar!
- focusing on seeking value out of purchases instead of cheap-thrills
- challenging and questioning social expectations and pressures in my social circle which is focused around high-cost wining and dining
- aiming to be financially independent by 35
- even started a personal FI blog to catalogue my journey!

Hey there, nice to see another local :)

35 is a challenge... I'm trying to do the same.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MissPiggy on November 28, 2016, 05:03:49 AM
Hi guys from Sydney, Australia!

So nice meeting you all!

Just discovered MMM blog and forum after listening to a Mad FIentist podcast interviewing MMM about a month ago. Since then I have listened to all his podcasts, started commenting and following numerous MMM forums, and reading many other FI bloggers and vloggers.

A bit about me:
- 26 yo, 3 years out of uni and in a full-time job
- save about 25% of my income, have the potential to save 40%
- always been money-conscious but since working full-time (3 years ago) I've regularly blow the budget and lived outside of my means, mostly due to entertainment expenses (dining out/drinks at bars) with friends
- never had a credit card, only debt is student loan (which is deducted from my pay through tax)

Since reading FI blogs, I'm:
-  monitoring all my expenses to the dollar!
- focusing on seeking value out of purchases instead of cheap-thrills
- challenging and questioning social expectations and pressures in my social circle which is focused around high-cost wining and dining
- aiming to be financially independent by 35
- even started a personal FI blog to catalogue my journey!

Hey there, nice to see another local :)

35 is a challenge... I'm trying to do the same.

Sydney represent!

35 is a push... but I'm ambitious and frankly don't want to be chained to my corporate desk for another 40 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Becca143 on November 28, 2016, 06:51:20 AM
Hi

Becca
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mystery Money Man on November 30, 2016, 12:02:54 AM
Hi everyone!

Mystery Money Man here....let's see, a little bit about me.

I blog over at http://www.mysterymoneyman.com. I'm also a member of the AOL Finance Collective, over at AOL.com

Big fan of MMM, been a visitor to this site for a while, but just thought I'd jump onto the forums now. 

My biggest passion in life happens to be music, and so I divide my love for personal finance blogging with time in my recording studio and on stage fronting an alt rock band. Just a heads up that if you happen to find me out on Apple Music or Spotify or something, I'll never admit it's me. ;)

I do have a 9-5 that I hope to walk away from in about 5 years, to work for myself, hence my drive towards Financial Independence. 

Mrs. Mystery Money is my beautiful wife of 17 years, and we have three amazing children.

Look forward to joining the many great conversations here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JezL on December 01, 2016, 03:29:17 AM
Hi, I'm Jez. 29. Married. One kid who's 6 months now. Up until now, have always been a bit reckless with money, spending first, thinking second, but now we've started a family, want to reign in the wild side and be more responsible. Hoping that this forum is just the thing I need to keep me focused.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WilliamArthur on December 01, 2016, 06:18:07 PM
Hi!
I am William, currently a senior high school student in Southwest Georgia, and have been interested in FI since 10th grade. Through actively educating myself through blogs (Mr. Money Mustache was my first) and books, I know that I'll be able to retire by 35. I can't wait to learn and interact with those on different paths, but the same destination!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Poundwise on December 04, 2016, 11:06:00 AM
Hello!  After lurking for 3 years, I've already done a lot of posting in the last couple of weeks as I've been sick in bed and I'm bored. I'm a lady of a certain age, with three mostly-adorable kids and an always-adorable husband.  I used to be a SAHM, then a WAHM, and now I'm a SAHM again.  In our twenty years together, DH and I have lived frugally and within our means, but I'm always looking out to streamline our lives. I also look to fortify myself against envy of the big spenders who surround us.  Early retirement is not really a goal, since DH, Dr. Poundwise, lives to work (scientist) and I also look forward to the time when the kids are grown and I can turn my abilities outward a bit. However, it's nice to be able to pick and choose.

I've really enjoyed reading the forum and look forward to interacting with you wise heads more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alex@seed4great on December 05, 2016, 11:31:34 AM
Hello, my name is Alex and I was reading this forum for long time. But just recently decided to be more active in this direction: started my blog at seed4great.com and will try to share my thoughts with other people. I am in engineering career for 25+ years. I may have enough assets to retire, but I was really not looking for retirement because I enjoy my work very much. However the recent changes in entire industry and in the particular area I am in (electrical engineering) does not look good, especially for older guys like myself. The changes in industry landscape are so drastic, that they do not leave much space for those 50 and older. This is the reason I started to explore the possible roads to take in this situation. I was doing a research on my own inspired by many great blogs around, including of course Mr. Money Mustache. I shared some thoughts in a couple of articles I already published, and I will continue to do that. I believe in a power of sharing information: we live better and stay better, when we are informed.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: emily1994 on December 06, 2016, 12:09:47 PM
Hi everyone! My name is Emily and I am a 22 year old recent college graduate. Since I've joined the 'real' world I've found myself stressing daily about my finances and how to save up (I've had money anxiety since I was a kid).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rduncan1216 on December 06, 2016, 04:07:51 PM
Hello everyone!

I'm turning 32 this month, and I live with my wife, cat, and dog in Winston-Salem, NC.  We have been working on getting our finances in order, and trying to find a way to improve our savings rate to build our 'stache! 

I'm excited about participating in this community; most of my friends and relatives look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about my dreams to pay off our debt and retire early.  My wife gets tired of hearing me talk about it, so me coming here to post will give her ears a rest :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frugalfelicia on December 09, 2016, 08:41:49 PM
Hi everyone!

About me:
-living in Canada
-33 years old
-Social Worker
-single w/ one child

Goals:
-pay off student loan (was about $60,000 when I graduated in 2015, down to $39,000 now)
-continue contributions to retirement savings (just started a few months ago, currently at $1,300)
-continue contributions to RESP for my child (opened last month, at $200)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frankenthaler1980 on December 10, 2016, 09:45:15 PM
Hi, I'm Kate.  My future husband introduced me to the Mr. Money Mustache blog in early 2014, much to his eternal regret.  At the time, I was recovering from foot surgery, which kept me out of work for over a month, giving me plenty of time to read the MMM blog from start to finish.  I was inspired to give myself the challenge to pay off $14K in student loans over the course of 12 months, during which time I earned $40K from my job as a bartender.  I met my goal by riding the bus, eating rice and beans five days a week, giving up my daily store-bought cup of coffee, and generally annoying the shit out of everyone around me with my frugality.

Six months ago, I was laid off from a job that I hated, and the Department of Employment accepted me into the Self-Employment assistance program.   This allowed me to collect unemployment checks while working 40 hours a week in my art studio.  The unemployment money runs out just after New Year's Day, and I haven't figured out how to turn art into money, but I'll be damned if I'm ever going to work full time again at a job I can't stand.  I may never be financially independent in my line of work, but now seems like a good time to check out the MMM forum for advice on how to cut every ounce of fat from my spending.

It seems like a lot of the contributors to this forum are employed in high tech; I wonder if there are any other artists or craftspeople out there?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: soumyabrata on December 11, 2016, 04:13:32 AM
Hi

I am Soumyabrata. I am from Kolkata, India. I am reading MMM for more than a year now and it has given me real hope in life. I am very late in joining the forum and let MMM know my thanks. Finally doing it. My business unit got sold last year and I have to leave the job to get a new one and move to a different city alone without my wife and daughter. My previous company couldn't give me a new job in my hometown. At that point of time I could realized that how much my life is beyond my control because I am dependent on other people for money. At that point, last year I discovered this wonderful site and forum. I am always frugal and earn more than average indians but before this never thought about what to do with my savings. Now I have goal to be financially independent and go back to my family. I own a house debt free and another apartment with debt to be paid back. I am planning for a 3% withdrawal rate instead of 4%, just being conservative and as per my calculation will be financially independent in another 5 years which I will be 41. My wife is in teaching and plans to continue working till 60, but my calculation is not taking into account her income. Thank you MMM. Please let me know if anyone have any questions for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cannagrowit on December 11, 2016, 05:54:08 AM
Hi, I'm Tracy.

Just waking up from my shopping and driving coma. I'm really glad to find this website and board.

Thanks MMM!

MMJ helps me too :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hoglet121 on December 11, 2016, 07:20:23 PM
Hi from NZ!

I'm 33, married and working full time. I discovered MMM about 18 months ago and have read through all the blogs and much of the forum. We've paid off the last of the non-mortgage debts and built an emergency fund. My goal isn't necessarily to retire full stop, but to have the freedom to work for myself. I have a small side gig but I'm time limited by working full time, my goal is to be able to work on it 20 or so hours a week, as well as taking some time to slow-travel by bike.

Wish I'd learnt to think this way 15 years ago!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: abby1234519 on December 12, 2016, 03:55:05 AM
Hi from Northern England, UK!

I discovered the MMM blog about 3 days ago, I'm currently up to reading 2013! I didn't do much yesterday apart from read the blog....I'll let you decide if that's a productive day or not.


A bit about me:
- 27 years old, a few years out of university and currently working full time in a job that I love.
- no savings, and currently unable to save due to our expenses high and also having some 0% debt
- I have never been a frugal person, I am the complete opposite (hence why I have debt) and am looking to turn this around and find the inner Mustachian.
- my "lightbulb" moment was only last month, I've known for a while that things needed to change but have been full of excuses.
- married with one sprog, home life can be fraught with stress - my husband and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of money related matters, he's also unwilling to get really involved with family finances as he says it goes over his head! He's prepared to be in charge of the food budget.

What I want to achieve:
-  no more unnecessary spending, I have a budget on YNAB and in 2017 I will NOT go over it
- I worked out that my budgeted spends for 2017 (not including household bills or rent etc) is £11,000. This is so much!! It covers car maintenance, christmas, food etc but I just feel that this is ridiculous. In fact if you take out debt payments and savings, our annual expenditure will be around £28,000.
- I won't buy anything new in 2017 (unless its cheaper to buy it new vs second hand, and doesn't included presents budget)
- Credit card debt free by the end of 2017 (which leaves a student loan to pay back and a family loan to tackle in 2018)
- I just want to change my life! I don't want to worry about finding money when the car goes boom
- I also want to use that darn bicycle that I bought at the start of this year for £500. I've used it once...I live 3 miles away from work, I can totally cycle. Hand in hand with this goes the desire to lose weight, after all if I can save money by cycling then losing weight is a benefit.
Title: From Gent, Belgium
Post by: GilbertB on December 12, 2016, 07:05:23 AM
I'm a ship engineer trying to build a life for my family, without it leading to over-consumerism, debt and credit etc.
I do renovation and furniture making myself and am frugal except for cake, I love cake.

I've been reading MMM since my second internship at sea (new ship, not much to do) in 2014.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mustacean on December 12, 2016, 09:37:56 PM
Hi all,

I recently found this blog and am looking forward to gaining new insights from all of you in the forum.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fire_by_50 on December 12, 2016, 09:49:11 PM
Hello everyone,

I am a college senior about to graduate in May & I look forward to entering the workforce full-time with the concept of FIRE fresh in the back of my head!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIT_Goat on December 12, 2016, 10:17:51 PM
Hi all,

I won't get into too many details in this post, I might save those for a post where I expect it to be seen.  I am a 36 year old teacher / volunteer firefighter, who is considering moving to full time paid firefighter.  Neither job pays exceptionally well.  The firefighting job starts out $4k less than I make now, but offers lucrative overtime opportunities.  More importantly, I really enjoy it and think of it as less of a job and more something I do for enjoyment.  Obviously, since I do some of it now for free.

I haven't always been the brightest with money, although I have avoided the worst of sins.  I graduated from college with a lot of student loans, but paid them off and had the balance forgiven after teaching in a low-income area.  I've never carried credit card debt. I use a card for monthly expenses (for the rewards) and pay it in full each month.  I got a car loan with my first job.  It was a used car, to replace my VW Fox.  That Fox was my baby.  I bought it for $550 in cash and rode it into the ground over a 4 year period.  There was very little that still worked in that car.  I replaced it with a 4 year old Jetta (not my best choice). Bought a house, 80/20 no money down and interest only on the 20% loan (which was at 7.625%!).  I paid that 20% loan off in 3-4 years.  While single, on a starting teacher's salary, and knocked out the car loan at the same time.  I then managed to save up $14,000 in cash (nothing to most here, I know) in the next year or so after that.  I didn't have much, but I spent as little as I could while remaining happy and saving up all I could spare.  I was on the right path.

I started teaching 11 years ago.  I still have that Jetta.  It's going on 15 years old, but runs fine for the little driving I do.  About five years ago, I met my [now] wife.  I love her.  I really do.  But, the Mustachean way is not her way.  I stepped in and got her out of a cycle of payday loans (my first warning sign), and other bad debt.  I showed her my way.  She fought it.  She earned her money, and deserved to spend it as she wished.  This has always been an area of tension between us.  We worked through it.  I didn't save as much as I wanted.  In truth, I was barely saving anything.  And, slowly, various emergencies popped up that ate away my cash reserves.  Some of them I could have probably found cheaper solutions to, but that's the past.

Her dad died.  Her mom moved in with us.  Our house is too small for 3 adults and a child!  No, it wasn't!  It was a 3-bedroom house.  It was plenty big enough.  But, I agreed to house-shop for a larger place to make everyone more comfortable.  We ended up finding a new house that I do love.  But, it was expensive.  And, I didn't have money down.  And, we had to do it all in my name alone (which is a whole different issue).  Her mom "gave" us money for the down payment for an FHA loan.  Ugh, admitting it makes me sick.  Mortgage interest for life unless I refinance, and a big MI charge right at the start of the loan.  We sold the other house, and most of the profits (aka equity that I built while single) went to pay back her mom and pay off $10,000 in credit card debt my wife had been hiding (that's the whole different issue that kept her from being on the loan).

I'll be honest.  The hidden credit card debt was nearly the breaking point of our marriage.  The stress from that, issues selling the house, and losing all the progress I had ever made, caused me to get shingles and develop a bad case of being a miserable jerk to everyone around me.  My wife has given me all her cards, and I plan on checking up on making sure she's not getting new ones.  She is using cash only.  She was making as much as me, but her income recently took a hit and now she makes $23k.  This happened right after we bought the new house, naturally.

Anyway.  After 11 years of work, I have a net worth of only around $53,000.  Most of that is in my 403b account (no match and horrible returns).  I have $14k in cash, which I might invest, when I figure out which direction makes the most sense.

But, it's not all bad!  My starter goal is to increase my net worth by $2,000 a month this upcoming year.  It's a stretch unless my wife's job picks up or I can convince her to cut some very non-Mustachean expenses in our budget (annual theme park passes, satellite radio, a $250 a month cell phone bill).  Even with her current income and without killing those expenses (which I will do as quickly as she can handle it--working on getting her to buy into alternatives and having her develop the idea of shedding the crap), I can probably hit $1700 a month.  It's not great.  It's not enough.  But, it's a first step.

You've already inspired me and saved me $4,000.  It won't show up in my savings, but it won't come out of it.  During the recent hurricane, our fence was destroyed.  It was chain-link. We got some insurance money, it went to other repairs.  We got quotes, for a new [upgraded] fence to replace the whole broken fence.  That's the $4,000+ expense.  What am I thinking!  I can get a few poles, a new top pipe, a few bags of concrete and the hardware for less than $300 (much less as that's my over-the-top estimate).  Then I spend a weekend doing it myself, or with a buddy, and we have a perfectly fine fence again.

I'm going to do this.  At the current rate, it might not be as fast as some people here, but I can do it.  I also have a pretty solid pension (which gets twice as good if I move to paid firefighting), that will mean I have more when I get to traditional retirement ages, and thus might not need to save as much as if I had to rely on it alone forever.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tsmith321 on December 13, 2016, 05:24:14 AM
Hey,

I can't believe it has taken me so long to find this forum.  My wife and I just finished paying off our students loans (230k!) and now are tackling the mortgage (170k) and investments.  We are planning on being completely debt free in 5 years or less, while stashing money away.  Our NW is currently currently 650k.  The goal is to reach the 2 comma club before we hit 40!

I look forward to sharing our journey and hearing about yours.

Regards,

Tom Smith
tsmith321
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TDMustache on December 13, 2016, 11:39:09 AM
Hi fellow Mustachians.  I discovered MMM several years ago, and fell in love with the website.  As part of celebrating my own FI, I started my own website - a passion project called FIDoughhub (Financial Independence Dough Hub).  Like, MMM I am dedicated to helping others achieve FIRE, and this site is one of FIDough's Favorite Websites. 

Keep up the great work everyone!

Mr. FIDouguh
https://fidoughhub.com/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: naughty240 on December 18, 2016, 06:14:02 PM
Hi, I'm Steve and I'm here to listen and learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mannerv on December 19, 2016, 03:40:21 PM
Hi, I am 37 years old, also from Scandinavia (Finland). Came here to lurk and learn.

I've run my own money-saving blog for around 8 years now. Still stumbling a lot. Hope to get some ideas from here on how to "cement" my finances.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cativa on December 19, 2016, 04:48:17 PM
The year was 2009.
Every credit card was maxxed.
We both had loans on our 401ks.
The savings account was at zero.
Both cars had loans outstanding.
We had just bought a new house - with a huge mortgage - with, naturally, zero dollars down.
We both loathed our jobs, but they paid well, so we felt trapped in them because they were the only way to pay the bills.

Suddenly, thankfully, we turned to each other one Saturday morning over coffee and admitted that this was no way to live.

****

Its the end of 2016.
We have zero credit card debt.
No loans on our 401ks (which we max!), and we also both have IRAs (which we max!) and a taxable brokerage account.
The savings accounts hold a 6+ month emergency fund.
Both cars are paid off - and we actually replaced one car in 2014 with one we paid for in cash.
We're attacking the mortgage now.  We still owe $300K (our only debt) but its much less than it was.
We still are paid well, but still loathe our jobs.  We still feel that this is no way to live, but we are digging our way out fast and furious!

****

I am 41 and he is 45.  I'm not sure if we will be ready to FIRE in 2020, but I am pretty sure we will have FU money by then :)

We found MMM a couple years ago.  The blog was a great kick-in-the-pants we needed after years of digging ourselves out of our hole.  Now I love reading the forums - great ideas, and inspiration!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bumbles8 on December 19, 2016, 05:53:25 PM
Always been half interested in finances and have read lots of articles the last couple years.  Stumbled upon this site and a few others.  As college was coming to an end (graduated May of this year), started tracking expenses and setting a budget.  Started reading this site more and more. 

I have kept reducing spending, and trying to maximize investments.  I have minimal debt compared to lots of recent graduates (~12k) and make upper 60s in a fairly LCOL area.  Won't max my 401k this year because I started in mid-June after a month backpacking in Europe.  Opened a Roth, and hope to max both 2016 and 2017. Also max my 401k this coming year and get to a comfortable emergency fix.

Still a lot to learn and trying to get better everyday with more reading, more exercising, and less stuff.

And now for my one non-MMM deal: I own a truck (paid for, '99, 200k miles) and even worse for the MMM community, I use it to tow a boat.  Big time freshwater fisherman.  So will have to work around that hobby, because it's not going anywhere. 

Initial goal is NW 100k by end of 2019 (I'll turn 25 about midway through 2019)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BuffaloStache on December 19, 2016, 10:05:02 PM
The year was 2009.
Every credit card was maxxed.
We both had loans on our 401ks.
The savings account was at zero.
Both cars had loans outstanding.
We had just bought a new house - with a huge mortgage - with, naturally, zero dollars down.
We both loathed our jobs, but they paid well, so we felt trapped in them because they were the only way to pay the bills.

Suddenly, thankfully, we turned to each other one Saturday morning over coffee and admitted that this was no way to live.

****

Its the end of 2016.
We have zero credit card debt.
No loans on our 401ks (which we max!), and we also both have IRAs (which we max!) and a taxable brokerage account.
The savings accounts hold a 6+ month emergency fund.
Both cars are paid off - and we actually replaced one car in 2014 with one we paid for in cash.
We're attacking the mortgage now.  We still owe $300K (our only debt) but its much less than it was.
We still are paid well, but still loathe our jobs.  We still feel that this is no way to live, but we are digging our way out fast and furious!

****

I am 41 and he is 45.  I'm not sure if we will be ready to FIRE in 2020, but I am pretty sure we will have FU money by then :)

We found MMM a couple years ago.  The blog was a great kick-in-the-pants we needed after years of digging ourselves out of our hole.  Now I love reading the forums - great ideas, and inspiration!

Excellent story and great progress already! Welcome and good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Outdoors in MI on December 20, 2016, 07:40:55 PM
Not being one to jump into things too soon, I followed the MMM blog and forum for a couple of years before finally joining up with a log-in. I've always been of a frugal nature but had never imagined retiring early. Of course now, at just over 50, it's a bit late to do so. But I am debt-free and looking forward to the possibility of retiring in 5 years or so. So... I'm glad to be an official member of the MMM community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Epictetus on December 21, 2016, 02:01:51 PM
Hi my name is Laura. I found MMM about two years ago after a Google search on "how to quit the rat race" led me to an excellent YouTube video by Jake Desyllas which mentions MMM. I've been pretty frugal for most of my adult life (at least in relation to my high-ish income but not super hard core like M) and I think I've got enough now cut free, but it sure is a scary leap to make! I took a several month leave of absence this year to hike the AT and see what having no income would feel like. My net worth went up during this period, which is somewhat reassuring, although it is hard to spend too much $ when you are isolated on a trail :P Anyway, now I am keeping track of my spending versus my non-employment related income on a monthly basis, hoping to get to some level of comfort with dropping employment by next fall. Thanks for all the good info and comradery on this blog - it's been a huge help!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dub_the_Builder on December 22, 2016, 09:39:00 AM
JW Here,  I'm 32 and set an audacious goal of becoming financially independent by age 40. I grew up in a lower middle class family who avoided debt but never took any risks in their investments. I was lucky enough to graduate college with zero debt thanks to my parents and I working and paying along the way. I was also lucky enough to get a quality corporate job and work my way up over the last 10 years. In that time, I got married to my wife and helped her finish school without any student loan debt.

I went to school for small business and have had a desire to run my own company since high school. I am at a point in my career where I am seeing first hand the impact of politics in the work place and it has become an increasing source of frustration. I want the freedom to step away and pursue something I am truly passionate about. My wife and I have a little girl and plan on more kids. I want to have a nest egg to support the family before I pursue something else.

I have always saved for retirement but looking back wish I had done things different in my 20's. The last three years I have been educating myself on investing. Recently I have been consuming a lot of podcasts on my ride to work from the likes of Afford Anything, The Mad Fientist and Radical Personal Finance.

As for the numbers, My wife and I have a net worth of ~$160K. $110K in retirement accounts and $50K of equity in the house. The only debt we currently have is a mortgage and a car loan. One of the reasons I joined this forum is to ask advice like paying off mortgage early or continue investing as an example. My FI # is $1.2M.

Lastly, I am slowly working with my wife on making better decisions in the future and finding ways to cut our expenses and find ways to invest more wisely. We were going down the rental investment property route but the market in our area has exploded over the last 2 years so we may put that on hold til a better time down the road.

Looking forward to the community here and glad to have people to talk to as my friends and co-workers think I'm strange (which Im completely fine with).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: minima on December 22, 2016, 02:25:10 PM
Hi-

I'm a long-term frugalist who has had blips in frugality over the years but now that I'm single and back to normal, I'm rebuilding my savings and have money to spend, if I want to, and a job that pays well and allows me a venue to contribute to society in the ways that I like. So I'm not really interested in retirement since it would hamper my ability to accomplish what I think is important-- but I'm always happy to live an early retirement lifestyle and to relax without worry about financial issues.

I've been a natural minimalist for most of my life and have always prized a lifestyle that depends on strategy to allow me to get the most out of life. Since I prefer to use my body rather than motorized vehicles for propulsion, and am happiest when I'm able to engage in outdoor sports, international travel, and laid-back interactions with easy-going people, I've been lucky to have a good life in the overall.

I signed up for the forum after asking some questions through the contact link (sorry MMM) and not realizing that the forum is a preferred means for interaction. I've been reading post-by-post from the beginning of the blog and just got to the forum inauguration post. So, I'll search the forums and see where my question to the group might be most appropriate-

Thanks to all and I'm glad to have what I expect will be your good advice--

minima
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: smacpa on December 23, 2016, 11:01:33 PM
Hello,
New here, I stumbled upon MMM blog when I was re-doing my budget and net worth statement after years of laziness and unintentional living.  Trying to get on the right path since I wasted my 20s living a normal life, I am about to turn 31 years old.  Looking to build FU wealth.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Txtriathlete on December 25, 2016, 07:19:12 PM
52 y/o FI since 2013. Working from home in a dream job that pays enough to encourage wasteful spending. Which brought me to M3 as I seek to get control of my spending.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Overflow on December 28, 2016, 11:26:56 AM
Hello My name is Overflow.

Early on the FI journey.

No debt, decent savings.

Just purchased first rental property, looking for good tenants right now.

Goal is to reach FI by 2020-21. Primarily through rental properties.

Jumping on this forum to kick my financial house into high gear.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Helmet on December 28, 2016, 11:42:34 PM
I'm just a helmet out in the Pacific Northwest trying to grow a mustache. 2016 was my first mustachian year and I managed to max both the 401k and IRA, looking to do the same in 2017 while adding an HSA to the mix. I've lurked around the forum quite a bit as a guest and finally decided it's time to come out of the shadows.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DNA SWISH on December 30, 2016, 01:57:15 PM
Hi,

Just signed up today.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DNA SWISH on December 30, 2016, 02:23:50 PM
Hi,

My wife and I have been following the Stash principles for some time now and we are also fellow Canucks .
I gotta tell ya this stuff is powerful Kung Fu!

Decided today to join the community.

We are $8000.00 shy of hitting the million mark. :), and have no intention of leaving work for at least another 10 years, (pension). But more important, we like our jobs. It's just nice have options.

We have always been savers but, but have to admit we did get off track for awhile, but after stumbling across the site the flame was re-lit. Thanks

Once you start your journey you will never view your surroundings the same way.

DnA
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thebattlewalrus on December 30, 2016, 04:13:30 PM
Hello Mustachians!

I have been sitting in the corner reading and not posting the last couple years and figured it was time to jump into the fray :)

I'm here to learn and maybe add a bit to the conversation.

Low debt, wife and I have good jobs, and looking to invest more over the next few years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alot$lol on December 30, 2016, 07:00:21 PM
Good evening, I go by Tiger (not Tiger Woods). I'm a lawyer by trade. Similar to most of the members here, I also want to achieve my own definition of final freedom in order to live life on my terms without having to work solely for money.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: semiretired31 on January 01, 2017, 01:24:17 PM
Hi everyone, I'm Nick - a 26 year old software engineer from central Pennsylvania. I've been a bit of a lurker to the MMM blog for a few months, trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can so I decided to jump into the community here as well.

My wife (a high school spanish teacher) and I have been discussing some ER possibilities of late due to high stress levels at her job and lackluster opportunities at mine. We're generally pretty good with not buying excessive stuff but could definitely do better to supercharge our 'stash. Our goal is to be mortgage-free in about 4 years, which is a little far-fetched but not altogether impossible. After that, we want to save up for a B&B in Costa Rica :)

I like how you think.  37 and in Central Pa... love the idea of a B&B in Costa Rica.  One of my favorite places in the world.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: semiretired31 on January 01, 2017, 01:45:11 PM
Hey everyone - Turned on to MMM by a friend/old colleague who is a couple years in and seeing real results.  Motivated me to do the same. 

From southeastern PA, , 37, wife, 2 kids (8 and 10) and do software sales.  Good income... that I could have done more with over time.  Have a reasonable start on my 401(k), never really considered the idea of retiring early.  Man... something to shoot for. 

Just starting to think about changing habits, but always have been pretty mustachian.  Invested my first sizable sum in my Vanguard account.  Hopefully sitting here a year from now with some successes to talk about. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Loren Ver on January 02, 2017, 10:48:08 AM
Yo!  I'm Loren and I thought you all could use more non-computer types on the Mustache train :).
I am 34 years old and working as a Biologist (currently a protein biologist, though I did Molecular Biology for the previous 7 years).

I didn’t know it, but I have been living many of the mustachian fundamentals for most of my life.  My dad retired in his 40s so I have always seen this as a goal.  While I was still in college I told my boyfriend (soon husband) that if he planned it out he could retire at 40.  We have been working towards that since and have about 6 years to go.  There have been times of no work, underpaid work, going back to college.  We have paid off most of the student loan debts (about $70,000) in a hurry (leaving the 1.8% ones to slowly die) and only carry a mortgage.  We intentionally have no children nor pets (though I plan for dogs once I retire). Now that we both have fulltime jobs, the timeline is starting to focus and the fun is really starting.  Not too bad for a family that has never had a take home pay in the 6 figures. 

I found the MMM blog while doing some searching about getting money out of a 401k when one needs to fill the gap between retiring early and waiting until the government thinks you should stop working.  I found the post How Much is TOO MUCH in your 401(k)?
I couldn’t believe that there were others out there like me!  So I have been poking around since, seeing what there is to learn and giggling at the complainypants. 

LV
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grommet on January 02, 2017, 05:20:12 PM
Howdy folks...super excited to be here! 4 children + 2 stepchildren, two financial bubbles, a divorce, and a new wife who treats spending like an Olympic sport have put a dent in my FIRE plans, but I'm cautiously optimistic that I can turn things around and reach that goal by 60 (I'm 46 now). I have lots to learn from this community and look forward to the conversation. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SpartyStash on January 02, 2017, 10:34:43 PM
Hi Mustache People,

I'm a 53 year old FI retired scientist (semi-retired as of May 2015, single, no dependents, no deductions).  I'm still doing a little bit of consulting to sort of stay engaged, scientifically (so I might only be semi-retired...).  I've probably been following mustache principals since my early 20's (grad student lifestyle, kept my Honda Civic for 18 years, avoided all forms of debt, etc.).  I think I may only be part mustachian though, as I really like Chipotle burritos and end up eating there 3-4 times a month.  I found MM a couple years ago and I've finally decided to join the community. 

I think the biggest challenge I've faced, is to turn off the save-save-save-invest-invest-invest mindset and start spending my investments.  I finally came up with a plan last fall (e.g. exactly which investments are in the sell pile, which investments will be sold to increase dividend income, and which will be kept for future needs (house)), and that has really helped.  With dividend income and selling ~2-3% of my investment portfolio a year, I can generate ~55-60K to enjoy life on (any consulting income would be on top of this).  When I'm 65 I'll also have a small pension and I'll be able to start tapping my 401K & IRA investments.  Another challenge has been the lack of daily structure (like a lot of other newly retired folks). 

I'd like to move west (most of my friends are out there, and I enjoy lots of outdoor activities) but my Mom is now in a nursing home in CT (I'm in PA).  Thus I've been spending 8-10 days a month visiting my Mom and cleaning the family home.  So for right now I'm sort of "stuck" here on the east coast (no other family in CT, brothers rarely visit my Mom, I'm pretty much taking care of most everything).  Probably the biggest 2017 resolution that I have, is to really commit to planning/taking some vacations (e.g. spend a week in Oregon).  This sort of got away from me in 2016 (took a couple vacations, but could have taken others).         

Best,
SpartyStash
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MinimalistMark on January 03, 2017, 12:30:50 PM
Hi I'm Mark, a late 20 something guy living in the tri state area. While still relatively a newbie to my career in the financial industry, I've seen enough to know that the 'corporate-forever' lifestyle isn't for me. Having discovered MMM and the concept of FI about a year ago, I'm taking the necessary steps to secure a stable future and FI, devoid of compulsory 'busy' work and pointless meetings (I hate meetings). I'm here to learn and maybe even nudge a friend or two to this lifestyle.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AmberTheCat on January 05, 2017, 11:31:31 AM
hi all. i've enjoyed reading the above posts. we're all so different; but have a similar goal/interest

have 4 kids (2 in college) & spouse & havent saved as much as we'd have like. there's a guaranteed pension for us which is helpful to know i suppose. retire early? that'll take a mindset shift; that's what i'm going to start reading about here.  ok -- carry on!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BuffaloStache on January 05, 2017, 05:46:06 PM
retire early? that'll take a mindset shift; that's what i'm going to start reading about here.  ok -- carry on!
That's what this place is all about! welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JkOk on January 06, 2017, 04:45:22 AM
My wife has told me to stop ranting about MMM, so I've succumbed to moving from lurker to poster so I can have an outlet for my Mustachian thoughts.

I'm mid 30s, too much education, not enough financial sense until recently, two mini-mustaches in tow, reasonably well paid, with a wife who is half mustachinista, half not.

We tried to reduce our spending over the last couple of years, but after immersing myself in the MMM philosophies I realise that we have been outrageously half-hearted about it.

Currently on track to have paid off car loan and credit cards by May. Student loan is a bit out of reach but slowly does it.

First week of the year, and I have spent zero $ on lunches or snacks at work, and saved $100 on badass shopping (which included buying 15kg of rice at half price... We are set until mid 2018!). Grabbed my weekly quota of a $10 six pack of beers on my way home from work today (Friday), polished off three, left three for tomorrow.

Last year it would have been $5-10/day on lunch, dinner picked up each day with no planning, and $50 worth of beer/week. Feels good to show some damn restraint!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Valibert on January 06, 2017, 06:19:07 AM
Hi we are Valibert, French couple living in the Netherlands. We got introduced to FIRE a couple weeks ago and are now ready to start the journey. Good luck to everyone! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: littlebrokenrobot on January 06, 2017, 09:42:20 AM
Hi all,

I'm a thirty-something, single, Canadian guy who's been following the MMM blog, off and on, for a couple of years now. Living outside my means saw me close to $50K in debt at my thirtieth birthday, with no assets. Through frugality and diligence I flipped that figure from red to black in a handful of years. I'm now on the FIRE path and looking forward to learning and growing on that journey along with the rest of you.

Roll on 2017, a new year of financial badassity!

LBR
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: littlebrokenrobot on January 06, 2017, 09:46:18 AM
My wife and I have been following the Stash principles for some time now and we are also fellow Canucks .
I gotta tell ya this stuff is powerful Kung Fu!

Decided today to join the community.

We are $8000.00 shy of hitting the million mark. :), and have no intention of leaving work for at least another 10 years, (pension). But more important, we like our jobs. It's just nice have options.

Hello from a fellow Canuck and new MMM forum member. A pre-emptive congratulations on hitting the seven-figure mark. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: poniesandFIRE on January 06, 2017, 10:55:09 AM
Hi!

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

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


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

Status: Married (also 49) with a 9 yo son, wife in the Navy who will retire in 3.4 years as an O6 with 25 years service. Combined pensions of 110K -145K depending on if I retire this year or in 5. No debts outside of 320K in mortgage. About $1.6 M in savings/assets. We're not true Mustachians but are willing to learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BuffaloStache on January 06, 2017, 10:24:39 PM
Combined pensions of 110K -145K depending on if I retire this year or in 5. No debts outside of 320K in mortgage. About $1.6 M in savings/assets. We're not true Mustachians but are willing to learn.

With that kind of savings plus an incoming pension, you should definitely be able to be FIRE! Read up on MMM and this blog to learn how to reign in your spending so that you can retire earlier than 5 years! Good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cyclelove on January 07, 2017, 06:32:16 AM
Hello, James here, a mid-thirties web designer currently living in London but moving to Scotland (Glasgow) later this month where I own my own small apartment.

Just binge-read 75% of the MMM blog over Christmas (via Kindle) and fired up about paying off the remaining £75K on my mortgage.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cpaw on January 07, 2017, 03:53:40 PM
Hi there, Cara here. I learned about MMM almost 4 years ago now, recently out of college and beginning to seek out alternatives to mindless consumerism. I was chatting with a like-minded friend about Your Money or Your Life, and she said "You have to check out MMM!"

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

I've been a lurker and am happy to finally post today. Looking forward to learning and sharing more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lost_in_the_endless_aisle on January 07, 2017, 10:52:57 PM
Hey, was reading up on cults to join and ended up here. I consider membership here a form of prophylactic "chalking the door" to prevent worse catastrophes from engulfing me (adorning my door with lamb's blood might be a superior religious analogy, but hey, it's the Epiphany).

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

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

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

I'll probably save my crazier biographical information in a journal. Anyway, hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrtreasuretoupee on January 08, 2017, 01:43:57 AM
My name is Ben and found this site be accident.  I found that I already fit about half of MMM's suggestions ( I did just buy a brand new car though :/ ) I look forward to learning and maybe even helping.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: valeriesue on January 09, 2017, 08:22:13 PM
Hi friends! I love hearing all your wonderful, diverse, inspiring stories.

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

But you really have to live while you're young, right? #YOLO
What if you just drop dead and die one day after amassing all your wealth? Will it still seem worthwhile when you're DEAD?
I can't give up restaurant eating, cars, Whole Foods groceries, [fill in the blank]. They're the only thing(s) that remind me I'm human.
I'm really very good with money. Sir, I accused you of nothing!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HernandezPrime on January 09, 2017, 10:55:23 PM
Hi everybody!!

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

Just as a quick background, I started last year with thousands of dollars in student debt and credit card debt. About $9000 all up. Now, I have zero debt and all the money I save has been paying for my wedding in May, with no debt required for any expenses! Mr Money Mustache has changed my life in a massive way, and I'm pretty excited to be here now :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: linorusk on January 10, 2017, 04:28:57 AM
Hi everybody! I'm a 26 y. o. girl living in Norway together with deyoswed, a mustachian since 2013, and our little cat:)

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

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

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

/Linn
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrBrutalHonesty on January 10, 2017, 06:00:16 AM
Hi all,

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

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

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

And I've calmed down.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sadly, I don't have much to sell (I'm a bit of a minimalist as mentioned), and I'm probably going to need to retrain as while my IT skillset is still current, it's also become depressingly commonplace in the UK, so it's harder to command a decent wage. I've got a decent following on Instagram (53K and climbing) but have so far failed to find a way to earn money doing it. So if anyone has any good suggestions on how to add a few K's to my income, bring it on. I'm eager and ready to learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shieldmaiden on January 10, 2017, 07:42:24 AM
Hello.

I'm a senior in college looking to pay off her student loans and help my mom (who is in the middle of long overdue divorce proceedings) raise my younger siblings. I'm a frugal person, but I love buying things for people way too much and am extremely inexperienced when it comes to employment. However, I am no stranger to hard work. I want to achieve FI so I can support my mom through this difficult time and her elder years, and because I want the freedom to see my family and friends in other states without having to work around a job. I live and go to college in Florida, but I have family and friends- many of whom are elderly- in North Carolina, Wyoming, Alabama, and New York. I've been following/binge reading the MMM blog for a few weeks and am very uneducated about stocks and bonds and have almost no savings to my name, but I am determined to make a better life for myself and my family.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 10, 2017, 08:39:07 AM
Hello.

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

Welcome!

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

http://jlcollinsnh.com/stock-series/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: soundFool on January 10, 2017, 08:59:50 AM
Hello,

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

Thanks for having me.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ritchie on January 11, 2017, 05:41:21 AM


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

Here we go:

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

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

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

Cheers,

Ritchie
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sixkids on January 11, 2017, 09:44:07 AM
Hi, I guess this is where I post an intro...  I'm 38 years old, from Ohio.  Married with 6 kids.  Income is decent, but I hate, hate, HATE my job.  Still in early stages of worrying about my future and my kids future, so forgive me if I say or do the wrong things.  I'm here to learn.  At this point, we are renting a house, have about $3,000 in credit card debt, two car loans (well, a loan and a lease) and about $10,000 in savings. 
My goal is to get the one car paid off, and buy a house in the next year or two.  I'd like to retire as soon as possible, and I know I'll need to reallocate a LOT of my finances toward doing that
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cantgrowone on January 11, 2017, 11:57:09 AM
Hi all. I'm cantgrowone. I physically cannot grow a mustached; facial hair doesn't come in right. I'm 29 and looking for early financial independence. The house will be paid off in July, woot.

Looking to grow my money mustache further. We spent more than we should in 2016, everything was paid for with cash.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fish Sweet on January 11, 2017, 02:06:56 PM
Hi y'all.  I'm Fish.  I've been lurking around the MMM blog and forums for a while, and finally figured I wanted to start chiming in.  I'm in my mid-twenties, pretty early on in my career, but I'm going to be honest, I'm already tired of working and am looking forward to being able to FIRE sooner, rather than later. 

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

Currently have about 95k total net worth, no debt of any kind.  18k in liquid savings/checkings, and over time, the rest of it in investments.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Corazon on January 11, 2017, 08:37:31 PM
Hi Folks, I am a long time lurker and just signed up to the forums. I'm too old to retire young but still plan on FI/retirement by 55. I just started a five year plan to get me there. I live in Brooklyn and have a high savings rate as my employer provides housing, utilities, cell phone etc. I have no commuting expenses and my needs are few. I started reading MMM a while back and it all sounded very familiar as I read Your Money or Your Life over 20 years ago. The ideas are very similar but I never could put them in place as I was married to a high spender. I hope to learn a lot from the forum and contribute in any way I can - if not as an example at least as a warning.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WordBird on January 12, 2017, 01:49:17 PM
Hi there:

I'm WordBird, living near Toronto, Canada with my wonderful husband and two kids, ages 12 and 9. Always had relatively mustachian approach to our finances, though we occasionally fall off the wagon. On target for me to retire / pursue my passions in 2021, though husband will keep working (his choice).  I'm way more mustachian than him, so we're comprising. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wood_Stacker on January 12, 2017, 06:47:01 PM
Hi - I found MMM via the New Yorker article awhile back, read through, and my wife and I said, this is us, were we better organized. But it took me awhile to finally land here...

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

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

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

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

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

So what to best do with our 4mm net in the next few years to maximize it’s benefit? Very delighted to have landed here, and hope to contribute in excess of the great stuff I've already dug out of here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mjdh1957 on January 13, 2017, 07:02:34 AM
Been lurking and reading for a while now.

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

I live in Hebden Bridge (the locations for the recent TV series Happy Valley are around here) and am really enjoying being retired.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: actionjackson on January 13, 2017, 09:45:51 AM
Stumbled across this site the other day, referred by Scooby - the fitness guy. I'm into all this no BS approach to life, in fitness, career, finance etc.

32YO, Aussie expat living in TX.

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

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

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

Our hobby is rockclimbing, which is great for living frugal, because the gear you need is <$1k and you only need to replace it every 5 years or so, and it keeps us fit, happy and motivated. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: omachi on January 13, 2017, 12:32:28 PM
Hello everybody. I've long known to save, invest, and spend less. I owe my parents a huge thanks for setting a good example and actually teaching me some of this stuff.

I have been reading MMM for a bit, and lurking the forums for a little less than a bit, so I thought I'd register an account. I've been looking for an outlet to discuss money and related life topics, since nobody but my wife and my parents seem to really understand that you can actually accumulate wealth these days. This seems like a reasonable place to do that.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KOdelphia on January 14, 2017, 01:06:05 PM
Hi,  I'm Kevin and I've been reading the blog for about 3 years, and am ready to start participating a little more.  My wife and I have our debt paid down and i'm ready to start making some moves to make the rest of my life a lot smoother.  I'm a Naval Officer, biker and musician, and I look forward to getting involved on the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Moiser on January 17, 2017, 02:22:57 AM
Hey guys!

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

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

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

Looking forward to getting involved in the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mon on January 18, 2017, 08:28:57 AM
Hi!
Montse from Spain.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gal2016 on January 18, 2017, 12:07:29 PM
Hi. Gal2016 here.  I've made a habit of living rather frugally over the last 8 years, but am now married to a spender who needs lots of help digging out of the credit card hole that he inherited in his divorce. This last year has meant a geographical move, a new job (making 30K less than my previous) and step-kids.

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

We've both got pensions/retirements and I have a 403B that I've contributed to for a decade.  Once the CC debt is paid off, I'll max out my 403B (no employer match, unfortunately).  We're looking to semi-retire in 13 years to travel and pick up work as we feel the need.  We'll be 55 and 53 at retirement, if things go as planned.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Guide2003 on January 20, 2017, 02:21:12 PM
Hello, I've been lurking for a couple years and am current on all the blog articles. I've finally gotten to the point where I'm not able to get simple answers from quick google searches and it's forcing me out of my introvert's shell! While I've fortunately gotten a great start due to good parenting, I stumbled on MMM as I was entering a critical time in life where I was unwittingly setting up some long-term financial priorities.

I'm currently in military aviation living in southern Alabama (not a whole lot of Mustacians in this area it seems) but my wife and I are really excited to keep the momentum going on this journey. I look forward to gaining more personal advice and wisdom through this forum, and hope some day to meet some of you in person!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cognitiveitch on January 20, 2017, 11:01:49 PM
Hi, everyone! 33-year-old tech worker from LA here. Only about two years into my Mustachian ways and still learning a lot of hard lessons (kicking myself for not maxing out my 401K last year, for instance). Recently got my husband on board after breaking down all the numbers of exactly how much we need to earn and save in order to retire in under 10 years.

Already learned a lot by lurking and excited to contribute to the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrThatsDifferent on January 21, 2017, 02:41:30 AM
Hey everyone!
American living in Sydney, Australia for over a decade, mid-40s.  In the last year I've secured a great job that pays very well.  I've never been a saver, even though I've had generally good jobs.  Because of some weird circumstances I got into deep debt that I've managed to get myself out of last year.  I discovered MMM a couple months ago and it's changed everything. I'm focused on FIRE in 5 years, 8 max and we want to travel the world for a while. I've been reading everything to work out my strategy and make the changes necessary to improve our lives financially.  Reviewing our finances, we're not quite as bad as I thought and if we act now, we'll catch up quickly.  Very grateful for all the great advice and generosity from everyone sharing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AnswerIs42 on January 22, 2017, 12:48:29 PM
Hello everyone, from London. I've been lurking on this forum for a few years now, so decided I may as well sign up :)

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

I checked my quarterly spreadsheet last month, and I've finally reached base-level FI! Well, not entirely, as a large proportion is locked away in a pension 'til I'm 55 (probably 58 by the time I get there). Also, the latest gains are somewhat illusory, due to the weakness of the pound, and I'm not sure I trust the 4% rule on these valuations. Plus, I want to move away from London when I RE, and hopefully have a bit more than base-level FI then. But still - it's practically in the bag at this point, everything else is just gravy. It's a nice feeling :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: taxedatty on January 22, 2017, 03:59:34 PM
Lurking for years, decided that perhaps I should register and contribute to the discussions. I'm an attorney in philly working at a b4 accounting firm.  Married.  Husband and I are saving and investing to retire early, and although pretty frugal, we are not as mustachian as many here!!  But we are content, which we believe is really the name of the game. 😀
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: katscratch on January 22, 2017, 09:31:55 PM
I never properly introduced myself - 42, work in healthcare.

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

I have one kiddo in college who is on his way to FI - he'll probably outpace me, darn engineers ;)  I can't let my son retire before I do, so the race is on :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: K-12FI on January 23, 2017, 12:16:10 PM
Hi, just registered. I'm a 26 year old Middle School English Teacher who's recently started throwing all extra money towards loans. I was a spending freak, driving my wife crazy until i discovered MMM and the FI/RE mentality. Now my whole focus has shifted, and I feel better about it!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheBeardandTheBohemian on January 23, 2017, 01:38:48 PM
I just  registered my wife and I have lived very frugally and invested most of our income for the past three years  we live very similar to most people on this form we are in our early 20s  she graduated this past December from college and I quit my professional sales job and we are traveling the country for 2017 in our 1998 Ford e- 350
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: romanh on January 24, 2017, 12:51:34 PM
Hi people,

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

Might have to do with massive taxes in Germany and / or higher salaries/wages in the US.
Anyhow, I plan to improve my financial situation long term.
Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jessicat on January 25, 2017, 08:15:19 AM
Hi!  I am a stay at home mom.  I am 43 years old. My dh is a software engineer.  we have six kids.  (Yes on purpose)  We have been married 20 years.  10 years ago we found Dave Ramsey.  He help change our financial lives and get on the same page.  We paid off 35k of debt in one year while my dh was making 69k.  Fast forward 10 years.  Last April we paid off our house 244k and now have 325k in retirement savings.  About a year ago I was looking for more financially.  we have done well but I wanted more.  That is when I found mr Money mustache.  I am more security oriented, my husband is more of a risk taker with investments.  We talk our way to the middle together.  We are both tightwads.  I agree and love many things I have read here.  The ones I don't agree with are more negotiable to me. I won't ride a bike everywhere.  My town isn't set up for it and yesterday I had an epic bike crash.  I am a bit old for skinned knees and elbows. I do ride for fun.  And we own a 2002 suburban because it seats 8.   I am excited to start the next part of our journey by stepping up what we are doing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr Chin Stubble on January 25, 2017, 09:47:25 AM
Hi I'm Mr Chin Stubble. I liked one of the articles (Millioniaire is minted 10 dollars at a time)and want to retire. I also seem to run up credit card debt.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SDF on January 25, 2017, 05:32:56 PM
Hello from Portland! I have been reading MMM for a couple years, and just started exploring the forums a few weeks ago. My oh my there is so much interesting and useful information here! The posts here have encouraged me to go even farther in my 'stache-building and create/adapt some new spreadsheets to even more completely and accurately track my spending and retirement contributions. So THANK YOU all for posting such great stuff here. I hope to be able to contribute some good things and keep myself accountable through writing here as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LittleTree on January 25, 2017, 08:27:44 PM
Hi I'm Casey. I live in NYC with DH and our two middle schoolers.  It's taken a while for me to overcome my shyness and register but now I'm really excited to participate with you all in the MMM community.

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

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

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SmartyCat on January 26, 2017, 10:31:55 AM
Hello from the Seattle area! I'm SmartyCat, and I stumbled across MMM a few months ago in the process of decluttering and thinking about how much is "enough". Until last year, DH and I were kind of . . . "I'll work until 62 and he wants to retire around 70, tralala. .. . (I know, right??). . . .until the day the light bulb went on with a major WTF moment. We've been frugal in some areas, spendypants in others, so there is some cleanup to do. We're aiming for FI by January 1, 2020. I'll be 58 and DH will be 65, so it only moves the timeline up by four years, but I'm super excited to have the countdown clock launched.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WinterSkies on January 26, 2017, 11:27:04 AM
Hi folks!  Thought I'd introduce myself, as I've been lurking around for some time and have finally registered.  I'm WinterSkies - located in Winnipeg, Canada.  DH (34) and I (33) are both engineers, and have two young children (4, 2).  I stumbled across MMM late last year, and have been catching up on the blog, and more recently, reading through the forums.

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

I am looking forward to learning from everyone here, and giving and receiving encouragement.  This looks like such a great community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Swish on January 27, 2017, 10:22:36 AM
Hello,

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

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

I want something different.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CC on January 27, 2017, 12:01:34 PM
Hi all,

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

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

I would like to learn more and contribute as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frugalwitch on January 29, 2017, 08:20:39 AM
Hi !

I'm a 27 yo college teacher in Canada. I've been through a long way to become more frugal as I was a very spendy witch 5 years ago. Trying to do the math and see if I can be FI at 40!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kiwi Fuzz on January 30, 2017, 07:11:37 AM
Hello!

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

My interests include, but are not limited to: cooking, baking, writing, reading, video games, drawing, painting, carpentry, DIY in general, languages (French and Japanese I know a little), philosophy, science, knitting, and other nerdy things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alexanderhamilton on January 30, 2017, 03:24:42 PM
Hello!

I am 43 and wish I had found this forum sooner! I have always been financially responsible (paid off house, no other debt) but could have done so much more. I do love my job but that could change and I like to have options. Husband is not extraordinarily frugal (he likes to eat out) but he knows we have a good lifestyle because of our frugality. We do travel as much as we can and that is what we love.  I come from a small family and we are spread on three continents, so that is where our fun money goes!
I have two kids, one super frugal and one not.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vibrissae on February 01, 2017, 11:06:02 AM
Hello! I can't recall how I found the MMM site--presumably someone on another forum somewhere recommended it--but I've been lurking about for a little while and finally decided to make an account. I'm in my late 40s, single with three cats, and work in academic publishing. The money's not tremendous, but it's decent and comes with great benefits, plus I love my job.

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

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

Change is exciting! I'm looking forward to the journey. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: financiallypossible on February 01, 2017, 11:27:23 AM
Hi,

I'm in my mid 30's and married with 1 child. We achieved FI at the New Year of 2017. I'll be RE in 3 months and my wife will retire in late Feb.

We just learned about the FIRE movement in June of 2016, but have been living that lifestyle for over a decade. We've been networking since August 2016 through the BAMMM (Bay Area MMM meetup group) and the Mustachians on Facebook group. We're looking forward to meeting more people in the community at future Fin Con's and the like.

We write 4 blogs on a variety of topics and run a YouTube channel. Our vision for retirement includes living the simple life, participating heavily in the PTA once our young one enters school in a few years, volunteering, and diversifying our portfolio through real estate investing.

I'm a big fan of Pete's (MMM) writing style and content.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fitnesswealth on February 01, 2017, 06:56:50 PM
Greetings everyone,

To be honest I have only stumbled into MMM recently. I have heard him from other podcasts and such. I follow other bloggers in the industry that is in his circle. I work in the aviation field in the military, I am nearing my goal of financial freedom (from consumer debt) the goal is before July of this year. I look forward to learning and contributing with everyone here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RobinRobinRobin on February 01, 2017, 11:56:53 PM
Howdy folks!

I'm Robin. I'm a 21-year-old gal working as a mechanical engineer-in-training. I live on a cozy houseboat in northern Canada. I like to build and fix and grow things. My weekends are spent completing ultra-endurance suffer-fests by bike, ski, canoe and foot with my dog Toko. I play guitar and mandolin in a folk/funk band, and coach cross-country skiing.

I'm mildly obsessed with travel, and run off for a couple months each year. My goal is to transition to remote work once I get my P.Eng., travel nearly full-time, and maintain my home base in Canada.

I managed to escape university debt-free, and even had some savings. I bought a house(boat) in cash, and rent out the spare rooms on AirBnB. I'm maxing out my TFSA and RRSP, and funneling the rest into taxable accounts. I'm on track to FIRE comfortably in 8 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: samaeryn on February 02, 2017, 02:00:04 PM
Hi, I'm 41, and just an office worker who has been receiving the MMM newsletter for a few years now. I have what I think of as standard debt: an almost paid off car, a couple of credit cards, and a small amount of student loans. I want to get the car paid off asap, so I can start paying down some other stuff. Also, I need to get my spending under control! Too much dining out!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Saskatchewstachian on February 02, 2017, 03:12:46 PM
Howdy folks!

I'm Robin. I'm a 21-year-old gal working as a mechanical engineer-in-training. I live on a cozy houseboat in northern Canada. I like to build and fix and grow things. My weekends are spent completing ultra-endurance suffer-fests by bike, ski, canoe and foot with my dog Toko. I play guitar and mandolin in a folk/funk band, and coach cross-country skiing.

I'm mildly obsessed with travel, and run off for a couple months each year. My goal is to transition to remote work once I get my P.Eng., travel nearly full-time, and maintain my home base in Canada.

I managed to escape university debt-free, and even had some savings. I bought a house(boat) in cash, and rent out the spare rooms on AirBnB. I'm maxing out my TFSA and RRSP, and funneling the rest into taxable accounts. I'm on track to FIRE comfortably in 8 years.

Hello from another Mech EIT in Canada!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Designer_Money on February 02, 2017, 07:21:59 PM
Hi. I'm Andy. I'm a 23 year old Industrial Designer and going-on-one-year college graduate. I was lucky enough to graduate with no debt a score a decently-paying (52k) job in a corporate engineering department. The job's ok.... pretty boring most of the time. The idea of starting my own design consulting business in the next 5 years or so has been sustaining me through it. Stumbling upon the Mustachian philosophy has also inspired me to set some long term goals toward FIRE. The freedom it would provide is really appealing to me and I thing I value that above frivolous crap that I could be spending my money on.

So, any advice for young folks just getting started? I'm currently holding my own at 12% savings and I'm on track to 15% in the next few months with some downsizing and adjustments. I've unfortunately got a new car to pay off but that's all the debt I have. Any advice, shared experiences, or commentary would be welcome and appreciated!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dollar Slice on February 02, 2017, 10:58:29 PM
So, any advice for young folks just getting started? I'm currently holding my own at 12% savings and I'm on track to 15% in the next few months with some downsizing and adjustments. I've unfortunately got a new car to pay off but that's all the debt I have. Any advice, shared experiences, or commentary would be welcome and appreciated!

You'll be in great shape if you're starting with good habits at your age! Advice: Make solid investment decisions and take advantage of 401(k)/IRAs - the money you invest early has the most time to grow! More advice: don't let your lifestyle inflate with any salary increases.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: homewithwheels on February 03, 2017, 08:45:50 AM
Howdy to all!!!

been creeping the forum for some time, finally decided to get into the discussion.

Quitting the 9-5 April 1 and moving on to work that I love.  good financial choices, 4 investment properties and a very low cost of living have made this choice possible! 

44 years old, married with 2 kids out of the house already.  Im headed to Colorado to become a river guide for summer 2017.  Life is good!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fish Sweet on February 03, 2017, 01:29:40 PM
Hi. I'm Andy. I'm a 23 year old Industrial Designer and going-on-one-year college graduate. I was lucky enough to graduate with no debt a score a decently-paying (52k) job in a corporate engineering department. The job's ok.... pretty boring most of the time. The idea of starting my own design consulting business in the next 5 years or so has been sustaining me through it. Stumbling upon the Mustachian philosophy has also inspired me to set some long term goals toward FIRE. The freedom it would provide is really appealing to me and I thing I value that above frivolous crap that I could be spending my money on.

So, any advice for young folks just getting started? I'm currently holding my own at 12% savings and I'm on track to 15% in the next few months with some downsizing and adjustments. I've unfortunately got a new car to pay off but that's all the debt I have. Any advice, shared experiences, or commentary would be welcome and appreciated!

Hello from one young Mustachian to another!  I'm 26-turning-27 this year, earning an income similar to yours, and trying to improve my own savings rate all the time!

One thing that I recommend doing, if you aren't doing it already, is to start tracking all of your spending.  Rent, utilities, groceries, eating out, dating, hobbies, car repair, the dollar you tip your parking attendant, all of it.   Track it, log it, break it down, and that's where you find out where you can trim the fat-- where are you spending the most, and where can you afford to cut back the most?  Look to some of the numbers our fellow great MMM people are providing for inspiration-- if they can get their grocery/utilities/clothing expenditures down to XXX number, why can't I?  Another side effect of tracking is that it makes you very aware of the money you spend, because you don't want to just toss a twenty at your dinner bill and forget about it, you need to log it later!

Also, if you're at all like me, and have a 20-somethingish friend group that loooves going out, eating out, and hanging out, don't be afraid to start proposing some cheaper alternatives for having fun.  Instead of eating out every Friday, now my best friend and I walk to the grocery store together, shop together, and prepare dinner together at half the price and twice the time spent with each other.  Friend wants to go to a classy and expensive bar where each beer costs upwards of $7?  Propose a beer tasting among friends where you each go and pick up the most interesting or weird bottle of beer, and have a vote for whoever picked the Weirdest and whoever picked the Best.  You don't need to be Mr. Killjoy-Let's-Stay-At-Home every time, but just imagine-- avoiding 2 expensive $50 hangout trips each month in lieu of $10 cheap hangouts makes for a savings of $80 each month, or $960 a year-- almost a thousand dang dollars for the same amount of fun.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BuffaloStache on February 03, 2017, 11:26:41 PM
Also, if you're at all like me, and have a 20-somethingish friend group that loooves going out, eating out, and hanging out, don't be afraid to start proposing some cheaper alternatives for having fun.  Instead of eating out every Friday, now my best friend and I walk to the grocery store together, shop together, and prepare dinner together at half the price and twice the time spent with each other.  Friend wants to go to a classy and expensive bar where each beer costs upwards of $7?  Propose a beer tasting among friends where you each go and pick up the most interesting or weird bottle of beer, and have a vote for whoever picked the Weirdest and whoever picked the Best.  You don't need to be Mr. Killjoy-Let's-Stay-At-Home every time, but just imagine-- avoiding 2 expensive $50 hangout trips each month in lieu of $10 cheap hangouts makes for a savings of $80 each month, or $960 a year-- almost a thousand dang dollars for the same amount of fun.

This alone has made a dramatic impact on my savings rate. Highly recommend.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FI4good on February 07, 2017, 11:54:07 AM
Hi all, 

Have crashed and burned in life a few times, had time out from work 29-35 not FI but had FU money so i used that until i had none left, then had to return to work, I had to come back to the UK and face all of it again . Bleugh ! 

Life begins at 40 is the old addage, so i thought i'd apply myself to FI , FI for good this time.

Think it's great to see so many younger people on MMM getting it together to experience the life i had a brief taste of but permanently .
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vlad on February 07, 2017, 03:29:25 PM
Hi,

I'm a long-time lurker (almost 2 years).  Figured it was time I stopped sponging and started getting involved (and hopefully contributing).  I found MMM via the "50 Jobs over $50k" when my son was trying to decide what to do after high school.  I had always been somewhat frugal and saved a little, but figured I'd keep slogging along until "normal" retirement age.  The blog and forum opened my eyes to the possibilities.  In the past couple years I've changed a lot ... reduced spending, increased savings, optimized investments, started monetizing my DIY skills though side gigs, and have a plan to FIRE in 7 years (age 52)! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: financiallypossible on February 08, 2017, 10:19:27 AM
Quote from: Vlad
The blog and forum opened my eyes to the possibilities.  In the past couple years I've changed a lot ... reduced spending, increased savings, optimized investments, started monetizing my DIY skills though side gigs, and have a plan to FIRE in 7 years (age 52)!

Excellent! And congratulations :)

Think it's great to see so many younger people on MMM getting it together to experience the life i had a brief taste of but permanently .

Agree, I really want to educate and encourage the young generation (age 15-22) to increase the number of people who work first and have children later (after their few working years are done or with only a slight overlap). Happier and more focused parents = a better future society.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SheepDog on February 08, 2017, 01:46:16 PM
Hello from Ohio!

Read MMM articles for some time now online and finally jumped on the forum. 

I've been a YNAB user for many years and just got the Wife someone on board with it as well.  Been together for 7 years and just got married last fall.  Just finished up combining all of our finances this past month or so.  Trying to get all the ducks in a row before minions start appearing lol.

I'll be posting a case study thread soon so we can get an idea where to improve.

Anyway, looking forward to learning lots and meeting new people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MattS on February 09, 2017, 08:56:14 AM
Hello! 
I've been lurking on here for a few years, joined last summer, and am finally posting.  I've learned a lot from both MMM's blog and from this forum. 
I'm 39, married, two kids, working for Mega-Corp as a chemical/process engineer/scientist, wife works part time.  We live in eastern Pennsylvania, in a small suburbany town.  I'm looking at pulling the plug in 4-5 years. 
Thanks for all the useful information over the years, I'll try to contribute when I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ChrisUSAF34 on February 09, 2017, 02:04:54 PM
Hey Everyone,

MMM, frugality, FI and all the positive personal/social side effects just make sense to me. I'm Chris, an active-duty Air Force officer/pilot guy. I'm trying to get to MMM 'level 2'; I think I'm close but could use help for sure. I can pull an active duty retirement at twenty years (nine years from now) and hope that along with my aggressive savings I will enjoy real freedom. I've always been a saver/investor but only found MMM in the last year. Now I feel like I'm pushing it on everyone who is open to listen. Hope to learn a lot more, share, etc. Thanks!

Chris
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Halligan on February 09, 2017, 03:17:33 PM
Hello everyone!

I recently found MMM from a post on Reddit.

I'm a 27 year old Firefighter from Michigan, who is looking to maximize the income boost from my new job. I'll be making a formal introduction/asking for advice thread in the next few days, but just wanted to stop in and say hello, and thank you to the many posters whose posts I have learned so much from.

Cheers,
Halligan
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: albertoartis on February 11, 2017, 02:06:36 AM
Hi everyone. My name is Alberto and I like to try new passive income opportunities.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kevinm62 on February 11, 2017, 10:03:59 PM
Hi,


I'm new to budgeting and working towards finite financial goals. I've gone down the path of churning in the past, building up an over-abundance of credit cards and credit limits. After some intermittent unemployment, I racked up a serious amount of debt which I am now focused on taking down to zero.

Heard about MMM through Biggerpockets and also found an MMM forum post while researching renting AU slots. Hope to learn more about earning some money from some of these credit cards I've been holding onto.

Thanks,

Kevin
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eezema on February 12, 2017, 04:52:26 AM
Hullo!

Heard about the MMM forum a year ago from my husband and have been slowly implementing strategies and advice. I've always been pretty frugal and more on the minimalist side of life, so it was right up my alley... Working my way through school (as affordably as possible) with a promised position in my mom's consulting firm that will allow me to retire within 10 years of starting. We've got one huge furbaby and a little one on the way, and are currently blasting away at the last of my debt caused by a major surgery for the aforementioned furbaby a couple of years ago. We're currently bouncing around the idea of renovating his sister's affordable, very well-located house into a more co-habitation type environment to save money and keep the tribe close (his siblings are very like-minded).

I'm very excited about the future, and glad to have found both the MMM blog and forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoMMy on February 13, 2017, 10:01:49 AM
Hello all!! Been reading the blog/forum for a while. Finally signed up to give/get help! :) We're soon to be a family of 5 with a stay at home parent. (P.S. My dad - my personal frugal expert - grew up in Longmont, CO in the 40s/50s!)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jane Dough on February 13, 2017, 03:47:46 PM
Hello, long time lurker here. I enjoy reading in these forums, and learn a lot from all of you. Decided it's time to finally join. Married over 40 years, retirement is imminent.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LoganRivera on February 14, 2017, 12:09:09 AM
Hai guys,
I am Logan Rivera, a newbie to this forum. Happy to join this forum and glad to meet everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: facepalm on February 14, 2017, 09:31:42 PM
New to the forum. Have been reading the main page articles for a while, but just now registered so I could participate in the "race to 200K" thread.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlisR on February 15, 2017, 08:22:45 AM
Hey everyone,
my name is Alison and I am 32 years old. It is not so long ago when I got married to my great husband John. We have one child. We are still working and probably will be for a couple of years.
~Have a great day
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rusty_me on February 15, 2017, 08:31:16 AM
Hello fellow mustachians. New to forum but not to MMM/frugal blogs. My name is Rusty and if the daily calculations I run are correct I am FI but not yet RE due to to many unknowns in life (single, no kids, healthcare...). Really enjoying the inspiration I'm getting from this forum though. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Spade pot on February 15, 2017, 05:22:52 PM
Greetings,
Have been reading and taking advise from this forum for a couple of years and feel compelled to start giving back a little. Our family of three here in South Florida have made many significant lifestyle changes and much better decisions thanks to the people who post on this site. Thank you to all who have shared vital information about there lives and situations. I look forward to posting questions, answers and comments here in the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SwitchValor on February 15, 2017, 08:10:06 PM
Hey everyone! I'm a 26 year old artist/model/actor who's new to the world of financial literacy and independence.

I've studied entrepreneurship for the past 3 years and have had some successes, but I realize that in order to truly free myself from having to create art for others I'll have to find a way to retire and fund my own projects.

I'm reading "Your Money or your Life" and doing my best not to blame or shame myself for not starting to save earlier, but I know that as I increase my earning ability and flex my frugal muscles, I'll be in a better place.

Looking forward to learning and contributing what I can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Quimby on February 15, 2017, 11:50:59 PM
Hi! I started reading the MMM blog two months ago and have enjoyed! Sent an article to my aunt today.

Shook my friends hand that I would try biking this year. Seems a pastime for mustachians so a relevant share/intro.
 

Thrilled to be here! What a cool forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Octotat on February 16, 2017, 11:57:34 AM
Hi, I'm Octotat and just found this site today and spent half the day reading it.  I feel like I've found my people!!!!!    I'm 50, no debt, paid off house, stacked 401, solid savings and planning to early retire by Christmas of this year!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Not Your Monkey on February 16, 2017, 09:00:03 PM
Hi!  I've been casually lurking for the last couple months but got hooked when I found the Epic FU money thread last week. Finished reading every single post in that thread today.  Love this community!  I also feel like I have finally found my people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanuckExpat on February 17, 2017, 06:25:53 PM
Hi, I'm Octotat and just found this site today and spent half the day reading it.  I feel like I've found my people!!!!!    I'm 50, no debt, paid off house, stacked 401, solid savings and planning to early retire by Christmas of this year!

Congratulations! Here is a thread full of other people retiring in 2017: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/target-fire-2017/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OthalaFehu on February 18, 2017, 09:53:39 PM
Hi Everybody, I am back after getting banned for spamming, sorry, I do not really read the rules before I clicked on them.

Now I don't have to cry at night before I go to sleep knowing that everybody in on MMM Forum talking about money without me.

-OthalaFehu (former blogspammer)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: svennman on February 19, 2017, 10:59:39 AM
Just saying hi. When I gave up my job in London at 25 to go travelling around Australia and Asia I knew I was going to be hopping off the gravy train of a profitable career. I also knew I didn't want to work all hours and travel across London for 90 minutes a day to keep on this gravy train. That was 25 years ago. Unlike MMM I was not a man with a plan. The past 25 years have involved about 3 years working in a conventional job (as a high school iT teacher in the UK), short periods working intensively with IT projects and a lot of time travelling around Asia (about 7 years) or spent in Sweden, where I am currently a student. My mother died a few years ago and I have had time to reflect since then, including about her longtime partner who is just a bit older than me and has earned £40-60 thousand a year for quite a while. He has much, much, much more money set aside than I do for his retirement, but when he recently lost his job he became very concerned that he wouldn't have enough to make ends meet. He has basically worked since he was 16. He is not at all extravagant and is very capable of fixing just about any device (a great person to have around if the world went to pieces and all that was left was different bits of previously working stuff). I wonder if I have been irresponsible with my life, if I had continued at my job I would have contributed a lot of money to the UK GDP (as one of millions in the UK), rather than living frugally and both spending little and buying little, compared to others.

With about 10 years of higher education (bachelors and master's degrees) behind me I wonder if I am going to continue studying. The lifestyle suits me and I cannot think of anything that offers the flexibility to develop yourself that education does (in a safe space). Is a mad idea that anyone that wants to get an education (for whatever reason and not necessarily linked to future employment) should be able to do so?

If everyone that is currently earning $60 thousand and up stopped doing that and started spending a lot less would that be good, solve the climate change problem and result in fluffy bunnies and peace and love worldwide or would it create a meltdown of the western world? If the stock market follows the bank interest etc in a shrinking economy wont MMM ideas of living on the growth of your investment money become invalid?

I hope that this post generates some interesting and helpful comments and not ones that are going to make me afraid to post again ...   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: albertoartis on February 21, 2017, 12:42:48 AM
Hello, My name is Alberto. I was told about this website by my brother who has been learning here for a while now. While I have the marketing skills, everything in the marketing world is going digital and that is where I can help. So here I am, trying to help anyone looking for digital marketing experience. I will probably learn everything here also by the time I'm done. I am so glad this site exists because with I can connect with people all around the world who are looking to make extra cash, so this is perfect! Thanks Mr. Money Mustache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoustachePadawan on February 21, 2017, 02:28:11 AM
Hi, I'm JB, from the Philippines, living in Barcelona for two years now. I'm trying to make a living with my art (shameless plug: pinoyartista.com) while working a job. Light years away from FI, but I plan to get there before 50.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Turtles All the Way Down on February 21, 2017, 10:09:53 AM
Hi, I'm David and I'm here for the free advice!  Haha really I've been reading the site for a year or two and just got into the forums.  I became a widower at 25 and received a life insurance sum that I had no idea what to do with.  I paid off some debt and eventually invested the rest using an adviser, which was actually a very positive experience, other than the $75/month cost.  They encouraged me to educate myself, but unfortunately it took me 7 years to dump them.

I have since struck out to invest on my own, and I'm glad I did.  I owe a lot to websites like this where people are willing to share advice.  I feel very empowered, and I hope to reach FI within about 15 years (by age 50).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dropspindl on February 22, 2017, 01:50:46 PM
I'm Erica. I've known about MMM for quite a while, but just made an account here. I live in NYC, and am surrounded by people who spend lots of money on frivolous things, so I'd love to meet other people with this lifestyle and am looking forward to some meetups. I'm a nanny, so I don't earn all that much, but I live off about $20k (and feel super extravagant and buy pretty much whatever I feel like), and save about $22k per year. So I save more than I spend, but I got started pretty late. I'm 33 and have only been saving like this for a year and a half.

 I'm thinking about doing a programming bootcamp when this job ends so I can raise my earning potential.

My semi retirement plans include some combination of: fixing up a house(s), homesteading, running an AirBnb, maybe having some chickens and sheep, and dog sitting. I really like dogs, and not having a dog while I live in the city has been my biggest sacrifice to saving money.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: randomgiraffe on February 22, 2017, 08:25:33 PM
Hi, I found MMM in mid-2015 and it's helped me through some really tough times. I've been on this FI journey since I started working back in 1999 (seriously since 2003/4) but it was only after reading this blog and others that I was able to come up with a plan. I hope MMM and all of you out there contributing know what a difference you're making to others on the journey. Planning to FIRE on Friday June 1, 2018 and finding it difficult to think of anything else.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ratherboard on February 23, 2017, 12:18:18 AM
Hi, I'm Toby, 44, in debt and wishing I had seen this blog years ago.  I heard MMM on Tim Ferris' podcast the other day and I've read about 30 articles since then.  I live in friggin' Longmont and I'm just now discovering MMM??  **sigh** Time to put in motion what I've read so far...... off to find a good deal on a used Mazda3. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: drodol on February 26, 2017, 02:50:23 AM
Hi, I am Dave. I have been married for almost 10 years now. We have a 6 yo boy and a 1 month-old boy. We are currently living in the middle east. We are free of debt, don't pay for rent/car/kid's school (company provides). I am desperate to put our humble savings to work for us but still feel a bit fearful to put all our eggs in one basket. I am also not American/Canadian, so not sure how -or if at all possible- to start investing in index funds.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sllim on February 26, 2017, 05:14:36 AM
Hi everyone!  I'm Bob.  I just binge-read every post from MMM over the last week.  Looking forward to meeting like minded folks here in the forum.

Married, 5 kids, and now have a plan to reach FI by 50.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oakvilleman on February 26, 2017, 02:21:50 PM
Hi,

I'm Lee from Oakville, Ontario, Canada. In my late 40s. Did the MMM math and ready to retire this year.

Found out about MMM through Tim Ferriss podcast. Was big fan of "Your Money Or Your Life" book and was way down path of FI before finding MMM. Now I'm even more convinced of retirement due to MMM blog and this forum. I really like how MMM has a higher purpose of reducing consumption in the world and doing work you want to do that makes the world better (like Elon Musk on smaller scale)...but if all MMMers get together then scale is huge!!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on February 27, 2017, 07:17:55 AM
Lee, are you aware of this?

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/ontario%27s-own-camp-mustache-2017/

I believe there are a few spots left.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: goremet on February 27, 2017, 08:47:50 AM
Midwestern guy here saying Hello.  My wife and I have our first child on the way, so really pushing now to impart some financial wisdom from day 1 with the baby.  Cooking and quality food are a passion of my wife and I, so its one of our spending areas.  I'm in a great work position, and while I don't anticipate myself jumping ship from that, I'd love to have it as an option.  How we're currently living won't allow for that, so finally getting serious about it.

-goremet
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RetirementManifesto on February 28, 2017, 06:18:34 AM
Hi All!  I'm Fritz from The Retirement Manifesto, where I focus on Helping Others Achieve A Great Retirement!  I'm FIRE'ing in June 2018, and write about it on my blog.  Proud to be a Mustachian!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: InnTee on February 28, 2017, 12:54:48 PM
Hi all! Glad I found this forum and community. I've run across some excellent ideas already!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mrblitz on March 01, 2017, 11:29:47 AM
I'm a lurker for a while.   Nice to meet you all.

I've been living the mmm lifestyle all my life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cali Nonya on March 01, 2017, 12:05:06 PM
Hello.

I referenced this forum years ago (with a different name), then life happened and I drifted away.
Now I realized it would be nice to chat with sort of like minded people so I'm back.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ScottsdaleSaver on March 02, 2017, 04:03:37 PM
Hi everyone! I discovered this blog about six months ago and it has lit a fire (pun intended) under my ass. Time to stop lurking & engage with the fantastic community here.

-Alicia
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WhiteTrashCash on March 02, 2017, 06:39:43 PM
Long time lurker, first time poster. Just wanted to introduce myself and invite everyone to follow my journey on the Journals sub-forum: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/whitetrashcash's-journey-from-the-trailer-park-to-wealth-and-happiness/ (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/whitetrashcash's-journey-from-the-trailer-park-to-wealth-and-happiness/)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SomatoseVisions on March 02, 2017, 06:55:36 PM
Hello all,

Like many, I've been a long time lurker of the forum / blog and have implemented many of the practical ideas I've found here. My coworkers have recently taken notice of the oatmeal backup lunches in my cube and my jaunts to the library over lunch (I got some serious side eye for leafing through The Tightwad Gazette while waiting for my bus last week). When others inquire about my mustachian habits I find I'm overjoyed to talk about this community so I thought I'd finally join.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Epor on March 03, 2017, 03:46:09 PM

Hello; I always been responsible with money (just the basic do not spend more than you have), I had no clue about investments. To me it seemed something only a millionaire would do, not ordinary folks. Took me a long time, but I learned a lot and started saving more in 2014. I'm doing better but I have tons of room to grow.

I'm married with 2 kids, and a husband that could be better at money management; I must confess sometimes I am resentful of his behavior. (ex: having an iphone with a 80$/mo bill, having a whole life policy on our son, not having 1c on 401k, etc). I will read more on how to get him involved.

You have a great community, I'm looking forward to learn more about your journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: michaelotal on March 04, 2017, 09:25:31 AM
Hi, I´m Andrew, living and working in Barcelona, Spain. If there are any mustachians residing or visiting here, I would be pleased to meet up and have a chinwag. All the best.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aaahhrealmarcus on March 04, 2017, 04:38:29 PM
Yo, aaahhrealmarcus here!

Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm an 80's/90's nerd (as you might have guessed from the name) currently working for the feds. I've always been frugal, but didn't get serious about FIRE until last year.

Long story short, I was a BIG TIME collector of just about anything geeky... toys, video games, anime, you name it. About 3 years ago I got a wild hair to quit my job and spend 6 months thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail! To say that was a life-changing experience is putting it mildly. 2,100 miles later and I was ready to give up (most of) my worldly possessions. So far I've made $25k+ off that collection.

After coming back from Burning Man last year I realized I should start a blog to share my story and the things I've learned by beating my addiction to "stuff," but I'll try not to spam about it. Also recently started posting on the Rockstar Finance forums, which seems like another great community. We're all in this together!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on March 04, 2017, 04:46:54 PM
About 3 years ago I got a wild hair to quit my job and spend 6 months thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail! To say that was a life-changing experience is putting it mildly. 2,100 miles later and I was ready to give up (most of) my worldly possessions.

Anyone who can do the AT and then summit Mt Katahdin in a Star Fleet uniform is good in my book ;-)

Live long and prosper aaahhrealmarcus!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: exmaxian on March 05, 2017, 10:00:34 PM
Hi. I'm Max, and I'm really too embarrassed to say anything much about myself in terms of my current financial situation. I have a very difficult time processing any knowledge relating to money. In other words, I seem incapable of learning how to manage money and I get physically uncomfortable when I sit down and try to learn about money.  Right now, I'm shaking. I clearly have some very core issues. I used to be involved, before I got married, with women who were high-earners so I never really needed to think much about finances from a survival point of view. God made sure, though, that I marry a woman who is less informed about money than I am; and she had no career. I had to take on a new career and I have been the sole earner. I'm grateful for what we do have, but over the past 14 years of our marriage, I'd have hoped to have risen a bit more assertively to the challenge of being responsible with money. Our oft-touted mantra is, 'We're not extravagant." And indeed, we don't indulge in any luxury at all. Hardly ever have vacations but for a few days away at a hotel. Our money goes to basics and shelter, which in our zip code, is about 40% income or higher for middle income folks.  Anyway, it's late in the game for me, but I'm going to try.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: twistedfirestarter on March 07, 2017, 10:02:38 AM
Hi all, what a great forum, wish I found it years ago.

I'm from the UK and have always had some frugal tendencies and the knowledge that my wife and I wanted to retire before getting was too old to enjoy it but before finding out about FIRE I hadn't managed to join the dots.

Now I feel we have an achievable goal and have reorganised spending to save ~60% of our income to put into index trackers (not yet set up)

Considering remortgaging to release some of the equity in our house to make a decent start in our investing but this may be a tough sell with my wife as we've been working hard to pay it down.

Really excited about the possibility of FI before reaching 40 and think it'll be a lot easier being a member of this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: squirrel on March 07, 2017, 03:47:06 PM
Hi everyone! I am in my late 30s and live in the UK, I have lurked here a little while but have been reading MMM for a couple of years now.
Today I am celebrating the end of a hair-on-fire car loan that is now repaid, and now I'm looking forward to growing my 'stache and reducing my mortgage.
I hope to reach FIRE by the time I'm 50, it may sound late but I truly love my job. There is a high rate of early burnout in my industry and some old disgruntled folks who are trapped too, so being able to go when I'm ready is very important to me.
Glad to be taking first steps into mustachianism!

~Squirrel


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JL4M on March 07, 2017, 07:32:41 PM
Hi, my names Jerry and I'm a recovering consumerist. Found MMM a few weeks ago via Tim Ferriss and once I started reading the blog posts I couldn't stop. I actually come from the Dave Ramsey crowd and am looking to take things to the next level. I never would've dreamed you could do what folks are doing on this forum. I thought being debt free except the house and waiting to retire was radical! My next post will be in the case study forum to get some input for a 51 year old father of four. One in college, two in HS and one in elementary. Yeehaw!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alison_peta on March 08, 2017, 03:48:11 PM
I have always struggled to accept typical financial scenarios and expectations.  What a relief to find this community and feel assured that it is absolutely okay to want to be FI! I get blank stares from many of my friends when I try to explain this to them.  I am looking forward to mapping my financial future, charting my progress, and learning a lot along the way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Joeko on March 09, 2017, 10:10:40 AM
Hi All,

Late starter to FIRE and minimalism.  I'm 54 and a recovering consumer addict.  I only started on my path to recovery well into my late 40s.  Paid off my "Huge" debt, left a 9 to 5 job for the life of contracting.  The beauty of being self employed is the Self Employed 401k, allowed me to catch-up.

I now have 700K in retirement savings and 1M in Worth

Planning on retired in 3-5 years, better late than never.  Your never to old to start
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MakeDemDollars on March 09, 2017, 10:19:03 PM
Hi All,

Been lurking but finally figured out the questions needed to register. Thanks Google.

In my mid 40's and was lucky to live as if I was retired for the past 10 thanks to internet properties. That's still doing Ok but not stable long term. Will be hunting thru the archives here and maybe asking some questions. Hopefully I will be able to contribute as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jballreno on March 10, 2017, 11:07:57 AM
44/male/western United States, working as an agency creative copywriter (formerly a low-paid newspaper editor). Wife, two teenage boys, house paid for, kids' college completely saved for, retirement well on track. Only debt is a stupid car payment, which I'm knocking out before October this year and never, ever, ever going back to again. I'll drive my Subaru until the wheels fall off.

Right now, saving exactly 48% of income, but that'll jump closer to 75% once the kids are out of the house. Plan to be FI/RE by January 2023, at age 49. Can't imagine not working or doing something productive, but it'll be wonderful not to be a slave to the Monday morning alarm clock. Seriously, f--- that thing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BJacks on March 10, 2017, 12:57:53 PM
Hello All!

I found ya'll via YNAB, which I've been using for a little over a year. First year I was focused on staying on budget/paying off debt and now I'm trying to focus on building up savings and learning more about investing.

I am married to a man who doesn't quite get it but is coming around and we have two girls who are one and three. Working around his 'needs' when it comes to vehicles is one of my biggest challenges.

I'm retiring at 44 when we pay off our rental unless I talk him into letting me become a SAHM first.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Smulder on March 10, 2017, 09:45:19 PM
Hi I'm Sarah-

I heard about MMM on a podcast and have been obsessively reading blogs for a few weeks now. I'm very excited to be on this journey with all of you!
 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AccidentialMustache on March 11, 2017, 01:07:49 PM
Oh hai!

Been reading the blog for a long while and lurked in the forums some.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: better late on March 11, 2017, 01:41:54 PM
Hi, Better Late here.

DH and I live in the midwest.  I think of us as reformed spendypants, but in reality we still have a lot of cost-cutting to do. That said, we've ditched over $500K of debt in the last few years, so we're making progress toward FI/RE.  Participating in this forum helps keep me on the narrow path, as it is very easy for me to justify purchases and expenditures. We have kids in college and we are paying those costs with savings and cash flow, which is taking a toll on our retirement savings rate, but we are learning everything we can here in order to optimize the savings opportunities that we do have.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Brother Esau on March 12, 2017, 12:49:38 PM
Hello! The DW and I discovered MMM a few months ago and just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the insightful and informational posts. It made us realize that FIRE is really possible which is an incredible feeling. Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rasterra on March 12, 2017, 07:34:27 PM
Hello, I'm Scott! Brand new to the forum and recently, within the past 2 months, learned about MMM through YouTube. I'm 42, going through a major life change divorcing, and will know better where I stand once the dust settles. I am elated that there's a community of brilliant people to learn from and hopefully bond with here. I guess I'm a latebloomer but want to retire within 10 years when my son turns 18.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ktabbs on March 15, 2017, 10:19:53 AM
Hi, I'm Kate!

I'm a mid/late 20s grad student in ecology/climate studies (in Louisiana currently) and started reading about personal finance about a year ago, when I realized meager grad student stipends are more manageable with a major frugal lifestyle change. No plans for early retirement, since I love my field, but I want to at least be debt-free with enough freedom to be picky about jobs and locations.

It's been so nice to read thoughts from like-minded folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sovereign on March 16, 2017, 08:08:03 PM
Hello MMM community.  I'm David.

I just discovered MMM on YouTube last week (WDS 2016).  Since then I've been reading blog posts and exploring the world of FI.  Looking forward to assimilating as much knowledge as possible here.

I thought my savings/investment rate of 35% last year was pretty good, but now I feel like a bit of a piker.  Shooting for 50%-60% this year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scottoftheantipodes on March 17, 2017, 05:10:07 AM
Dear Mustachians,

So I have been reading the blog for a while and hearing about this forum all of the time, and then today I noticed the forum icon at the top.

I got so swept up in catching up that I completely missed it, now I have so much more to catch up on.

I am 44 and I consider myself to be semi-retired. I was medically discharged from the Army after 23 years and now I am pensioned off. I am also the stay-home-dad of our 3 kids (11 yr girl, 7 yr boy, 3 yr girl).

I am planning on applying Mustachian principals to work toward becoming financially independant of my pension, or at least getting rid of my debt to free up more of my pension for living life!

Kind regards,

Scott
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on March 17, 2017, 07:22:03 AM
Dear Mustachians,

So I have been reading the blog for a while and hearing about this forum all of the time, and then today I noticed the forum icon at the top.

I got so swept up in catching up that I completely missed it, now I have so much more to catch up on.

I am 44 and I consider myself to be semi-retired. I was medically discharged from the Army after 23 years and now I am pensioned off. I am also the stay-home-dad of our 3 kids (11 yr girl, 7 yr boy, 3 yr girl).

I am planning on applying Mustachian principals to work toward becoming financially independant of my pension, or at least getting rid of my debt to free up more of my pension for living life!

Kind regards,

Scott

Welcome. Find Nords. He is the military related badass around these parts.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ishoutedmyjoy on March 17, 2017, 08:57:02 AM
howdy, I'm Evan
I live in rural GA. I've been reading up on the blog the last 6-8 months and just diving deeper with the forums.
My wife and i both work in non-profit. Still over a decade before FI but in the past 4 months have been able to save close to 50% of our earnings.
I wanted to say thanks to everyone for sharing their expertise.
There are so many great ideas or deeply researched opinions. I really appreciate it.
Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Silkspin on March 17, 2017, 12:29:06 PM
Hello, I've only recently come across the blog, and of course ate it up in a few sittings! I guess I can call myself a semi-quasi-seasaw mustachian for many years. Done some things right and some things very wrong.

In brief: The book The credit diet shook me out of a terrible sleep, where hubby and I graduated University, got married ($$$), got stuck abroad in 911 ($$$) had school loans ($$$), even though we had decent entry-level jobs. Debt was killing us. That book saved me, got me out from under 20k in debt by giving up our apt, moving in with in-laws for 2 years, and then we borrowed against our rrsps for our first home.

Moved to a cheaper (my home) city when my daughter was born. Lots of ups and downs that I won't go into, but cost of living better. The credit diet references Your Money or your Life, and I accidentally came across it at a used bookstore for $2. Although debts not as high as before, it had crept up (setbacks related to moving cities and selling the house when the market crashed in 08 - talk about bad timing for our move!), and this book woke me up too, and we changed many habits. So now, with MMM, I'm due for round 3 obsession!

I look forward to seeing my progress by eating up more of MMM and the forum. We are not in a bad place, but we can get a lot better!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: starjay on March 17, 2017, 01:27:24 PM
Hello, fine people of Mustache Land. I've been lurking, but decided to register and post in order to join one of the "Race to" threads. I've just started tracking my net worth this year, so was I pretty excited to be able to participate.

I was extravagantly dumb re: use of credit and finances in general in my mid/late 20s, so but started the journey to debt-free a few years ago, and I'll be out from under the credit cards by the end of summer, and should be out from under the student loans by this time next year. I'll probably have no idea what to do with myself at that point. I'll have to find a new financial focus (like...saving 6 months living expenses!)

Fortunately, even though I was an idiot with credit, I've had a 401(k) since I started working full-time in my early 20s, so I'm not starting completely from zero when it comes to retirement funds. I'm just starting from farther behind than I'd like to be. But! I'm making progress, and I'm content with that for now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nords on March 17, 2017, 10:59:39 PM
Dear Mustachians,

So I have been reading the blog for a while and hearing about this forum all of the time, and then today I noticed the forum icon at the top.

I got so swept up in catching up that I completely missed it, now I have so much more to catch up on.

I am 44 and I consider myself to be semi-retired. I was medically discharged from the Army after 23 years and now I am pensioned off. I am also the stay-home-dad of our 3 kids (11 yr girl, 7 yr boy, 3 yr girl).

I am planning on applying Mustachian principals to work toward becoming financially independant of my pension, or at least getting rid of my debt to free up more of my pension for living life!

Kind regards,

Scott

Welcome. Find Nords. He is the military related badass around these parts.
Thanks, Jordanread!

Welcome, Scott.  I see Townsville in your profile.  Rather than asking a U.S. military retiree your questions about Australian military benefits, you could contact fellow Australian military retiree Ozstache (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/profile/?u=2174) with questions.  He knows far more about that than I'll ever probably learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hashbrowns on March 18, 2017, 11:25:52 AM
Hi everyone!
I'm 31, have been a mechanic for the past decade, and decided that I need to go back to school to become an engineer. So I picked up a nice life in Hawaii, and moved to rainy Portland.
I've always been pretty frugal. Spending money always kills me. I became a mechanic because I couldn't afford to pay someone to fix my broken car!
I want to become an engineer because I've thought it was a cool career since I was little. A decent pay check is just frosting.
So this whole life change lately has me all shaken up, and I'm trying to figure out how to survive without being completely gutted in the process.
Thanks for the community, I've learned so much already!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: homeontheloose on March 19, 2017, 12:01:35 AM
Hello Mustachians!
I'm a late-comer to financial awareness and have been crushing through the blog.
I am a husband, father, climber and teacher in Lafayette, Colorado.

Looking forward to learning with you all.
Thanks!
Jim
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: smaze on March 19, 2017, 07:25:48 AM
Hi! I'm a 32 year old physical therapist. For those who don't know, it's a great profession but students typically incur large amounts of student debt. I am one of those people - graduated in 2014 with a whopping $92K in debt at 5.15%-7.9% interest. I didn't like that at all, especially once I calculated the $520 monthly aka $16 daily interest. Not fun.

On the plus side, these numbers and their effect on me helped me to understand money in a new way. I didn't want to be a slave to it any longer than I had to.

I would often describe my loan repayment strategy as "pathological", as I try to put at least $2000 a month towards these loans on a 60K salary. Often people call me crazy. But now 2.5 years later I'm down to $28,000 in principle and $10,000 saved in retirement. I'm still in the hole, but it feels nice to be near the surface.

I stumbled upon this site just recently while researching financial strategies online, and I find the mindset here to be quite refreshing and inspiring. I feel I could learn a thing or two here from like minded people. I thought my strategy was extreme, but I suppose it is all relative! If anyone ever wants to talk about student loans feel free to ask me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stwicky on March 20, 2017, 05:56:00 AM
Hello everyone.  I am an engineer living and working in the middle east for the last dozen years.  The life has been good to us and we are approaching retirement.  As a matter of fact, my wife retired last week at 58.  Not too early relative to some of the people on the forum but, nonetheless.  I am 52 and trying to plan our escape. 

I need some advice as well.  Where can I post our particulars and some questions?

Cheers and thanks for this website.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on March 20, 2017, 06:08:40 AM
Hello everyone.  I am an engineer living and working in the middle east for the last dozen years.  The life has been good to us and we are approaching retirement.  As a matter of fact, my wife retired last week at 58.  Not too early relative to some of the people on the forum but, nonetheless.  I am 52 and trying to plan our escape. 

I need some advice as well.  Where can I post our particulars and some questions?

Cheers and thanks for this website.

Try the Ask-A-Mustachian (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/) section.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rebel_quietude on March 20, 2017, 10:00:22 AM
Hi folks! I'm a longtime lurker, which in retrospect is pretty creepy . . . discovered MMM in 2012 and I've been chugging along ever since. I need some motivation nowadays - work dominates life and perspective is a necessity.

Looking forward to chatting with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DrumAllDay on March 21, 2017, 10:59:46 AM
Hi everyone. I am 24 years old, I have a steady job in the trades as well as a few side hustle gigs, and have a bunch of other interests that include music, exercise, outdoors, DIY projects, and of course, frugal living. Here is my story:

I discovered MMM several months ago. I have read all of his posts and this way of living has already greatly impacted my life. One day I decided to check out the forum and I was amazed at the community that is here! I look forward to learning more and hopefully sharing anything that can be useful. I am also interested in meeting other 20 somethings who are interested in this lifestyle. I feel like not many people in this age group think about living frugal yet full lives.

Feels good to finally be a part of this!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LostGirl on March 21, 2017, 02:23:11 PM
Hi!

Been reading the blog for about 6 months and finally meandered over here. I'm 38, and have naturally frugal tendencies but they've been kicked into overdrive lately.  I would love to quit my job to be a SAHM and explore other passions and career options.  We live in the SF Bay Area so I don't think I can completely disappear from the workforce but I'd like the space to find something I'm passionate about.

I work in construction now and its grueling. Plus my husband has supported my career for my entire career and its time for him to get a chance to shine.  I have an almost 2 & 5 year old.

The heartburn is that we can't live off DH's income (in this area) and I make about 40% more than him. We could live off my income but that holds no appeal for either of us.  We are working our way through this decision and understanding what we can cut and maintain a quality of life is really helped by the blog and forum. Thanks for all the info and support folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dmash on March 21, 2017, 03:03:40 PM
Hello Mustachians,

My name is David.  I've been reading the blog for about a month and 1/2 now and started from the beginning, so I'm currently in June 2013.  As a working musician in NYC I've learned how to live frugally over the years, but this blog is helping me see things in a whole new light.  I no longer feel bad about myself for living frugally.  The MMM family and all you badasses are reframing what it means to be frugal and free.  Thank you all, I'm honored to be here and am looking forward to reaching new heights. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chickwit on March 21, 2017, 07:27:45 PM
Greetings,

I'm new to this blog and stumbled across MMM by accident.

What a great accident! I've been reading blog posts and listening to podcasts for a couple of weeks. Such a goldmine here and I'm sure I'll be spending many more hours absorbing life changing information.

I've been a fan of Dave Ramsey and some others over the years. Growing up with my Grandparents instilled a sense of frugality from a young age. Though I haven't been as wise as I'd like. So it's a new year and I'm looking to get my ducks in a row.

See you around the forums,
Chickwit
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: G-Cool on March 22, 2017, 08:08:49 AM
Hi everyone,

I discovered MMM in August 2015 and I’ve been a regular reader since. I’m a 36 year old engineer living with my girlfriend and 1 year old son in Montréal, Québec, Canada.

I recently quit my job as a project manager because I want to work in finance since I finished my MBA in 2015. I realized that I needed to do full-time job searching, since I wasn’t good trying to do it part-time, especially because it involves a career change. It wasn’t an easy decision, since it pushes back my FIRE date. But I’ve been unhappy at work for so long that I figured it is well worth a shot. And thanks to our frugal habits, I have plenty of FU money to finance this project!

Anyway, thanks to all of you for contributing to this amazing forum! Looking forward to contribute.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheBrandon on March 22, 2017, 12:48:53 PM
Hi everyone,

I’m Brandon. I live in Washington State.

Just joined MMM forums after being away from the site for a few years.

Quick rundown:

I Quit my consulting work about 3 years ago and moved in with family to cut my overhead down while working on becoming truly FI.

I've got a small business in costume fabrication that creates some passive income on top of doing commission work.

I've written some book summaries that generates some passive income.

I just re-read YMOYL and realized I was still putting the cart before the horse. So I'm re-assessing everything at the moment!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Petey B on March 23, 2017, 03:20:56 PM
Hello there friends and fellow Mustachians,

My name is Peter, I'm 29 and from Northern Virginia, about thirty miles west of Washington, DC.  A longtime forum "lurker," I've finally conjured up the cajones to join in the conversation...!  Looking forward to meeting and collaborating with all the interesting, intelligent folks who frequent this forum.  Cheers!

- Petey B
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ozmickey on March 25, 2017, 03:14:07 AM
Hello everyone,

My DH and I recently bought our first home together! We have had some tough financial times after I emigrated to marry my Aussie.

I am looking for ideas to help get the house paid off (no tax deduction for mortgage interest here) and get some savings/passive income before retiring.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Peruapartment on March 25, 2017, 04:13:32 AM
Hi everyone i am stuart
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 1967Goat on March 25, 2017, 04:53:39 PM
Hi everyone..

Been lurking for quite a while and finally decided to register.  I live about an hour from Longmont, CO in Conifer, CO and have relatives who live just north of Longmont, in Berthoud and Loveland.  Wife and I both work and puts TONS of money into our 401k.  We have 2 boys, 5 & 6.  Re-fi'd to a 20 year fixed mortgage @ 3.875% 5 years ago, so we have 15 years left on our mortgage.  I should be able to retire at 58 in 15 years when the house is paid off.

My undergrad is in Finance and Economics from Colorado State Univ (CSU), 1997.  I consider myself thrifty, but certainly not cheap.  Moved to CO from NJ in 1995 to attend CSU when I was 21.  Never looked back.

Looking forward to being a contributing member of the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shouldifi on March 27, 2017, 05:49:22 AM
Hello everyone I'm Mr. Sifi! I've just entered the blogosphere with my new site Should I FI?1 I'm a 30 year old family man with a wife and two little ones. I'm relatively new to the FI community and one of the main reason that I started a new blog was because I've had a hard time relating to any of the big FI blogs out there. Being able to relate is a key to learning and I'm hoping that there are some folks out there that can relate to my family's journey.

I'm not FI and not really close at this stage in my life. With that said, I love the concept of Financial Independence, however I'm not sure this is the right time in our lives to go all in. Right now we're doing the opposite of hustling because our little ones are both under the age of two. After crunching the numbers, we could probably reach FI in 12-15 years if we buckled-down, but as you can tell from the title of my blog, we're not really sure that is what we want. Spending time with our little ones while they are young is the most important thing to us.

I'm going to spend a lot of time examining some of the common practices for reaching FI and try to apply them to my life to see if they are attainable with little impact. The concept of FI is all about deferred gratification, however, in our opinion, the most important time in our lives is right now! We could do something like downsize/downgrade our house to have a lower mortgage in order to up our savings rate but we're actually in the process of doing the opposite. One of our dreams is to build a home that our children will grow up in! Will this set us back in our journey to FI? Definitely! Do we care? Not really!

I'm excited to get to know everyone here and to contribute to all of the interesting conversations going on in the personal finance realm! I hope you enjoy my contributions and I hope you visit my site sometime.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BGordon on March 27, 2017, 08:41:05 PM
Hello Everyone,

My name is Ben and I am 49 years old.  Found this forum a few days ago when I decided I needed to get serious about retirement planning.  In the process of trying to determine exactly how much I will need and how long it will take to get there.  Very interested in seeing what other people's thoughts are regarding investment strategies and expected returns (both before and during retirement).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BeardedBellyBastard on March 27, 2017, 10:48:53 PM
Hello! Thank you Mr Money Mustache and friends. My dumb ass spent way too much money on shit I don't need. This website has been a good kick in the ass reminder to work for myself and stop being a slave to useless shit.
I spent my youth doing cool things though and do not regret those experiences. I have spent this last year climbing out of credit card debt. I will pay these off in the next 2 months!! My used car will be paid off in 10 more months. After that I can get cracking at this retirement plan and hopefully end up on a beach doings back flips.

Yeeee
Lets save some $$$ B1Tc4es
(apologies if this offends anyone I am a bit of a bastard at times)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TentacleFlatbread on March 28, 2017, 09:05:55 AM
Hi!  I'm Flatbread.

I'm a 26-yo choir teacher trying to figure out if FIRE is possible with my terrible, mandatory retirement plan, and what to do if it isn't.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: firescape on March 29, 2017, 07:34:37 PM
Hi,
I'm new to MMM but think it's pretty inspiring.
I'm trying to figure out what to do with my current situation. Stay with one of the big, front loaded mutual fund pushing firms that now want to limit my investment choices and charge me more for the favor, or quit them altogether and go with Vanguard or Betterment or something else.
I should keep reading.....
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREy on March 31, 2017, 02:11:04 PM
Hi. I was introduced to MMM on FIRE / frugal inspired podcasts. I've been exploring the website and forum and have found a lot of inspiring posts and ideas. I read The Millionaire Next Door years ago, and have a decidedly piggy bank like nature. My husband and I live in NYC where we have been able to consistently save well more than half our income. We're at a point where we are close to pulling the trigger and retiring early to a sunnier and more LCOL area.   :)
I look forward to learning from everyone on the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Corrugated Ironic on April 01, 2017, 11:52:26 AM
Hi all. I just finished reading the blog and thought I would join the forum. It is nice to see a whole community of people who embrace something like the corrugated ironist philosophy in which I was raised (the core tenets of which are Sales Resistance, Money Is For Investing and Don't Make Decisions Based On What Other People Are Doing). I'm mid-twenties, just finished school and starting a professional career. My goal is to work a fairly conventional career path for 5-7 years, then start my own business in a way that reflects my values, puts me in control of my time and still makes sense financially.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zscore on April 01, 2017, 09:17:51 PM
I'm zscore.

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

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

So, hello!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jaayse on April 02, 2017, 01:40:43 AM
Hi everyone,

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

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

Despite having only just found MMM, I am 30 and have almost 170k in liquid assets (investments, CDs, IRA) and 95k in equity in my condo with no debt other than my mortgage.  I will soon be changing stations from my current home base in San Diego to Naples, Italy.  Now that my eyes have been opened to the opportunities in life, I am going to leverage the hell out of my language skills and run some side hustles with Airbnb and renting out my house. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cheap_Freedom on April 02, 2017, 04:04:13 PM
Hi I just started reading MMM a few months ago. So far I love the blog.

I also just finished saving my first 10K for an emergency fund. Currently working on a way to invest everything else I'm planning on saving.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: andlu89 on April 02, 2017, 08:16:45 PM
Good evening everybody,

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

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

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

I hope to meet some of you in the future!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sentry on April 03, 2017, 05:31:12 AM
What's up Mustachians!

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

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

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

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chairman on April 03, 2017, 08:10:42 AM
Hi. Longtime reader of the Boglehead forums, and have been aware of MMM for some time. Decided to create an account here to get a different perspective. Seems that some Bogleheads are Mustachians and some Mustachians are Bogleheads, but being a Boglehead doesn't make you a Mustchian and being a Mustachian doesn't make you a Boglehead. In a way, I am here to find out what I am.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sydneystache on April 03, 2017, 08:56:09 AM
Hi. Longtime reader of the Boglehead forums, and have been aware of MMM for some time. Decided to create an account here to get a different perspective. Seems that some Bogleheads are Mustachians and some Mustachians are Bogleheads, but being a Boglehead doesn't make you a Mustchian and being a Mustachian doesn't make you a Boglehead. In a way, I am here to find out what I am.

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

Welcome anyway. I have read Bogleheads but have yet to join and post.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NiccoloM on April 05, 2017, 04:39:09 AM
Hi I'm Jack, and new to this whole place, but i have found it as one of the most concentrated and honest sources of good solid financial and life style advice on the entire nets. so prepare to have your brains picked.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alycks on April 05, 2017, 01:06:34 PM
Hi! I've been reading MMM for a year or so and never registered for whatever reason.

Quick background:

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

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

Now for the bad stuff: I fell into the reddit-centric trap of justifying "BIFL" (buy-it-for-life) goods which are hardly ever BIFL. In the past 5 years, I've spent:
I could go on, but you get the idea. Some of these are embarrassing (the /r/headphones people really roped me in, dammit) but I still like my Vitamix, which I got refurbished, and ghastily expensive boots. I use the Vitamix once or twice a day to make meal replacement protein shakes that cost less than $0.90 and I've owned shitty blenders before that don't last 100 duty cycles. I hope the boots last the rest of my life and, if they don't, at least I learned a valuable lesson. My wife and I also have a high-end restaurant habit we have to kick. There were months we spent over $500 on restaurants.

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

Going Forward:

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

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

So anyway, that's my story. Great to be here! And if you're in Wichita, let me know!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gone_Hiking on April 05, 2017, 09:15:22 PM
Hi all, my name is Kate and I live in southern Arizona with husband and a child under 10.  I found this forum a few months ago and have been lurking.  Because I am serious about reaching FI within 8 years - and you, the MM Community Members, know what it means - I am happy to jump in, share what I learned and ask others when I have a question.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Singletrack on April 07, 2017, 06:38:16 PM
Hi, I'm Charlie.

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

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

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

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

Looking forward to interacting on the forums and following any meetups locally.
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: notpennysboat on April 08, 2017, 02:04:54 AM
Hi! Heard of MMM for several years, finally jumped in deep along with numerous podcasts and other sites. I've drifted over to FIRE from the travel hacking community. I'm looking to learn more about leveraging taxes during planned unemployment and buy-and-hold rental properties as a FIRE strategy.

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

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

Excited to join a supportive community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: josiah44 on April 09, 2017, 12:43:00 PM
Hey everybody.  Ran across MMM while looking for financially like-minded individuals with advice on generating passive income.  Only spent a few days in the forum thus far, and I'm inspired.

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

Gonna head over to the 100 to 250k race thread to get started.  See you out there!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sleepyjen on April 10, 2017, 08:01:54 AM
Hello, my name is Jen and I'm a new Mustachian. We've been recording our expenses this year and it turns out our financial drain, despite my rhetoric, is me, so I'm here to learn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ninjasandpancakes on April 10, 2017, 12:07:11 PM
Hello! Like many, I'm a long time reader but new to the forums. My partner and I both have natural Mustachian tendencies, but still have a lot to learn and a long ways to go.

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

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

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

It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to interacting on forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gex on April 11, 2017, 10:53:24 PM
Hi there,
Long time reader, finally decided to join the forum. MMM posts have helped me tremendously, so I thought it's time to get move involved in the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ExpatChina on April 12, 2017, 08:57:37 AM
Mustachians, I'm sending sincere and heartfelt gratitude your way. I almost got caught up in an ILAS scheme through deVere and RL360. Your experience (and the math behind it!) saved me from 20 long years of watching my hard earned money drain away.

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

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

If there are other Shanghai Mustachians out there, I would greatly enjoy hearing about your FI journey and the strategy you've learned along the way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: divinejayku on April 13, 2017, 01:06:17 PM
Hello! Thirty-three year old husband and father. My wife and I have a nine month old daughter and I stumbled across the forum in search of a new career. I'll post more about that in another section.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: s_17 on April 13, 2017, 03:13:17 PM
Hey there!

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

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

Great to be here!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EMMoneY on April 13, 2017, 04:32:17 PM
Hi : )

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

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

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

Time to go read around here, too. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Andy90 on April 15, 2017, 03:16:19 AM
Hi everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dina on April 15, 2017, 05:54:14 AM
Hello everyone. I had been a long time reader of the blog and thought it would be fun to be on the forum with likeminded people from all over the world.
We (me, husband and now 4 kids) moved to Norway in 2014. It set us back financially to zero but we desperately wanted to live here and there has not been a day we have regret it.
Now life has gone -relatively- back to normal it is time to build something up again. We can live frugal & minimalist rather well and I am happy to see my bank account grow again.
We can not get a mortgage here, so we rent. Rather expensive but without any worries about marketvalue, rotting wood and painting when we actually want to make a trip with our little boat (summer is not so long here). So it is pretty much perfect :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nick663 on April 15, 2017, 03:38:31 PM
Hi Everyone, my name is Nick.  Early 30s with an engineering title in a lower cost of living area.  Always been pretty frugal and DIY but haven't been managing finances as closely as I would have liked the last few years (we've been saving ~20k/year and living debt free outside of mortgage but we could be saving a lot more).

Always been aware of MMM but never joined.  Pretty much everything in my life has changed in the last year (employer, location, etc) so with that I am deciding to spend more time surrounding myself with people that can get me to my ultimate goal of financial independence sooner.  Look forward to contributing and learning.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sillbeer on April 16, 2017, 01:22:58 PM
Greetings all.  I've been on the site for a couple years but haven't been active.  I'm finally to a point that I'm tired of being broke so I figured I should start getting involved.  I've been married for 13 years and have two young kids, 3 and 5.  Anyways, I'm looking forward to getting my debt paid off and watching my money grow.

- D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eatmorespinach on April 16, 2017, 05:28:46 PM
Hey All,

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

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

Cheers,
Drew
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Reirs on April 19, 2017, 05:20:52 AM
Hi all. My name is Patrick, I'm from CO, married have a doughter, Nice to be here! at the moment i have some health issue and i was spending a lot of time on  pharmacyreviews.md (https://pharmacyreviews.md) . So I'm really happy to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NoLongerCollegeRaven on April 20, 2017, 12:07:53 AM
Hey Everyone!

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

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

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sith02 on April 20, 2017, 02:37:22 AM
Hey people, James here. Recently married, so all unnecessary spending is over. Here to learn other people's way of living and saving.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: msmargarita on April 20, 2017, 08:53:01 AM
Hello Everyone!  I'm msmargarita, and I'm a WAHM.  I've read lots of great advice on here, and decided to finally "delurk".  My husband and I are working hard on our goal to retire in 10 years, and I hope to stay motivated by reading all of your success stories!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jlkpony7 on April 20, 2017, 03:58:11 PM
Hello,

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

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

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

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

That's all I've got for now.  Thanks for listening, and I look forward to learning from ya'll!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SharkStomper on April 20, 2017, 06:26:11 PM
Hey guys,
I'm a recovering consumer and new to the forum.  I like what I see and decided I needed to sign up.  Early retiring is likely not in the cards for me as I'll be 48 this year with a smallish nest egg, but who knows.  The wife is onboard with my newfound thriftiness and saving plan, so wish us luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eddie on April 22, 2017, 08:27:46 AM
Hello,

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

Last April/May we finally got on the same page, started planning, started doing written/cash budgets every 2 weeks, set goals, and have been making a lot more progress.  So instead of our net worth going up $20-60k / yr like it had been, it went up about $115k in 2016.  We're not as frugal as many here, but we're way better than we used to be.  We also have a higher FI number than most here, but by 2027 we should be able to amass $1.5mil in invested assets, plus a paid for house, and adequately funded college account(s).  That's the goal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JessicaCoaches on April 22, 2017, 11:24:34 PM
Hi I'm Jessica,
I've been reading MMM for a few years now and never breached the forums before today. I decided to come on here because I keep finding these great websites and oh wow they are into MMM as well!  Getting on here has been a little overwhelming, there is just sooo much.

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

Looking forward to being on here, I will be trying my best not to lurk as I often tend to do on forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: telegraphtightwad on April 23, 2017, 07:03:04 AM
Hi I am Telegraph,

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

Enjoy The Day!
T
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spamking on April 24, 2017, 07:01:55 AM
Hello . . . I'm brand new to everything MMM.  Heard about the place on another forum and thought I'd come check things out.  I've got over 22 years in with Uncle Sam and plan to retire when I hit 30. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: orangepalm on April 24, 2017, 09:35:33 AM
Hello all!

I've been reading MMM's blog for years now and recently started lurking here in the forums too. Figured it was time to start participating as well. I discovered MMM in 2012 or '13 and it was quite an eye opening experience (started reading it alongside ERE and some other blogs). Not so much about being (extremely) frugal (my wife and I have always been that way), but more about the concept of early retirement, and the power of a high savings rate. We save about 70% of our relatively moderate income (we both work in academic research), purchased a house recently with large down payment and we have no other debts. We're still pretty early in the our path to FIRE, another 10 years at most hopefully!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hoppingoff on April 24, 2017, 06:54:59 PM
I discovered MMM a few months back and this information couldn't have come at a better time. I am a 45-year-old mom currently homeschooling my 11 & 13 year old sons. My husband is 52 but HATES his job with a passion. Problem is, since I've been out of the regular work force for so long and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area, any job I could likely get would only be enough to maybe cover the mortgage, so he's got to stay on the treadmill as long as we live here. That's the awful part. The good news is that I've discovered from reading MMM that and other FI blogs, that with the large amount of equity we have in our house, purchased in 2003, plus our more moderately sized retirement accounts, we actually have enough to hop off the treadmill now if we want to. My husband is not currently a citizen, so we need to deal with that now while he still has a job, as I fear the immigration folks wouldn't know how to interpret the situation if we just retired on a minimal income (lazy deadbeats!).

Overall, if I could go back and redo things I most certainly would have done things at a more accelerated pace with the finances, but saying that, even though we have done some things "wrong" we are not in such bad shape. I'm hoping we can stop regular work (which I may be going back to temporarily) soon. I haven't ventured into the forums much yet, but I am learning so much every day on this journey and am excited to learn more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gredenko on April 24, 2017, 10:43:04 PM
Hello all. I'm new but I like what I've seen here so far, with people being smart and thinking about their future as much as their current situation. I'm just looking for ways to grow my incomes and enjoy wealth while I'm young. Currently hoping to build something successful with affiliate marketing (ebay, amazon), and also trading in the financial markets.  If there's anyone doing something similar or who uses ebay a lot, feel free to contact me! I would love to share ideas and build something together.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bicycleriders on April 25, 2017, 06:05:42 AM
Hello everyone, Maria, and I am new to this forum, coming to here I have got pretty nice conversation area where I can discuss openly about my several matter. Actually this is a wonderful media indeed I think.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JStrider on April 25, 2017, 03:19:05 PM
Hi I'm James,

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

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

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

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

looking forward to continuing my mustachian journey
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ItalianGirl on April 25, 2017, 09:17:17 PM
Hi All,
I've been lurking for about 6 months and finally registered. I am so happy to find a group of people as obsessed about FIRING as much as I do...
Here is my 411:
I'm 48/ hubby is 47
We live in Colorado with our 14 yr old
Planning to FIRE in 2022 with goal of 1M in retirement/cash
Currently saving about 50% of current income and trying to get expenses cut back further.
I own my own marketing consulting agency.
L
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kooljohn on April 26, 2017, 07:44:19 AM
Hello Everybody!

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

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

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

:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StaceyR on April 26, 2017, 02:22:56 PM
Hi All,

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

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Infraredhead on April 29, 2017, 12:04:37 PM
Hello there,

I feel so fortunate to have found my people on this forum.  My husband and I have always been big Dave Ramsey fans.  We have no debt, our house is paid for, and we have saved like crazy to reach this moment in our lives.  I retired in December and my husband just announced his retirement at work.  We are really excited to start this new chapter in our lives.  Some of our friends are very happy for us but others think we have gone completely crazy. It is reassuring to read about the journey of others. Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: #MoneyGoals on April 29, 2017, 04:03:30 PM
Hello!

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

I also run a blog at www.hashtagmoneygoals.com (http://www.hashtagmoneygoals.com) feel free to check it out!
Title: OthalaFehu 2.0
Post by: OthalaFehu on April 29, 2017, 06:58:18 PM
After 3 months on a wordpress starter blog, I have finally taken the plunge and reset my site to my own domain. Feel free to check out my Net Worth Blog at http:othalafehu.com (http://http:othalafehu.com)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JanetJackson on April 30, 2017, 07:34:06 PM
Hello!
This is literally the first forum I have ever been on!  Very exciting.

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

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

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

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


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

About me and how I got to the MMM blog- I'm a 32 year old male.  After college I moved from New England to Texas to work in the oilfield.  I met my ex wife who pushed the Dave Ramsey lifestyle onto me.  I agreed and I did the debt snowball paying off college and a car loan to the tune of $82,000.   As my income grew so did the spending.  Fast forward to 2014- oil prices plummeted and so did my income.  Debt accrued and then came the inevitable divorce.  Now I'm a single father trying to work my way back to zero debt and I've been reading the blog a week now.  I've decided to sell, donate, give away, and keep a few things that will fit in my camper (means to cut bills down).  Profit money will go to the credit card debt.   I'm also considering selling my truck for a older truck (Currently have a 2011 Tacoma 4x4 Manual regular cab) and propelling the profit towards debt.  If the storage is gone, credit card and camper paid off I will have nearly 60% of my current earnings ready to invest.  I'm looking forward the badassity of being free of the high income high spending life style.  And hopefully my story helps someone else some day. It is reassuring to read and relate to other stories here.  Thank you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spaniard999 on May 02, 2017, 09:29:17 AM
Hi, my name is Angel. I'm from Spain but live currently in the US.
I always tried to be frugal but never with the mindset of saving that much for investment.
This blog is rocking my world!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Salvo on May 03, 2017, 10:43:31 AM
Hello everyone, just joined MMM today after wondering if I should change my Betterment allocation.  Currently at 90% stock/10% bond and I'll stay there.  I found an article through google that MMM wrote on betterment which helped explain stocks are better for the long term. 

I just turned 30 yesterday, have a mortage and education expenses to pay but nothing massive.  Started being serious about investing and saving just the past couple years.  Unfortunately, I did not have steady or even a good amount of income until I was 28; partly because I did not go to any college after high school but I also bounced around between jobs.  My parents were very frugal (raised 4 kids on about $30k/year) and I acquired many money saving habits from them without realizing it... like washing plastic bags, trash picking, thrift store/garage sales, home cooking, and how to repair/refurbish things. 

After just one year, I've increased my net worth so much that reaching $1 M no longer seems impossible.  There is such a wealth of info here too, I expect the rest of this year to go very well!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cliner on May 06, 2017, 06:54:40 AM
Tired of wasting his money. I don't know why it took me so long to realize:
- not working through college, & instead borrowing all the cash is a bad idea
- financing & trading 3 brand new cars before you're 30 is a bad idea
- spending thousands on performance modifications to said cars is a bad idea
- I'm not saving enough for retirement
- eating out multiple times per week is a bad idea
- I never need the newest/best toys/electronics
- adding one or two more items to my Amazon shopping cart just to reach the $35 free same-day shipping benchmark is a bad idea
- other dumb shit I do with my money

For the last 7 years, since finishing grad school, I've been making minimums on the car/student loans. Every once in a while, I'd throw a few thousand extra that I had in savings. I thought I was being aggressive... Well now I'm parting out the car mods, working on selling the car, so I can buy used. Then paying off the student loans with the cash from the car sale.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sarah Saverdink on May 06, 2017, 09:42:17 AM
Greetings! I've heard a lot about MMM and am looking forward to chatting with other early retirement hopefuls. The husband and I are approaching our mid-30s, have a house, two cats, no kids. We're hoping to retire by the time we are 45. We've already saved a lot and want to maximize savings/investments over the next 10 years to hit financial independence as early as possible. Right now, we're saving over 50% of our take-home pay. Most of our discretionary spending goes towards traveling and outdoors sports/activities.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fiStressRelief on May 07, 2017, 04:31:27 PM
Hi all, been reading MMM for years off and on.  Unfortunately it took quite a while for the ideas to percolate.  I would read something, totally agree with it, but not totally commit to the lifestyle.  Work has always been fine but lately it has been stressing me out and I find myself constantly reading this forum daydreaming about FIRe.  I'm naturally frugal but not a focused investor and never really had a true purpose for the savings.   Somehow I feel that if I force myself to sign up here and post a bit that it will keep my head in the game.

Wife and I are 35/36 with 2 grade schoolers.  Networth is just about to break 900k, but a large portion is home equity from a paid off house that is really more than we need.  I'm not much of a minimalist, but I'm all about efficiency and optimization.  So we are currently hemming and hawing about if/when to downsize. I think it is really the last piece to optimizing our monthly expenses and accelerate our path to FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RushonFIRE on May 07, 2017, 08:33:49 PM
This is me…

PERSONAL: Me 50, Wife 61 / Kids on their own / Two grand kids / House paid off – roof new $330k / Cars paid off – ’16 Outback, ’16 Leaf / No debt / Good health / live in the Pacific NW
TARGET ASSET ALLOCATION: 50% equities, 50% bonds / @ Vanguard: VBTLX 35%, VTSAX 30%, VTIAX 20%, VTABX 15% / 65% US, 35% Intl. / My ROI est. is 4.1% / Ret. Savings: 1.1MM, 84.3% IRA’s, 15.7% Roth’s
TARGET WITHDRAWAL RATE: 3.25% / Mo. Exp. $4,000, includes est. taxes / 65% SI - SSI, Pension 100% Survivor+3% COLA / $330k Life Ins.  / My inflation est. 2.9% / Net Worth 1.5MM / Our lifetime savings rate 23% on gross income

My wife and I have never made a lot of money, but we have always tried to be frugal and save for FIRe.  I’ve made plenty of financial mistakes (Cars/Boat/Internet Stocks/Family Loans!).  I’ve been interested in retirement planning and finances as a hobby since I was 22 when I started my first investment club at work.  Planning for retirement allows me to feel independent, to be an individual, to be me, and not a slave to my employer.  It gives me hope that I won’t have to put up with the all of the nonsense and crap I see in today’s work place. It gives me back my time and my life to be with the people I like and care for. It gives me freedom.  FIRe allows me to be my happiest. I'm a high performer at work and I've done well.  I'm passionate about my work.  I have a great ordinary life outside of my work and I hate how my work tries to suck everything it can out of me. It affects me, my attitude, and impacts my life family and the friends I still have.  Work to me means zero time for me.  I can’t wait to be rid of it.  As much as I’ve enjoyed my success at work and a majority of the people I can’t wait to leave it behind.  In six months I’ll be pulling the plug on my work life, in November 2017 – NO MORE OBLIGATIONS – except for those I care about!  I watched people before me give themselves to their work without knowing they gave as much as they did, only to find out the hard way when they got tossed before they were ready - without understanding why.  That isn’t going to be me - I'm leaving while I'm doing my best work.  I’m pushing the plate of shit work tries to make me eat back across the table and telling them to enjoy it without me! ~ I thoroughly enjoy MMM's blog and I’ve been a reader since sometime in 2012.  I tell all who will listen, and even those who will not, to check out MMM's awesome blog.  I also love JH Collins “F-You Money” and manifesto – great reads!   Take care and I wish everyone their very best!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jedithunder on May 08, 2017, 09:53:04 AM
14 k in credit debt.
almost 40.
new dad.
tired of being a slave to the banks. going to be done with my CC debt 12/1/18

any positive words of encouragement are always appreciated!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jlcnuke on May 08, 2017, 12:16:27 PM
Hey all. 40 years old here, working towards FIRE. Only debt is the mortgage I have for my retirement home. I'm currently saving over 50% and coupled with my current investments and some money I get from the VA I expect that'll get me to retirement in the next 7 years. I'm probably a "spendthrift" relative to many of the people here, but I'm content with that and my current lifestyle right now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Taskforce3Tango on May 09, 2017, 08:58:10 AM
Hi all,
Names is Jimi. 37 year old father of 1. Most of my debt is in my student loans. Working on starting my own business.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DividendMeter on May 09, 2017, 09:02:12 PM
Hi All,

Long-time lurker, first time poster here...

I'm 46, married, one son, recently paid off mortgage, no other debt, *almost" semi-retired - compounding stock dividends like crazy to get to FIRE soon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EWMH on May 10, 2017, 08:31:19 AM
Hi!

I'm a grad student, originally from the Netherlands, now living in Madison, WI for grad school. I started using YNAB a couple of years ago to prepare for moving to the US, and it completely changed my life (my financial life at first, but resulting from that also the rest of my life). Recently, through YNAB, I discovered the MMM blog. I've been soaking up the readings - a lot of them resonate with my Dutch upbringing (biking!). Reading the MMM posts has given me a lot to think about, including my decision to go to grad school rather than getting a job and making money. I'm excited to learn more about a mustachian lifestyle by being part of the community on this forum. I'd also love to hear from other grad students and other people from the Madison area!

- E
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bblinley on May 10, 2017, 12:03:39 PM
Hey there! I'm a part-time adjunct instructor, full-time parent, recently converted bike to all of the thingser, and practitioner of mustachianism. I live in Iowa City, IA, have three kids, a wife, and an old dog. We live in a great neighborhood, we have regular neighborhood parties and lots of kids that frequently gather in my back yard to play. We had our first bike night last night and it was a big hit, 14 riders ranging in age from 4 - 60+, two kindergartners rode the entire 3.4 miles on their own bikes! I found the blog in October of last year and recently caught up with all of the posts. I am loving this community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Blackeagle on May 10, 2017, 06:05:07 PM
Howdy everyone!

I'm new to MMM and have been devouring the blog archives.  No debt, but not a lot of retirement savings, so I'm only just starting my journey to FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tanhar020 on May 11, 2017, 04:51:14 AM
Hi,

My name Tandra Harrison.

I enjoy writing which is based on latest information, ideas, and techniques.

In free time I research on new developing technologies.

I am a passionate writer, blogger, and owner of besthvlpspraygun.com (http://www.besthvlpspraygun.com/).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BrandNewPapa on May 11, 2017, 07:46:30 AM
Hi,

I'm BrandNewPapa, 32 years old from Ohio. I recently started on my FIRE journey. I started good out of college, living my college livestyle and paying of 40k in student loans (and reading MMM blog), but then I got married. My wife didn't really support my lifestyle and we started our lifestyle inflation phase :(

Over the last two years, I've managed to throttle back the inflation and we're starting to simplify. My wife is starting to support some of my lifestyle desires, especially since we recently had a daughter. She wants to be a stay at home mom, which means our income is cut in half. This necessitates spending drawbacks, but I think it delays my timeline for early retirement.

We're debt free except for 117k left on a mortgage (~9 years remaining).

My goal is $1 million net worth by 40 (8 years...hmmm), with early retirement by 45 ($1.5 million min net worth not counting primary residence). Current net worth is 300k-400k (counting our home equity).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jayzee on May 11, 2017, 10:07:48 PM
Hi everyone

Just discovered the forums and thought I would introduce myself.

I'm Australian, living in beautiful Melbourne. 28, lawyer, preparing to become self-employed in the next year or so. This unfortunately means that I have most of my money is in cash at the moment to build a reserve for when I take the leap. I have a mortgage (70% outstanding) and some investment - mostly Vanguard, and some direct shares.

Loving this community and hoping you guys will keep me accountable to my goals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PizzaEngineer on May 12, 2017, 11:59:09 AM
Hi,

I just recently joined the forums. I'm a 33 year old electrical engineer from Atlanta, Ga. I'm married with one child.

I am years from being FI, but really excited about the process of getting there! Looking forward to joining in on all the discussion.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ahemahem on May 13, 2017, 09:11:16 PM
Hi,
I'm EM and I live in SF. Analysis is my friend; analysis paralysis is my enemy.

Thanks for the community alloyall.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mripkiss on May 16, 2017, 04:45:30 PM
Hello, all,

I'm a grad student living in Madison, WI, USA. Between bouts of reading about statistics and R-programming, I found this blog (via Tim Ferriss) and I must say that the Mustachian philosophy corresponds quite nicely with my own disposition. I look forward to seeing how much more efficient and happy I can make my life (and the lives of others) by applying these ideas :-)

-SL
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mbolton on May 17, 2017, 03:15:15 AM
Fellow Mustachians,

I've read this blog for a couple of years now and I'm finally ready to join the forums.   

I'm a little more gung-ho than my wife on the MMM philosophies, but I still have a ways to go to reach full Badassity.

This is truly an inspiring place.  It has changed my mindset from saving for retirement someday to making early retirement a reality.

Thanks Everyone
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheFrenchCat on May 17, 2017, 12:20:26 PM
Hi:)  I'm Katie, I've been lurking a bit and finished reading the blog last month.  My husband and I are both 27, and our daughter is almost 2.  We both work part-time from home and he's working on his graduate engineering degree,also mostly from home.  We've always been very frugal, though we've been cutting down on some impulse shopping (which thankfully was from thrift stores.  But $10 here and there at Goodwill adds up and brings in too much clutter.) 

I love cooking, music and psychological research.  My husband is an avid gardener, tinkerer and scavenger.  Our daughter is wonderful, obsessed with books and playing outside and we're so grateful we've both been able to spend so much time with her.  I also excessively love emoticons:-D

We're both more interested in the financial independence side more-so than the early retiring, since we both are not the best at being self-directed.  But who knows what we'll end up doing in the future!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lila8 on May 17, 2017, 10:18:17 PM
Hi,

I bookmarked this site last year and finally got around to frequenting it a couple months ago when looking for guidance on how to handle the money I had more or less mindlessly saved/invested over the years.
I (37) and my husband (42) have one toddler and another on the way. I'm a lawyer and he's an adjunct professor.
The site and the forum have helped to guide me on this path to financial independence, if not early retirement. I actually like working, just preferably with a ton more autonomy than I've had in my adult jobs so far ... and not doing what I've been doing for the companies I've been doing it for.  That is dispiriting. I'm here to gain more confidence in my plans by actually knowing wtf I'm doing for sure... enough so that I can feel comfortable taking the big plunge to "follow my dreams."
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NMD on May 18, 2017, 05:48:26 AM
Hi, I'm NMD, a single 24 year old living in the UK, long term FIRE/MMM enthusiast, now wanting to really pick up the pace.

Background
Graduated 2016 (medicine), £30k student loan.
Worked while studying, lived frugally & got into habit of recording spending, started index fund investing.
Started work straight from graduating at higher than UK average salary, but not enormous (£35k, will increase fairly fast in next few years as I move up training grades).

Now
Take-home pay (net of pension, student loan, taxes etc) split 50/50 between spending and saving/investment accounts.
Currently buying a house for less than half of UK average; 10% deposit from savings, investments and a bit from family.

Plan
Move into house, furnish cheaply
Let out a room to cover most of mortgage payments
Start to push up investments to 50% of take-home
Progress through training to maximise income
Aim for FIRE by 40
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DayLight on May 18, 2017, 12:46:42 PM
Hello-

I've been lurking here for quite a while. Part of me is a little embarrassed about my financial situation compared to many on this forum, but on the other hand, this forum has really helped me make some progress.

Spouse and I are in 40's, we have 5 kids in joint custody situations, (both divorced in 2010, lost houses and gained debt in the process due to housing bust), we have a medium income and live in a high COL area. A few years ago we both felt completely trapped by financial circumstances, but we have made some good progress since then. This forum really opened up the idea of making choices with our money, rather than just assume all our spending was a given.

My goals:
Pay off interest-bearing debt in 19 months, excluding mortgage
Save for new roof out of pocket
Start saving 50% of income for retirement in 2.5 years.
10 years move to LCOL area using house equity, work part time for living expenses.

Potential plan busters:
pending layoff
spouse health issues
unclear about college costs- two other families to coordinate with, could be more than anticipated
 





Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: joestash on May 19, 2017, 02:19:09 PM
Hi All,

I've been reading the blog for years but basically doing the opposite with my finances.  My financial situation can't get much worse at this point.  I have so much debt I need to declare bankruptcy but I'm so broke I can't afford the attorney fees. 

Anyway, I'm inspired by the people in this community and would like to start living a more Mustachian existence.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tomnomnom on May 22, 2017, 01:12:53 PM
Hi!

I'm Tom. I am glad to join the Mustache Family. I live a wonderful life in Beautiful Boise, Idaho. I am recently married to an amazing Megantita who puts up with all of my Mustachian tendencies. After reading a significant chunk of MMM's writing, I have felt affirmed in many of my beliefs, learned a lot of new principles and strengthened my resolve to live a simple, first world, luxurious life that minimized waste and maximized happiness.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SandraJohn on May 23, 2017, 12:38:42 AM
Hi,
I am Sandra.
A business consultant in a New York based firm. Its really good to be a part of this forum. There are so many amazing people here. I would be happy to share my thoughts here.
Thanks
Title: Financial Muse ... Debt Free Millennial on Fire Saying HI :)
Post by: financial_muse on May 23, 2017, 02:12:29 PM
Hi all,

I just signed up for this forum and wanted to introduce myself before browsing what appears to be a mind boggling number of posts here.  I started a personal finance blog about three months ago at www.financial-muse.com in hopes of sharing things I would have loved to know about in my 20s, but didn't stumble upon until my 30s.

A bit about myself, aside from being in my 30s lol, I am part of a DINK household in hopes and on track to retire within the next 7-10 years (unless DINK turns into DIK of course).  Websites such as MMM and MR have inspired me as I am sure this forum will too.

I look forward to exchanging ideas and thoughts with everyone here :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stoic on FIRE on May 23, 2017, 09:39:49 PM
Hello all,

I'm a husband, father, a student of Stoicism, and a long-time lurker.

I like the blending of Stoicism with the concept of financial independence and I'm solidly in the accumulation stage for FI.

There are some changes afoot in my life in the next year: a career change, beginning a side project, and possibly another addition to the Stoic on FIRE family and I relish the opportunities these changes will bring.

I look forward to exchanging thoughts and ideas.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Beegee on May 24, 2017, 01:28:28 PM
Hi everybody,

Been reading for a few years and (not sure why today) I just decided to stop lurking!  :)  Love this community of mostly-like-minded individuals.  A lot of great ideas over here...  I value the things I've read from community members and feel like it's time to join the conversations.

See you in the forum!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AriesFire on May 24, 2017, 04:38:24 PM
Hi,

Want to introduce myself and join the conversation. My husband and I are in our 30s, no kids.

I'm super interested in retiring by the age of 40, my husband not so much!
We have no personal debts and are doing pretty well for our age, but I'd like to start actively working much harder on establishing a budget and optimizing our finances and tax situation. We own a few rental properties as well.
 
Very inspired by this awesome community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rogue Dad, M.D. on May 24, 2017, 09:52:42 PM
I've read all of the MMM posts and random bits of the forum.

I love a great deal what I read here, though admittedly am not a great follower of some of the hard core aspects of Mustachianism.

An embarrassing disclosure (for this forum) -- I'm an adult that can't ride a bike. Tried to learn on my own as a kid and couldn't figure it out.

I don't think it's possible to be a MMM adherent without riding a bike, so if anyone has tips on how an adult who doesn't do well w/feet off the ground can learn to ride (with minimal embarrassment), let me know.  Maybe if I pull that off I can do the rest.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: astronozzle on May 26, 2017, 07:43:39 AM
Hi,


I've been reading/lurking MMM for years, but only just now joined the forums. The reason is I moved to a new city (Kansas City), and am looking for advice on jobs, transportation, etc.

Last month I finally had a positive networth! And then I got married! Anyway, if anybody has KC advice (or work), I sure could use it.


Thanks everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SoberSailor on May 27, 2017, 03:34:00 AM
Hi,

I just registered after having lurked the forum for a while.

Basically, my name says it all. I used to spend money like a drunk sailor, but now that I am sober, I try to grow a proper 'stache. First step: Plugging leaks, then put the sail to the wind. Wish me godspeed.

Have a good weekend,

SoberSailor
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: msmarieh on May 28, 2017, 02:10:45 PM
Hello!!!!

I'm new here and looking forward to reading the voluminous posts. I just finished paying off about $100K in debt and am looking forward to now starting to build a lot more wealth. I'm setting a goal for myself to get to a half mil net worth in the next 24-36 months.

I work full time and started a side business three years ago which has grown to make as much as my full time business.

I feel like right now is the start of some truly great things and I love having people around to enjoy the journey with.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rae09 on May 30, 2017, 10:27:18 AM
Hello,

I found this website not too long ago. I'm very good with saving money and live frugally but would like to learn more about smarter financial planning and minimizing tax legally.
I'm part of DINK household and we hope to retire before we hit 50. It's so nice to find that there are people who've done this successfully and take the time to share their knowledge :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr Zombie on May 30, 2017, 01:49:27 PM
Hello from England.

Not many of us FIRE types over here.  So I just keep my head down, stay creepy, and carry on saving.

Started saving properly in about 2012.  And I've got my ears pinned back now.

Hope to learn lots from y'all.

A photo of me ready for the battles against the Consumerist Hordes;

(http://www.thefinancezombie.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Finance-Zombie-RPG-Level-2.png)



Mr Z

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Peanutbutter on May 30, 2017, 08:06:59 PM
Hi, I like peanut butter and reading about living simply and making money. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: May2030 on June 03, 2017, 02:29:30 PM
Hi, very recently found MMM while trying to decide what to do with my life. Its a bit of a revelation and has opened my eyes. Still reading the articles.

 42, UK , single, just gone mortgage free and thought that was it target achieved, go mental. Cashed in investments and bought a car. Doh! Free to spend but the items I have bought have delivered little pleasure.

Theoretical target is FIRE 2030 but hope to bring that forward. Excited yet nervous about the journey and changes required ahead. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sednax on June 04, 2017, 03:55:48 AM
Hi everyone,

Found out about MMM yesterday and immediately hooked. I'm currently saving about 30% of my income, but will receive a big chunk of cash soon. I was thinking about how to spend it etc, but it can actually fling me into FI in one go when I go for the MMM lifestyle (I'm 27)!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wheresmysipp on June 05, 2017, 09:32:57 AM
Hi all,

I stumbled upon Mr. Money Mustache and I still haven't gotten over the sheer amount of posts here, incredible! So I decided to sign up and get involved :)

I work with http://pensionjustice.co.uk (http://pensionjustice.co.uk) based in the UK, helping people with their mis-sold pension claims and working hard to get their money/compensation back for them.

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone and getting involved on the boards.

All the best!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cadillacmike on June 06, 2017, 10:41:42 PM
Ok, I stumbled upon this site while trying to figure out what all they hype is regarding EIAs / FIAs. Using this site and some links I now have a pretty good idea of what they are. And I'm still not enamoured to them.

I'm 56, my better half is 57. We both still work more or less part time. She worked for the Y for many years and I was a network admin in civilian life and a reserve Army Officer. At least until 2003, when I got sucked into a 12 year cycle of deployments. I'm retired from the army but cannot collect retirement pay for another 2.5-3 years, because I didn't have 20 + years of active duty. Oh well, I probably could not have tolerated 30 years of active duty. I started a business last year for accounting/ computers and property management, while the boss lady is a professor, however she will be getting her property mgt license soon and we will try to expand the business.

I'm still trying to figure out what FIRE (as in FIREcalc) means, it is Financial Independent / Retire Early or something else??? In any event I found that tool, and have some questions on that for later posts.

We both have bikes, mine is a 40 year old Raleigh Professional that I will NEVER ride to the grocery store. Hers is 30 both were bought new, mine while I was still in high school and hers as a first birthday present when we first got married. We still ride them, but not to the store.I still like to ride it, just not as a form or transportation to work, store etc. First it's a true road racing bike and the tires wouldn't last 10 miles on these streets, 2nd it's irreplaceable, and 3rd, its 95+ here every day, rainy for 6 months and humid as all hell, Not good for any type of business work environment.   

Yes we've been married for 30 years this past March. No kids of our own, however she likes to dote on the numerous nieces and nephews we have.

Clown cars, yeah we have a few, four really. The reason we have 4 is because I can't fit 5 in this house that only has a 2 car garage. Try to guess the make of them. And we don't twist the key to go to the grocery store, we push buttons, just like George Jetson. Actually the two older cars have keys, and I'm always hurting my hand on the Fleetwood trying to open the doors, because the CTS & STS both have passive sensors that allow us to just open the door with the key apparatus in our pockets. The old 1968 is a convertible, and it's almost never locked so that's not a problem. I really missed my cars while i spent some 5 years in the combat zone, ( 5 trips) so I don't want to hear it. I earned the right to have them and they are paid for. And they get me to work, some 40 miles to my furthest work site. Luxury might be a weakness, but poverty Sucks.

That said I do agree that it is the height of idiocy to drive one's kids to school, when they can walk or take the bus. I have a niece that used to do that, could not get it through her thick skull how insane that was. Wife's sister used to do it as well.  Oh well, they're both on her side of the family. My brother, still in the Army (SGM, but retiring this year) was not like that. His kids walked or took the bus just like we did as kids.

Still have about 12 years to finish off the mortgage.  Have some funds in various 403bs, IRAs, etc. and will look to find info here and elsewhere on maximizing retirement options, etc. and possibly retire a bit early. so we can take the 1968 on a cross country trip.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: UncleX on June 07, 2017, 03:27:01 AM
Hello everybody, I am UncleX from the Netherlands. My wife and I are both 44 years old and we have no kids. We have fulltime jobs we don’t hate but would probably quit (or go parttime) if financially possible. I discovered MMM around the end of 2015, when we were trying to decide what to do with our mortgage. We decided to get rid of it completely and so we did last year. I know not everybody agrees that this is the smartest thing to do, but it was for us and it feels great. We had been saving a lot ever since the crisis started around 2008 and also had been investing, but there was no real plan or goal.

After paying off our mortgage and reading every article MMM wrote and half the forum we started all over again, but now with a plan and a goal. The plan is simply to save as much money as possible and invest it in a VTSAX-like fund. We cannot invest in VTSAX in the Netherlands, but we can invest in a similar Vanguard fund through our own bank. So far we have been able to invest around 65% of our take-home pay and it looks like we can keep this up. Our goal at the moment is to become as FI as possible and to be able to choose to (partially) RE in 7 to 10 years, if we want to.

I have been a member here for a year now and already posted some comments in the “Any Dutch Mustachians” thread. I may comment in other threads in the future, but I will probably never become a walrus. Still I thought it was time to introduce myself because I am reading this forum and learning from it daily. Thank you all very much for making that possible!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: YourPlaybookForToughTimes on June 08, 2017, 12:14:59 AM
Hello,
My name is Donna Freedman and I've been writing about personal finance since 2007. I'm in my late 50s and live in Anchorage, Alaska, with an amazing partner. He's retired, I'm still freelancing, which means he does a lot more work in the garden than I do.

Looking forward to reading everyone's insights.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sydneystache on June 08, 2017, 01:05:36 AM
Hi Donna, are you the same Donna Freedman that writes/wrote for Yahoo personal finance? If you are, I loved reading your posts and they were pretty inspirational too. I think I was reading your columns before MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gspeicher on June 08, 2017, 10:08:33 AM
Hi, all. I'm Geoff from Kentucky. I have a wife and two kids and fairly comfortable financial situation. Our only debt is in the form of two mortgages, one on our primary and one on a rental condo that more or less breaks even month to month. We have a great start on retirement (I think) maxing out a 401k and two roth IRAs. We have a six month safety net sitting in cash (which we're about to move into the market per MMMs advice). Additionally, we contribute to an aggressively allocated Betterment account and and two 529s for our children.

I look forward to starting the journey that many of you are on or have already completed. The office life isn't for me (my wife works from home) and we're ready to take the steps to start living instead of waiting to live.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KatieMac on June 08, 2017, 12:57:32 PM
Hi! I'm Kat from Pittsburgh. My husband discovered MMM first and I quickly got hooked, too. We obsessively read through every post since the very beginning. In the past year we've made some very forward-looking decisions and I think we're on the right track. I'm really hoping to meet more like-minded folks in our area and figured the forums would be a great place to start!

Feel free to drop a line, especially if you or a mustachian you know lives in or north of Pittsburgh!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tonyquart on June 09, 2017, 02:15:59 AM
Hi there,
I'm Tony. I'm married and have 2 daughters. Hopefully I will get useful information here in this forum. Nice to know all of you! :cheers:
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MinnieAG on June 09, 2017, 09:18:05 AM
Hi everyone!

My name is Alex, I'm from Minneapolis, and I'm 22 years old. My husband is obsessed (to put it lightly) with MMM, and I've recently become hooked as well. We're pretty aggressive savers and have a great start on our retirement funds and paying off our mortgage. We'd like to start a family in a few years, and I love reading through the Mini Mustache threads for ideas to save money with/for children.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BatDad2 on June 14, 2017, 12:24:00 PM
Hey!

My name is Drew, located in Eastern Iowa, in a town no-one probably knows. My wife and I are 31 and started our FI journey about 3 months ago after finding MMM and having long discussion and afternoon reflection where our jobs have started to take over our lives and we just haven't been able to do all the fun things we want to do in life. Most importantly is spending time with our 2 boys who just so happen to love Batman and have the last name Wayne, so hence, the BatDad name.

We have since changed many aspects of our life and are on a path to retire conservatively at 40, but I admit that we have a lot to learn and would like to be done even sooner if there are things that we just aren't seeing (or being too 'wussypants' about). I look forward to talking with everyone and sharing successes and learning opportunities to get us all there sooner!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREd_up! on June 15, 2017, 07:15:50 AM
Hi Everyone!

I'm Cassandra and I live in Alexandria, VA. I came across the MMM blog about a month ago and have binge read almost every article since. While being frugal and the concept of spending less, saving more is like breathing to me I'll humbly admit that I know nothing about Real Estate, investments and retirement. I'm hoping to learn a lot through the blog and this forum. The mustachian tribe are definitely my kind of people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Wolf on June 15, 2017, 08:39:51 AM
Hi everyone!

I'm Copenhagen based and came across MMM when Pete was interviewed by Ferriss a few months ago. Have been following Ferriss' podcast for a few years but this podcast episode has impacted me more than anything else.

The whole MMM philosophy of life simply resonates incredibly well with me, and I've figured out that FI is only one of many wonderful side effects. Here's the funny thing I've come to realize: rather than feeling deprived every time a skip a wasteful purchase, I'm feeling even more energetic and free!

I do recognize that I’m probably still in my MMM honeymoon phase and the long hall is still ahead. But running over my personal finances and starting to optimize for FI has been a great experience up until now. I’ve reorganized for a 75% savings rate and I’m pumped up with enthusiasm :-D

Salute to everyone out there spreading the MMM message!
 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xander on June 16, 2017, 12:20:02 PM
Hello all!

I'm Alex from Dayton, Ohio. I have been lurking this site for a while and have now decided to really up my investing game and learn everything there is to know!

I am 29 years old working in the manufacturing field as a Toolmaker. I love what I do, but with that being said I am looking forward to an early retirement. I have a good start with my savings and 401k but need some direction with where to go from here. You'll see plenty of questions from me on the boards.

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cossack on June 18, 2017, 06:58:53 PM
Hi there.

We retired a few years ago. I am 43 my wife, 39. We have 5 young kids, 10, 8, 7, 4 and a newborn born this week. We have been able to travel and live in various countries and live a pretty full life. We have lived out many of the MMM principles and hopefully we will be able to contribute and learn in this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheAverageSo on June 19, 2017, 08:20:17 AM
Hi all - I'm 37 and about to be married to the most wonderful gal ever. 

I've been stupid with money until about 30, and end up saving enough to buy myself a home with 25% down.

I have approx. $300k left on the mortgage, and I owe about $18k for my car loan.  I have about $80k saved and home is worth approx. $930k according to an appraiser last month.  My fiancee has about $180k saved.  We're both pretty thrifty and I personally don't spend on much except a few lunches here and there.  From some calculations, based on wanting to spend $50k/year during FI, we need to save $1.25MM.  So since we both have a total saved of about $260k, we are short $990k.   Based on some FI calculators, it says I only have 9.5 years to FI.  I don't see how that's possible?  Can someone assess our situation and scrutinize it?

Also, I am starting to hate my job and the same goes for my fiancee.  We were thinking of quitting for a year and doing some slow travelling. What do you guys/gals think?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: privatevoid on June 20, 2017, 06:57:02 PM
Hello,

Northern VA area here!

My goal: pay off ~$8150 car loan and ~$16k student loan. I want to pay off the car by the end of the year and the student loan in the next few years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: theseIthacas on June 21, 2017, 04:46:52 PM
Hi!

I'm in my mid-30s, my husband is 51, and we have two kids, two cats, and a small menagerie of other critters. We're generally fairly frugal, and we've been debt free other than our mortgage since 2013, but it's been a bumpy ride since then. Early retirement wasn't necessarily on the horizon until the other half had a stroke two years ago. Even though he recovered quite well, and plans on working for at least another 15-16 years, I'm hoping to cut that back as much as possible.

I've been reading MMM for a couple of years, so I guess it's about time I dropped out of lurking and joined the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Codemaster on June 23, 2017, 10:06:53 AM
Hey all!

I'm a bit of a tough to pin down person. I am an artist, programmer, athlete, and traveler. I'm stoked to be here and look forward to getting to know all of y'all! 

bless up
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: benjaminfoley on June 24, 2017, 08:19:37 AM
Hey Guys!

I'm Ben and I'm new here to this great community of money wranglers. Although I aspire to be as mustachian as you all, I'm just getting started. I'm 25 and grew up in a very non-Mustacian manner. In fact, I've never built anything.

I really wanted to get my hands dirty and start learning how to build things. I live in Chicago, IL. Anyone have any suggestions with a good first project or know anyone in the area that runs a construction company that I can get my ass work on the weekends with?


Thanks!

Ben
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tozier on June 24, 2017, 09:29:49 AM
Hello everyone,

I’ve been reading the blog and applying many of the principles for close to two years, so I am not entirely new to the site, but this is the first time I have posted to the forum. I am happy to report that at the end of this week, I will be debt free (excluding the mortgage), and have been saving an average of around 60% of my income. My next goals are to build a six-month emergency fund (which thanks to my savings rate, will take less than three months), push up my 401k to the IRS limit, and then use the rest to pay towards the principal on my mortgage, a decent strategy considering the latest blog from MMM on a possible recession in the next 3-5 years. Or I may continue to contribute the minimum for the employer match and push everything else into my mortgage, paying it off in 5 years.

First though, I need to determine where to invest my emergency funds. Can’t just leave it in a dismal savings account. Need to have every dollar working for me. I know this has been answered somewhere on this forum, but have yet to find it.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hm__ on June 24, 2017, 05:44:14 PM
Hey all,

Early 20s here, living in DC metro (not exactly mustachian COL area). Studied engineering and now working in a related field.

Discovered MMM two months ago and read every article, have since tried to optimize all spending within my control at the moment, with hopes of paying off student loans and socking away as much as I can for the future. Looking forward to contributing and reading more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: frugalhackers on June 24, 2017, 07:07:01 PM
Hi! My husband and I discovered MMM's blog over a year ago. We're Canadians leading our own version of a Mustachian life in San Francisco. Finally took the plunge and started blogging at Frugal Hackers (http://frugalhackers.com) last week because we got tired of all of our friends saying you can't be frugal in San Francisco. I'm excited to find such an amazing community of like minded folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HildaCorners on June 25, 2017, 07:40:12 AM
Howdy!

I'm always had a money mustache ... sometimes I have to force myself to spend on 100% necessary purchases. However, I'm not retired yet (and am old enough that I can't retire *early* in any case).

I've had an interesting life so far ... everything from near FI to "which bills do I not pay this month" poverty. I'm doing well again, but have some catching up to do. I'm looking for FI within the next five years.

I'll post more details in a Journal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Taconite on June 26, 2017, 03:10:43 PM
Howdy gang,

Middle aged Southern Californian who is trying his hardest to get FIREd from his GOVT job.  Got the average 2 kids, spouse, cat, 2x student loans and a mortgage.  Was forced to do a lot of what the founder suggests when the wife lost her job during the recession.  Read Your Money or Your Life earlier this year (2017) and it reinforced a lot of what I was doing.  I found this site though a web search of YMOYL to share with a coworker. 

Looking to learn and support. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Silverado62 on June 27, 2017, 06:45:10 AM
Hello from TX. I've arrived at the financial freedom finish line at age 54 through semi-frugal living, mega savings, and real estate investing. All while enjoying an occasional splurge and, for sure, some spending relapses along the way.

But at retirement's doorstep I have started to read up a lot more on money and found this forum. I'm happy to join in and learn and share with others who think as I do about life, happiness and how money works.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: espyfamoffour on June 28, 2017, 03:06:11 PM
Greetings from the Midwest!  Been a consumer of forum/articles for years and doing my best to get spouse on board with frugal living.  Father of two that got serious about investing a few years ago, with wife working part time. Looking forward to interacting with a like minded community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Livinginthemountains on June 28, 2017, 06:29:18 PM
Hi! I found MMM a few months ago and decided to join the forum just for the fact that there are people here I can relate to when it comes to frugality.... I feel everyone in my real life thinks I'm crazy for riding a bike... living in a paid for house and not spending  $30 grand on a car.... It's great to know there's others on the planet like me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sufjork on June 30, 2017, 05:35:08 AM
Hiya! I'm Lei. I am in my mid 20s and currently a freelance artist. Due to recently discovering MMM and the real possibility of retiring early/being financially independent, I have decided I'm going to train myself so I can transition into the world of web dev + web design. My fiancé is also a member of this forum and we are just beginning our journey into FIRE!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lance Hiruma on June 30, 2017, 10:27:42 AM
Hello!
Long time YLOYM and simple living advocate, found this great forum accidentally. We are mid-40s and mid-30s, living in Phoenix metro. Recently, we started to plan out early retirement very seriously. It is both exciting and scary at the same time. Looking to learn and support each other in the journey. Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zariana on June 30, 2017, 09:05:16 PM
Hi,

I've been following MMM for the last year, and having consumed his blog I decided to come on the MMM forums to continue my journey toward FIRE.  I'm actually a lot closer than I thought before reading MMM, which has certainly helped me take a healthier life-attitude while working in a very stressful job.

I'm an American living overseas in Asia at the moment, which gives an interesting perspective on what low-cost living actually is. I plan to return to the US in a year or so when my job assignment ends.

I look forward to listening and being part of the conversation!

Cheers,

-Z
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Diego on July 01, 2017, 03:15:05 AM
Hello, I'm Diego, I'm from Spain and I work as a programmer (iOS & Android apps).

Hope to find inspiration and some good tips here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bella78 on July 01, 2017, 06:06:11 AM
Hello all,

I found MMM about a year ago, though I have only recently committed to mustachianism.  Through reading a lot of the information and advice around here, I have realized that FIRE is a possibility if I can stay on track.  I am hoping to retire or semi-retire by 55.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ianvestor on July 01, 2017, 10:44:22 AM

Hi,

I came across MMM a couple of years ago, and skimmed through a few posts and saw a few stories on youtube. Only now am I realising how it is such a large online community so thought I should join. With some of my life choices I feel I can relate to a lot of the discussions. I am 43 and from Australia, and a couple of years ago decided to live at least about half of the year in Vietnam and Thailand, which offers a simple, economical and enjoyable lifestyle. I live off my investments mainly, together with some consulting work and freelance writing. Look forward to reading more of the posts and participating in some discussions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CalSaver on July 01, 2017, 12:39:40 PM
Hello MMM forum - So great to see everyone sharing so much information, knowledge, stories and advice.  The missus and I are fortunate to be in a good spot financially, and even then we're agonizing a bit on how to move forward towards financial independence.  What get's paid down first, etc. etc. 

Thanks for everything so far!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: icyii on July 01, 2017, 06:31:13 PM
Hello MMM! I was introduced to the joys of MMM through Pocket, and now I'm hooked! I'm reading he entire blog from the start and I'm learning sooo much. I'm afraid to say I used to be stupid with money, though I wasn't earning much to start with so I didn't waste that much. It's time for change! Can't wait to start building assets. I hope to retire asap. In my mid 20's and hope to retire early. Still working on how to do that - but I'll build my financial literacy first. Super excited to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: financiallypossible on July 02, 2017, 04:59:49 AM
In my mid 20's and hope to retire early. Still working on how to do that - but I'll build my financial literacy first.

I love this attitude. Please tactfully encourage your friends to do so (build their financial literacy) too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nipponahito on July 02, 2017, 09:18:19 PM
Hello MMM forums! Was introduced to this way of thinking by a finanical advisor I know that's mustachian. Really excited about all I have read on the blog so far and am committed to working towards fianancial independence. Currently am debt-free and looking to optimize expenditures.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BiochemicalDJ on July 04, 2017, 09:07:22 PM
Hey, I'm Austin!

I work a boring desk job, am currently rushing towards FI ASAP, have 5 years left (8 years if pessimistic), and am currently obsessed with repairing my beater of a car.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: semiretired on July 06, 2017, 07:41:29 PM
Hi, I am a 45 years old and I work as a Fire Fighter 2 days a week. Which is why i call myself semi-retired. I wont be able to fully retire as early as some of you as i need to work to age 55 to receive my pension. But i hope to learn allot from all of you so i can make sure my retirement lasts.

Thank you in advance
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: adifferentlife on July 07, 2017, 12:08:06 PM
Hello to Forum Members- I have practiced the principles in YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE (great book!),VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY (a program of The Northwest Institute) and more recently Frugalwoods.  Throughout it all, I have have several financial set-backs (the DOT com crash and the 2008 real estate crash and I am a realtor! Had several years with almost no income and it hit my savings very hard!!!!!!!!) I am now a practicing mustachian- my actions are the only thing I can control and I Love MMM- - there is so much one can do and I APPRECIATE the chance to learn anything new that will make life more meaningful and fulfilling on a shoestring!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sanju on July 07, 2017, 04:54:11 PM
Hi Im Sanju. I am 28yrs old. My family had a lot of money problems while I was growing up and the topic of money has always caused a lot of freeze/collapse anxiety for me. I have been debt free since mid-2014, but I have not been very proactive with saving or investing my income. My friend introduced me to MMM and at first I thought FIRE would be impossible for me. After reading pretty much every post, I realized I needed to deconstruct and let go of self-limiting beliefs and thoughts. The life that I want for myself IS attainable. I am looking forward to beginning this new journey and chapter of my life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugal Fran in Canada on July 08, 2017, 11:28:44 AM
Hi folks!

Long time follower of the blog, new poster.  Over the last few years, I worked hard to get my spending down and paid my debts. More recently, I took a job in a remote area, selling my overvalued Toronto condo for a tidy profit, purchasing a real nice actual house in the middle of nowhere (more or less).

I must say that an increased income (which still isn't huge) went a long way to making savings possible. It is tough to build wealth on $40k/yr as a single person in a major urban centre, even with frugality. And I suppose a good deal of moral fortitude is what made the move possible - it wasn't an easy thing to do on my own.

Anyway, I have found myself for the first time, with a sizeable chunk of investable cash, even after making a large mortgage pre-payment and moving 1700 km.

I'm 38 now, and while I would've loved to start earlier, it's great to have this cash to jump-start things, and now be able to make regular contributions. I've also held for the last 8 years (and continue to hold in my new position), a defined benefit pension plan, which helps my situation a lot. Right now I'm being conservative and aiming for retirement in 12 years, at 50, but if my career continues to grow as I hope, maybe I will be able to push that down.

I'm now getting started with index investing and have a few questions, so will be checking out the "Investor Alley" forum next!

Happy savings :)
FFinC
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr Griz on July 08, 2017, 02:47:20 PM
Hello MMM forum folks.

Just found the MMM (and related) community the past few months and not a bit too late.  DW RE'd a few years ago and I hope to follow next next year (2018).  Despite some face-punch worthy mistakes we've actually been FI for at least five years.  Who knew!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shara on July 09, 2017, 07:50:20 PM
Hello everyone!

I recently found this community as I was going through my finances and reading up on investor strategy.  I'm in my mid 30s and was already following much of the recommendations MMM makes, but finding this site and community am looking to dial it up to the next level.  Happy savings everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hermione76 on July 10, 2017, 10:27:36 AM
Hello Mustachians! I've been reading the MMM blog for a couple of years now, and finally decided to join the Forums! I recently quit my extremely stressful job working for a crazy boss, and I'm doing some consulting work to tide me over until I find my next stable gig. My husband and I are middle-range earners, debt-free (we rent, though), and good savers -- but we could be BETTER SAVERS! We live in Southern California, where it's pretty expensive, but where there are LOT of opportunities for Mustachianism -- including riding our bikes, shopping bulk, eating simply, etc. I look forward to getting to know all of you, and flexing my little baby Mustachian muscles!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ZenfantTerrible on July 11, 2017, 08:35:52 AM
Hi everyone,

I am 29 and currently reside in Ottawa, Canada. I have only been working full-time for 18 months, having attended university for a long 6-7 years for an undergraduate and a Master's degrees. I was lucky enough to stumble on Mr Money Mustache while I was still studying (early 2014). As a result, when I started working, I had long been planning how to best manage the finances. I have spread the good word to my brother, who like me, is now putting a minimum 50% of his income towards low-cost index funds every month. Converting my friends to Mustachianism has proved futile so far, however...I am not giving up yet!


ZenfantTerrible
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mckaylabaloney on July 12, 2017, 08:39:36 AM
Hi! I've been reading MMM for a couple of years and lurking on these forums for a couple of months -- thought I would finally join the conversation. I'm a 29-year-old lawyer living in a major U.S. city with six figures of law school debt that I can't wait to get off my back. Looking forward to sharing my progress with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ajtegret on July 12, 2017, 05:54:33 PM
Hi all,

Finally got around to checking out the site and stoked to find a forum! Been scaling back the past few years - got rid of my car in LA recently and I'm excited to learn more ways to live simply, unburdened. Looking forward to diving into MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Double0000000 on July 13, 2017, 10:44:34 AM
Hi Mustachians - Posted in another thread so I figured that I'd post here too.

I've been going through my personal finance journey for 7 years now and have been browsing MMM for the last few years. Looking to graduate before 2030.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NorCalistache on July 13, 2017, 02:09:57 PM
Hi 'stachers, NorCalistache here. I'm a uni professor, teach economics. Mrs. NorCalistache and I have been together for 35 years, and our three kids have all successfully fledged. My FIRE date is August 2018. Mrs. NorCalistache and I share a preference for simple living.

One challenge is that while our adult children share this preference for simple living, other members of the extended family and some old friends of ours have the "high income, high spending" lifestyle. Once we cash in our chips next year and are FIRE, I think we will need to find other folks practicing simple living, as there will be challenges hanging out with folks who are big spenders.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: attr on July 13, 2017, 02:46:56 PM
Hi everyone I also climb things! Lol mostly roofs....that are slanted...and sometimes slippery. Glad to be here apart of the community. Don't really know what to write, why do I have that weird awkward feeling of introducing myself to the classroom? So my name's Todd, I'm a  roofer in Nashville Tn  (https://www.atthetopnashvilleroof.com/) and spend most of my days above ground...or in my boat on the lake.

See you in the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kk1241 on July 14, 2017, 08:58:06 AM
Hi I'm Katie! I am 24 years old and currently in grad school for physical therapy who is living off student loans and accumulating lots of debt FAST.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fluffmuffin on July 14, 2017, 11:21:36 AM
Hey yall! I hit a rough financial patch in 2015 and discovered MMM and other FI blogs while trying to figure out how to get back on track. I've always been on the frugal side, but I recently moved in with my spendypants boyfriend and have noticed myself starting to fall victim to the treat yo'self mentality. I'm hoping that getting engaged with the forums will help me stop backsliding and make sure my financial decisions stay in alignment with my values and long-term goals. I love my career so RE isn't my goal, but I want FI so that I can know I'm working because I want to work--not because I have to work. (My boyfriend, on the other hand, would love to RE but thinks it's impossible because of his student loans. Sigh...)

Looking forward to getting to know everyone better!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tow Pro on July 14, 2017, 12:31:14 PM
What's up guys and gals, this is Mr. Tow Pro, as I am locally known :) I'm getting into a position where I can start looking into other forms of income. I've been  towing in Madison Tennessee
  (http://www.madisontowing.net/) for a lifetime but now have a crew of guys on the road that can handle our call flow. I also have a few kiddos who are not digging the idea of joining the family business. I can't blame them! They are always talking about online streams of income so I want to start getting involved in the conversation with them.

Anyways, happy to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: anic on July 15, 2017, 04:59:43 AM
Hi everyone,
I discovered this website just this week and I have a feeling it's going to be a great source of information and inspiration. I'm 41, I have two young kids (almost 6 and 4), I'm separated. I have never applied my mind to money throughout my life and now I feel a great urgency to do so. So, I'm reading this site, trying to get a grip on basic maths and pulling my head out of the sand.

I'm nowhere near being in a position to retire and by the time I do get to fix the errors of the past, it'll be time to retire anyway! But at least I'll be looking at a more financially secure old age...I hope.

All the best to everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rachel_the_Lark on July 15, 2017, 06:03:03 AM
Morning everyone,
I've poked around here a couple times, but figured if I want to get serious that means taking the plunge and engaging with the forum.  I've got a decent track record with finances but want to take things to a higher level.  Looking forward to getting to know everyone here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RedKing on July 15, 2017, 11:15:29 PM
Good morning Everyone.

I'm Patrick. German, currently living in Dubai. Moving soon to USA (and open for good advice in that matter). I've been following MMM for about a year now and finally decided to sign up to the forum.

Hope all of you have a great day!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: onewayfamily on July 17, 2017, 08:13:16 AM
Hi People!

I've been into MMM and even active on the forum for a few years (previously posting under andystkilda) but we've recently FIRE'd and gone nomadic so we started a blog to document our adventures. Hopefully we can also inspire more people (especially families) to win back more time-freedom and live a life more consistent with their values and aspirations.

I look forward to contributing and helping out where I can.

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GenXbiker on July 17, 2017, 09:16:28 PM
Hello everyone. I'm 50 now and can feel the FIRE approaching! I work in tech.  I actually enjoy my job most of the time, but I look forward to the freedom and adventures that retirement can bring.

My "stache" is currently at about 73x my current yearly "bare bones" budget, but about 43x of a more "practical" FIRE budget to allow about $500/mo spending over budget.

I'm looking at FIRE in 2 to 4 years.

My budget will go up in retirement, plus, I don't want to just be scraping by.  I want to have a very nice cushion when I retire beyond just getting the bills paid.  And about 10 years into retirement, SS will be a bonus.

My frugal ways and saving go back over my entire career, so MMM just reinforces what I've already been doing for decades.  I've read posts in the blog and forum here from time to time over the last several years but just got around to registering.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cavechild on July 18, 2017, 10:55:47 AM
Been following the Site for a few years.  49 y/o about to FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on July 18, 2017, 11:12:24 AM
Been following the Site for a few years.  49 y/o about to FIRE.

Congrats!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mosprott on July 20, 2017, 11:20:27 AM
Hi!

I've been lurking for a few years now. My husband just retired @ 60, and I'm working up the nerve to give notice any day now. Hoping to move to less-sweaty climes SOON! (Northern AZ, from DC Metro area)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mollyburnett on July 20, 2017, 04:15:05 PM
Hi all!

My name is Molly and I am 19 years old from Columbus, Ohio. I'm on this forum because my crazy uncle from Boulder, Colorado wanted to give my cousin and I a lesson in ways to be financially savvy in our near futures. So here I am! Through this forum, as well as from a couple other readings, I've learned about the dangers of living a material lifestyle and the outcomes reckless spending could have on my work life. Reckless and unwarranted spending may yield momentary happiness and satisfaction but, it ultimately will result in you spending more hours working than out spending valuable, priceless time with your family and friends. I've also learned that investing early is extremely important. Part of the challenge that my uncle gave my cousin and I was that he and his wife are going to be giving us money to invest in a Roth IRA. While it may seem annoying and unnecessary to do at such a young age, it will pay off in the end. The earlier you invest, the more money you save, the earlier you retire, and the more time you spend doing what you love instead of stressing over money.

In regards to what I wish to learn more about, I'm interested in the long term pros and cons of investing in stocks and bonds. Is it worth the risk?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CSuzette on July 21, 2017, 05:08:17 PM
Hi:

I am CSuzette and currently live in Boston.  I am a long-time lurker and cannot tell you why it has taken so long to figure out how to register :)  Every once in a while I would see something I wanted to respond to and couldn't.

I think I have always been naturally frugal...to the extent of spray starching and ironing my money when I was just a kid :)

The advice here is fantastic and I have some big financial decisions I need to make in the near future and look forward to receiving some valuable direction.

Thank you in advance.

CSuzette

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Imma on July 23, 2017, 10:52:08 AM
Hi! :) I'm Imma, 27, from the Netherlands.

I was raised in a frugal and financially savvy way, with a mother working in the investment business, so frugality and FI have always been natural to me. Sadly, I also saw first hand in my family what can go wrong if you let go and succumb to the 'entitlement' consumer logic. I knew I wanted to FIRE before I graduated from high school and have always made my life choices accordingly. I have very little student debt and saved to buy my first home at 24, together with my partner who was not raised like me but picked it all up with an impressive speed. He's currently more frugal than I am. Sadly I have a low income due to health issues, but as we don't need much it's not a huge problem, and because I don't work fulltime I don't need retirement as badly as someone who's working 60 hours/week. I am a longtime blog reader and lurker but decided to finally register because I needed advice about the quickest way to FIRE for me. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: L2 on July 23, 2017, 08:31:49 PM
Howdy all. I believe I found out about MMM via reddit about a year ago and have been reading the forum for a few months now, so I decided to join to interact with this awesome community and help hold myself accountable in reaching my goals. I really can't get enough of the FIRE concept...

A little bit about me: I am a 26 year old male who lives in Cleveland, OH and I'm a CPA.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Vienna4ever on July 25, 2017, 04:55:50 PM
Hello fellow like-minded friends that are looking to achieve FIRE!

 My name is Gastón and I am 41 years old, married for 20 years with two little kids. I am an American citizen, but altogether my life is spread across several continents: North America (Florida), South America (Argentina), and Europe (Germany+Russia). I work in Germany at the moment, and I trying to figure out my retirement strategies and options in this international milieu I am currently in.

I'm look for advice/experiences on expat retirement strategies.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EarthSurfer on July 26, 2017, 08:13:04 AM
Hi All!

It's time for me to transition from lurker to contributor.

I became a FIREbug back in the early early 90s with YMOYL, and paid off my first home in 50 months in the hometown of Mustachianism. That accomplishment awakened me to the power of intensely directed saving and investing.

Like MMM, I realized I made a ridiculously high income as a techie, and I didn't need much in the way of material goods to be happy in life. I'm at my happiest with a backpack and a long trail ahead of me. (Over 14,000 miles under my hipbelt.)

Since paying off my first house, I have been stashing at least 50% of my after-tax income, and choosing to take long periods off paid employment for travel and adventure. I have worked less than 50% of the time since 1998 as either an employee or consultant / contractor. Additionally, a good portion my stash has come from real estate "slow live-in fix & flips," utilizing the $250,000 capital gains exclusion to shield the profit from taxes.

While I have been truly FI since the early-2000s, I have subjected myself to full time employment at times to maintain access to health insurance, which is a must given my Rx bills costs were over $1,000/m (legacy from cancer in my 20s). While I hated paying $400-600/m for insurance on COBRA, it was the price for freedom. Now I am on an ACA HSA plan (~$450/m), all my meds are generic, and the monthly Rx cost is about $130/m.  I had never considered “full retirement” before Medicare eligibility an option due to the pre-existing conditions issue, but the ACA has allowed me to be self-(un)employed for longer than in the past.

Every time I plan to "fully" retire from tech, an interesting opportunity crosses my path. For the past 2 years, I have been maintaining trailing edge tech for former clients and employers, netting me about $85/hr for 600 hours work a year. At present, I enjoy the work, and I like the high return on my time with no capital investment risk when compared to real estate.

My strategy has always been "Adapt and Thrive!" For me the core to the FIRE / YMOYL / MMM lifestyle has been to find niches that I enjoy and exploit the opportunities. My exact path is not your template for success, but the basic philosophy will carry you far.

Particulars: single gay white male, early 50s, 2016 personal expenses: $22,800; paid off condo in Denver; stash ~$1.2m.

Cheers,
EarthSurfer
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: M0ntana on July 26, 2017, 03:09:50 PM
Hey guys! I'm M0ntana, a 27 year-old lawyer from Montreal, Canada. I was always financially literate but realize after a year post-call that financial independence truly is the most freedom you'll get in this (capitalist) world. I am not looking for ER as I love lawyering, but do wish to get FI so that I can start my own practice and delocate from the big city in a few years.

I currently own an income property that's paying more than half my mortgage, try to save/invest about 50% of my net income every month, and do not own a car (though my partner does). I very recently started a side-gig as a wine writer/blogger and hope this will allow me to develop another revenue stream... Overall I just hope to accumulate enough FU money to be able to live on my own terms, not having to answer to anybody. To dream is the first step, they say, right?

Looking forward to poking your brains, guys. See you 'round!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hayesb26 on July 28, 2017, 11:23:04 AM
Longtime lurker, first time poster.  I'm Brett, a 28 year old CPA living in New York.  Always have been financially literate (hence the CPA) but have been far too lenient with the spending aspects after tracking my purchases for a year.  Was focused on paying off student loans through my early-mid 20s, and now have a positive net worth around 50k (cash/401k/roth IRA).  Looking to cut down unnecessary expenses and start saving approximately 50% of after tax income going forward.

Looking forward to chatting with everyone and continuing to learn!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Oemssi on July 31, 2017, 12:03:22 PM
Hello, just discovered this forum and decided to join. I'm a 30-year-old civil engineer from Tampere, Finland and aiming to retire early. I've always been quite frugal but found room for improvement after discovering the MMM blog.

I have an almost 6-figure portfolio of stocks and one rental property. I recently moved to the city center and got rid of my car, savings rate is in the 60-70% range.

There are some geographical differences that make the journey a bit more challenging here. Compared to the US and most of the western world, here in Finland salaries are lower, taxes are higher and consumables cost more.

Financial upsides here are universal healthcare and low interest rates, so gotta take advantage of those! And the fact that education is free, so I have a Master's degree and never had any student loan.

See ya around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: noplaceliketheroad on August 01, 2017, 12:01:11 PM
Hello mustachians!

I just discovered the mustache life a couple months ago...and DH and I are trying our best to live it while on a unique career path. We're both filmmakers from Los Angeles, but we recently relocated to the east coast for 6 months as DH has a gig out here. I don't know where we'll be next year. Would love to hear any recommendations from people who travel often and last minute for work!

Thanks all!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Snow on August 02, 2017, 05:01:50 AM
Hi all!

I just rediscovered the MMM blog a few weeks ago, and feel like an idiot for not absorbing all the wisdom earlier. I live in Norway (hence the snow reference) with my Mr. Snow in a roomy but sensible flat. I just started my 4 year phd (something you get paid for over here), which is absolutely terrifying.

When I graduated with a MSc in 2014 Norway just nose-dived into an oil crisis, meaning many people with similar skill sets to my own got unemployed and on the market, leaving a recent grad like me pretty helpless. I scraped by as best I could and slowly but surely managed to get my head above water (which is why 4 years of stability is an absolute luxury). Vowing never to return to such a state of utter helplessness, I plan to save at least 50-60% of what I earn and also try to start up a small side venture in order to put my eggs in several baskets, so to speak.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tommo on August 02, 2017, 11:32:56 AM
Hi,

I'm Ray, completely daunted by all this information. Want to retire young/ish like most here, where to start though?

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alexpkeaton on August 03, 2017, 01:31:15 PM
This is my second post, actually, but it seems I should say "hi" here first. I've been lurking on and off ever since MMM's profile in the New Yorker. I've kind of been looking for a new forum/community, as my current "home" forum is slowly dying (prospers.org, if you're curious, membership is restricted so the death is inevitable).

I'm not fully on board with extreme frugality, but I appreciate that this crowd isn't religious about it. Spend money on things that are worth it to you and spare it on things that are not. I want to FIRE, but I also want to live in relative comfort now and in retirement. I also live in Manhattan which isn't exactly cheap, but it's a life choice I'm happy with. Doesn't hurt that my earning potential here is ~3x what it would be in most of the country.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: one piece at a time on August 03, 2017, 03:55:20 PM
Hi Folks,

It seems I was living the MMM lite lifestyle before I found this site but it is certainly validating to see others discuss frugality. Unfortunately I can't share fully in the "muscle over motor" philosophy due to some limits, but the rest of the ideas are scarily shared. I'm still working having recently moved to a lower COL area. Two kids at school, stay at home wife, about 3 years from full FI (excluding mandatory retirement savings) and about 2 years from 40. As an engineer in a low stress role I thing I'll stick with working until the kids leave school. Hobbies include bass, rhythm guitar, gardening and motorcycles. Once I RE I'll be looking to gig more, but sticking to local shows for the moment.

User name is because I got my FI one piece at a time, and it didn't cost me a dime (of delayed gratification).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SOS on August 04, 2017, 06:10:29 PM
Hello Everyone,

I'm Andy from Savannah, GA. and I drive a Ford F-150.

This site is great and I'm glad I found it. Trying to change my ways and get my girlfriend on board.

Andy

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Old Hippie on August 07, 2017, 05:28:58 PM
Hi everyone,

I am 66, FIRE'd at age 52, and just discovered the forum. I live in a suburb of Austin, Tx. and look forward to sharing ideas. I have always been liberal and seem to be more so as I grow older.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: liveitupoutdoors on August 09, 2017, 07:37:24 PM
Greetings, MMM Community! 

I retired a couple years ago (earlier than most people I know, but later than most of you!) because life is short and travelling/mountain biking/rock climbing/hiking was calling me louder and louder with every passing year.  I rediscovered MMM via a friend and thank you all for sharing your insights and experiences for the benefit of all, including me; hopefully I can reciprocate here and there!  It's really nice to know that there's a whole community of like-minded co-conspirators who follow logical and frugal paths to achieve long term goals and overall happiness.  I was fortunate to have been brought up by frugal parents and the lifestyle stuck.  Now that I'm retired with more freedoms than ever, I'm looking forward to continuing to live life to its fullest:  the potential is virtually boundless!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kai on August 11, 2017, 08:39:53 AM
Hi there,

I'm new to forums so I certainly may botch some things here while I figure it out.  :)

Grew up in NE Florida.  Love to bodyboard.  Graduated with a finance degree from UF.  Moved to Kansas City to work in healthcare IT.  First gig was tech writing.  Got married.  Quarter life crisis after 2-3 years in the cubicle.  Could not imagine doing what I was doing for another 30-40 years.  Realizing there wasn't enough time to pursue the things I valued most in life while working 40, 50, 60 hours weeks.  In-laws were in real estate and I figured that was the way.  Quit renting and bought a place that we thought would be highly rentable when we moved out.  Switched to project management to increase income.  Bought another place to rent out a year later.  Already had all our investments in Vanguard index funds.  Friend mentioned MMM.  Binge read the whole thing.  Wife and I started making radical lifestyle changes.  Decreased our spending from 65K to 25K in 2.5 years.  Didn't invest in real estate anymore, socked it all into our Vanguard funds.  Became FI March 2016 just before our 28th birthday.  I left healthcare IT and took a job at a custom furniture shop.  Finally decided to move to the Denver area to be near our best friends.  Here we are.

Really grateful for MMM for reorienting things for us.  Definitely changed our lives.  Look forward to learning here, getting to know some like minded people, and helping anyone the way I've been helped.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: junioroldtimer on August 11, 2017, 10:15:42 AM
Hey guys,

I've just started getting into the FIRE concept and am excited to learn as much as I can. I'm 32 and looking to put a plan together. Really excited in getting to know y'all.

Tom
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NevermindScrooge on August 13, 2017, 01:14:37 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm a thirty-something lab technician from the Netherlands and really bummed out the differences in tax systems between the US and NL. But, as MMM taught us, I try to be ridiculously optimistic; so I'll be happy about the wonderful bike lanes that are being maintained from our tax money.

Meanwhile I'm trying to figure out a way to work The System to my advantage (not much luck yet, it seems I need to get a Master's in Economy, Business, Accounting and Law to make sense of it all) and I try to save about 40% of my income to be Free in about 12 years. That's the optimistic plan. If we do something stupid in the next few years like getting married and throwing a big party at an expensive venue it'll take a few years longer.

Good luck to you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: avocado lime on August 15, 2017, 08:12:38 PM
Hello!

I've been reading the blog and checking out the forum since my early 20s and I'm now in my late 20s. Finally ready to start taking my finances more seriously especially since I've had my first "I hate my job" experience. Looking to be FI within the next decade which will be difficult with my low paying day job but I'm obsessed with real estate and am under contract to purchase my first rental property!

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lazylonewolf on August 16, 2017, 06:25:07 AM
Hiya, Lazylonewolf here!

Single, 25, and living in the Philippines. Have a small amount of savings (20%/80% bonds and stock index funds in COL Financial), but no debt thankfully, although still living with parents. I have a lil webcomic site that earns me a bit, but planning to raise it further, if possible. I thought I was frugal (and saved at least 10% while I was working), but I'm glad I stumbled upon this website this early in life! Totally changed my life, and now a practicing Stoic (and Mustachian) to boot!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: A. Wilk on August 17, 2017, 07:18:05 AM
Low income earner here!

Just found out about MMM April 2017.
I'm 29, housewife, with a 16 month old baby girl.

Husband is also 29, a first class active duty military with 9 years left, non-mustachian, but is on board with FI.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: simone on August 17, 2017, 01:40:43 PM
Hi,
Simone here:

My plan is to move back to my country (Italy) and do a side gig around my kitchen related hobby, while being part time involved in flipping houses.

Comments?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jeferson on August 18, 2017, 04:18:46 PM
Hi,

I am Michael, but my friends call me Jeferson (my old nickname), I come from Czech republic which is a small country in the hear of Europe. I am interested in forex trading to which I have dedicated over 2 years so far
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: IsaacEmbley on August 22, 2017, 04:57:04 AM
Hi Everyone, I 'm IsaacEmbley.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fdsafasdfsadf on August 22, 2017, 10:04:48 AM
Poz here from the great white north (Ontario, Canada).  At the age of 36 I finally eliminated all debt and reached $0, starting the climb towards FI
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BigMoneyJim on August 22, 2017, 10:30:16 PM
Hi, I'm Jim. I'm 47, no debt except the mortgage, maxed my 401(k) most of the time since age 21, and I'm getting laid off with a severance at the end of the month.

In 1997 or 1998 (age 27 or 28) I noticed that I kept getting raises but had less money to spend, and I knew something was wrong. I read a couple of personal finance books and started improving my finances a little.

In 2000 I quit my job for a startup company with stock options and quit that, disillusioned, a weeks before it folded. I took some time off because I had some cash, even though I had a lot of consumer debt. I foolishly didn't cut my spending. Then the IT industry crashed, and I couldn't find IT work.

Somewhere in there I did some more financial reading and learned of the concept of early retirement. Where do I sign up? So then I got serious about saving and managing money.

In 2001 I worked a non-IT job to tread water for 5 months, then got a shaky but interesting IT gig, then moved to another state to rehire with the company I had quit in 2000.

At my worst point I had $20k in high-APR credit card debt and $10k left on a truck loan. I was able to sell the truck for the amount of the loan and bought a cheaper car from a relative who let me pay it out. I was also able to consolidate the credit card debt with a relative's lower-APR offer. I paid everything off by June 2004 and was debt-free for the first time in my adult life.

I have continued to contribute to a 401(k) at varying levels, and that plus compound interest has me passing milestone after savings milestone.

In 2005 I volunteer-migrated Early Retirement Forum from YaBB to the better-performing SMF (the 1.0 version of this forum's software), helped them move servers, and when it sold in 2007 I helped again with the move to the new owner's servers. So maybe some of y'all know me from there.

In 2006 I quit again to move back near family since I had no kids but was rapidly acquiring niece and nephews. I dawdled a few too many months and made a little debt but paid it off quickly after getting a job again.

Things kept getting better financially, and retiring by 55 (2025) seemed not too unlikely, and if the market did really well maybe a little earlier.

But now I'm getting laid off, and I'm reassessing the situation. I could probably quit saving, work to cover expenses and still retire by 55. So instead of pounding the pavement for another job, I'm going to go on a long road trip to detox, and I'm going to see if I can find ways to make at least enough money to cover expenses while being able to work from home or the road on my own schedule.

I'm here because Nords likes this forum, and because some of my revenue possibilities include personal finance blogging and/or offering IT consulting or services to bloggers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on August 23, 2017, 06:59:47 AM
Interesting story!  I hope you start a journal here so that we can follow along as you detox and construct some side gigs to keep some income coming in...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LaMoustacheFrancaise on August 24, 2017, 01:43:47 AM
An introduction to a French Mustachian
Good morning my fellow Mustachians,
Introducing myself : My name is Greg and I live in the upper north of France. Let my briefly talk about myself. I will skip what my life was before I discovered the website 2 years ago. It was that time in my life when I wanted to be more responsible, get my life together and to start making a positive impact on others and myself. So I slowly start applying some recommendations and advices I found online : Exercising, meditating, cutting some of my useless habit of consuming and mastering English.
I think I have been quite successful in doing so. I have now grown up, graduated from high school and I am entering my adult life ( by the way I am 20 now ) .
Why I join the forum :
I decided to become a member of the forum to be more involved in the community and also helping others like people here did by giving me good life advices.
Having now a job, I will also pay taxes starting this year and saving money in a bank account. My huge problem is that our social system is far different from the US one. I am lucky to enjoy free healthcare,free education and I have almost free access to public transport but I know nothing about investing and enjoying early retirement at an early age in France.
My objectives :
1 _ Getting to know the community and learning more
2 _ Being involved in projects, topics
3_ Connecting to other French members and learning from them about the French economic system.
Future projects :
I was shocked when I checked the Google Analytics of the MMM website that only around 5000 people in France where viewing the website each month. I would love if I have later the permission to translate in French articles from the MMM website to share them to the French market and creating a Facebook community for meetings, events and informations.
I am really glad to join the forum and I hope to learn more about you !
See you online !


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: simone on August 24, 2017, 05:41:14 AM
I was shocked when I checked the Google Analytics of the MMM website that only around 5000 people in France where viewing the website each month. I would love if I have later the permission to translate in French articles from the MMM website to share them to the French market and creating a Facebook community for meetings, events and informations.
I am really glad to join the forum and I hope to learn more about you !
See you online !

welcome! (from an as well recent member of the forum)

Google Analytics: Italy is not even on the list :(
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TominKY on August 24, 2017, 08:38:13 AM
Howdy, my name is Tom, I live in the bluegrass state, and I joined this form mainly on behalf of my father, who was very smart with his money and retired 23 years ago.  I will be posting a question about his portfolio balance in another forum.  I will probably put some posts up pertaining to my personal financial situation later after I help him out with his situation, as I could use some improvement on my end.  My wife and I are both early 50's with two teenage daughters, so the big life expenses will be coming at us soon. 

Looks like a lot of good info on this site!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bmelissa545 on August 25, 2017, 01:23:42 PM
Hey I'm Brooke!

I just graduated a few years ago and I've finally started my journey to getting financially fit. I have student loans  and live in an expensive city, but that won't stop me!

:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AniMaL11 on August 26, 2017, 05:25:44 PM
Hello,

Been a long time browser, but  never registered. Figured I would join the fun.

No debt other than my house. In my 40's and would love to pay it off. I keep getting tempted to purchase a bigger house for me and my kids.  I am hoping I can fight that urge or at least find something that that makes better sense.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: oakvilleman on August 27, 2017, 11:33:56 AM
Hi Everyone,

I'm Lee. I'm married, no kids, a niece and nephew I would like to support with their education and putting them on track to FI.

I live in Oakville a suburb in the west end of Toronto, Canada.  I'd like to retire in Oakville but it is one of the most expensive cities in Canada, especially for real estate, so figuring out how to be FIRE in an expensive city is one of the main things I'd like learn from MMM Forum.

I found Mr. Money Mustache via Tim Ferriss' podcast. Since then I've consumed the blog and forum. FI was not new to me as I'd read "Your Money Or Your Life" years ago, but MMM re-kindled my interest in retiring before I turn 50.

After doing some calculation using MMM retirement calculators and meeting with my financial advisor, I'm FI!

We set our projected yearly expenses pretty low (40K) so I'd like to earn more money so we could spend more per year.

Look forward to joining the MMM community and share and learn with all of you!

Lee
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nords on August 27, 2017, 01:29:12 PM
I'm here because Nords likes this forum, and because some of my revenue possibilities include personal finance blogging and/or offering IT consulting or services to bloggers.
Welcome, Jim, good to see you here!

You and the admin of this forum, Kevin Clack, might want to have a chat about website operations and consulting...
https://www.clackapedia.com/about-me/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: honeyfill on August 28, 2017, 09:12:19 AM
Hi all,
I'm Chris. I'm 60 and my DW is 58. We are finally  getting close to  retiring.  I've lived kind of a frugal lite lifestyle, used cars, no fancy vacations etc, but I have always maxed out my 401ks.  I never really thought much about retirement but earlier this year I started checking out some of the retirement calculators such as FireCalc and realized  we no longer needed to work.  However, in July we decided to take my 86 and 91 year old in laws as they can no longer live by themselves.   Right now we are still adjusting to that financially,  paying off a few debts  arranging health care, etc.  We have decided to retire sometime next year, probably between March and  July. I am devouring all the forum posts on preparing for retirement and hope to be able to contribute some posts as well.


(https://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/4;10747;405/st/20180714/e/Retirement/dt/-3/k/f1e5/event.png)
 (https://www.TickerFactory.com/)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bobbywatson on August 30, 2017, 05:29:01 PM
Hello everyone,

I'm bobbywatson, from Canada. I currently live in the middle of nowhere in the "belle province", but plan to move to the Gatineau/Ottawa area soon. I'm currently unemployed.

I am an SAP ABAP Developer, and have been for the past ten years. I'm not a fan, but it pays pretty well, which is why I will stick with it until I can retire. (I'm open to contract work, if anyone in the Ottawa area is looking for an experienced ABAP developer).

My plan is, once I have a new job, to live as frugally as I can and retire in 7 to 8 years. I am still in the process of assessing what my net worth is. One big issue right now is that the real estate market in my area is deader than dead, so I will probably have to keep paying for my mortgage here for the foreseeable future.

My cost of living is already pretty low (I estimate around 25k/year). I am new to investing, but I am looking forward to learning more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gargagnam on August 31, 2017, 08:06:01 AM
Hi all,
gargagnam here, writing from Italy.

In my early thirties, married, two kids, out of debt (expect a small residual mortgage that I'm able to repay but at 0,30% my money is better invested elsewer)

I wonder, is there any other Italian reader here? Maybe even someone already retired?

I'd like to discuss with someone else the peculiarities of Italy and how they affect saving and retirement (more taxes but public health and pension System)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: klight753 on September 02, 2017, 07:56:08 AM
Hello All,

I'm Kelly.  29 year old single male.  I have an average income but very low cost of living at the moment with two roommates providing income to cover my mortgage payment.  Only been focused on FIRE for the last few months but have always been an investor and have never taken on any debt outside of a mortgage.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: onewayfamily on September 02, 2017, 01:18:20 PM
I wonder, is there any other Italian reader here?

Welcome gargagnam!

And yes, I've seen quite a few Italians around here. Whether there's any that have FIRE'd already I'm not sure - you can probably do a few searches and find out.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gargagnam on September 03, 2017, 02:18:32 AM
Welcome gargagnam!

And yes, I've seen quite a few Italians around here. Whether there's any that have FIRE'd already I'm not sure - you can probably do a few searches and find out.

Thanks!

Can you point me to someone? With a simple search for Italy I only found Simone, the overwhelming rest of discussions were about people planning to visit Italy:)


Ps: nice blog... but you didn't visit Italy yet?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ze Stash on September 05, 2017, 09:36:28 AM
Hallo everyone,

long time lurker here. I'm a 25 year old german male currently writing my master thesis and very much looking forward to seeing Ze Stash grow more quickly once I enter the working world. I study in the Netherlands and due to help of my parents and low education costs in Europe I'll finish my studies with no debt and roughly 10k € invested in low cost index funds and some individual stocks that I can't bring myself to sell. This could have been significantly more, but I only got serious about saving/investing 1 1/2 years ago and prior to that spent every € coming in.

I tend to overthink things, annoy my GF of 6 years greatly with my new frugal ways and still struggle to find a balance between being smart about unnecessary expenses and being stingy. Some of the advice directed at the US might not apply in Germany but most of the gerneral concepts still hold and I'm looking forward to talking to like-minded people and sharing in the collective wisdom of this great forum.

Ze Stash
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on September 05, 2017, 12:06:04 PM
Hallo everyone,

long time lurker here. I'm a 25 year old german male currently writing my master thesis and very much looking forward to seeing Ze Stash grow more quickly once I enter the working world. I study in the Netherlands and due to help of my parents and low education costs in Europe I'll finish my studies with no debt and roughly 10k € invested in low cost index funds and some individual stocks that I can't bring myself to sell. This could have been significantly more, but I only got serious about saving/investing 1 1/2 years ago and prior to that spent every € coming in.

I tend to overthink things, annoy my GF of 6 years greatly with my new frugal ways and still struggle to find a balance between being smart about unnecessary expenses and being stingy. Some of the advice directed at the US might not apply in Germany but most of the gerneral concepts still hold and I'm looking forward to talking to like-minded people and sharing in the collective wisdom of this great forum.

Ze Stash

Welcome!

Just in case you don't know about it, this thread might be useful:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachianism-around-the-web/mustachianism-applied-to-german-way-of-life-deutsche-mmm-ratschlage/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: saguaro on September 05, 2017, 02:44:18 PM
Hello everyone,

I am saguaro and poster of same name over at the Simple Living Forums, where I learned of MMM.  Have been lurking here for a while and decided to finally join the cult, lol.

I am married, live in far northern suburbs of Chicago. I work in IT, DH works in web design.   We discovered the original mustachian tome YMOYL back in the 90's (yep, dating us a bit here) and it was instrumental in getting us out of major cc debt and building savings.  As a result we were able buy a house, build some retirement savings, plus build FU money but we still continue to work as both of us currently are fortunate to have jobs we enjoy at this point in our lives.

Looking forward to posting and sharing within this community!   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: allstarz8 on September 05, 2017, 06:13:05 PM
hi there! i am like three weeks since i first heard about FIRE and i am excited to learn and hopefully turn this into something! im married, my husband and are chefs, and we make pretty nice money, and currently spend most of it eating out in chicago and travelling.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: beachbumwithyarn on September 07, 2017, 09:28:46 AM
Hi, I'm a newbie.  A friend introduced me to all this.  I'm a natural saver but needed a bit of hand holding to get on the right path.  I have no debt besides mortgages, however I have three of them (one is a rental property) and our cost of living is just way too high.  Hope to learn a lot here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Raskolnikov on September 07, 2017, 01:16:52 PM
Hello, new friends!

I've been a MMM reader for a couple of years now, but just decided to join the forum. I'm excited to dive into such a deep knowledge pool.

Quick bio: 41 years old, married, two kids. I'm newly "semi-retired" as of June 1, 2017 and am working part time in a field I love. My wife is still working full time in a field she loves. We are 100% debt free and have been saving religiously since age 23, but most of our assets are in retirement accounts. The only debt we'll ever consider using again is potentially a mortgage if we decide to move out of our rental home.

Areas of interest in this forum are alternative investment ideas, off grid/sustainable living, and teaching financial literacy to children.

Na zdarove!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: iesv on September 08, 2017, 02:13:00 PM
Hi everybody.

My name is Ivan. I started reading this blog like 3 years ago, I guess. I used to live in Seattle for almost 4 years and half working for A*****.com as a software engineer but I quit on July 2017 and had to come back to my hometown. I'm not FI but had enough FU-money to leave.

I decided to quit for several reasons, being the two most important ones that I just had it with work pressure. I was having panic attacks very frequently and, in my lowest point, thought I was going to die of a heart attack. The second one is that my wife was also very unhappy. I also had a $25k pay cut which I'm embarrassed to admit but helped me take the next step :P

Thanks to Mr. Money Mustache's teachings I was able to get my FU-money and also value my family's happiness and my own health enough to put a stop to all of it. I can almost certainly say that I could have died or be in a darker place today if it weren't for a lot of what I learned in this site. I wish I could have discovered it sooner.

So, here I am, in my early 30s. Trying to shed some of the physical, mental, and relationship damage that I brought on myself over the last 4.5 years. I gained around 100 pounds which I'm trying to shed by eating healthier and exercising a bit (almost 20 pounds down in a little over a month). I'm also trying to study and learn new things while I'm on break. Trying to re-adapt to the town I left. Trying to re-connect with my wife and myself.

Thanks for reading!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on September 08, 2017, 02:39:35 PM
Welcome iesv! I am glad you left that toxic environment and are on the road to recovery. Money isn't all there is to life and I am happy for you and your family that you realized it before there was any more harm. Take care!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Meesh on September 08, 2017, 02:52:39 PM
Hey I'm Meesh,

I've known about FI for many years but was never able to make it a priority, though I have lived by many FI ways for years. Now that I feel like we will be able to do it, I've decided to show up on the forum for help and a great community to get it done. Thanks everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: iesv on September 08, 2017, 05:24:28 PM
Thanks for the warm welcome, Thinkum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bald_or_grey on September 09, 2017, 02:03:58 PM
Hi from the wet / sunny / wet UK.

Looking forward to learning a lot

b_or_g

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Hula Hoop on September 10, 2017, 05:22:33 AM
Hello from a large European city.  I'm an American expat with a European husband.  We have 2 bilingual kids and an apartment in the city center.  We're both naturally mustachian and have been living this lifestyle for years - but we'd love to learn more about investing - particularly investing in Europe since we live here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Geophine on September 10, 2017, 08:14:07 AM
Hi Mustachians and Badasses,

I'm a German expat in Beijing. I come from a mustachian heritage (my dad was a mustachian who got 4 kids through private boarding school on a school directors salary) but got a bit astray after I started earning my own money. But since a few months I'm honoring my heritage again :). China is a great place to live on a super low budget once you adjust to the local livestyle (western stuff is of course all imported and heavily laden with "idiot tax").

I joined the forum because I'd like to exchange and share about my process to FIRE. It can be a bit lonely to be a mustachian among all the expats. I would also learn more about investing in Europe, since I plan to repatriate after I achieve financial independence.   

If there are more mustachians in China, I'd love to hear from you!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Le Cycliste on September 10, 2017, 08:29:08 PM
Bonjour à tous,

I'm a 31 yr old from Quebec, Canada. I've been with DW for 7 years now and we have two daughters. We always had a rather frugal lifestyle except for a few less stellar decisions before our first child was born (loaned a 40k car for a while and expensive vacations). I discovered MMM a few months ago while searching for early retirement and it's been a real eye opener. We realized we were much closer to retirement after reading the 4% rule.

DW is onboard with the FIRE plan. Our plan is to achieve FI within 3 years and RE in a lower cost of living area with lots of outdoor activities (cycling, skiing, trekking, etc).

I'm excited to learn more about FIRE, read others' success stories and share our experiences on our journey to FIRE in Canada.

Cheers,
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: yleeinvest on September 12, 2017, 01:02:46 AM
Im 27 and live in Australia. I am very keen in retiring before I am 40. I have approximately 50k USD in school loans. Excited to share my journey with you!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cantwait2521 on September 12, 2017, 09:07:53 AM
Hello, I'm Candis.

Just joined after having found multiple recommendations to your site.  Looking forward to learning from this site and the people here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: IFiRun on September 12, 2017, 10:06:32 AM
I'm Sarah and I FIRE in one week!!!!

I've always lived the frugal lifestyle and now at age 48 feel like I can relax and survive off my net worth ($1.4M) no matter what happens.  This forum rocks!  The community brings together a seemingly rare breed of people that work hard but stay disciplined within their financial lives to achieve freedom from the grind.  I've taken a lot of crap from family and co-workers through the years for my 'cheap' ways: bike commuting, slow and deliberate purchase decisions, minimalistic appearance, and liming resource expenditure. However, those values, calculated risk taking in investing, and a strong work ethic has now led me to peaceful mindset of having enough $$ indefinitely. 

As a single person who is the sole support of 3 kids (DH unexpectedly walked out of our lives 6 years ago), I am living proof that anyone can achieve FI.  THANK YOU MR. MM and the COMMUNITY for all of the support! I am looking forward to being lazy for a while and traveling the globe with my kids. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on September 12, 2017, 12:33:46 PM
Welcome and BIG congratulations IFiRun!! This community is great when the rest of the lemmings look confused and cannot fathom our choices.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: atreechange on September 13, 2017, 03:59:20 AM
Hello all,

My wife and I are 30 and live in Sydney, Australia. We've recently embraced the mustachian/frugal way of living and are looking forward to the journey to FIRE.

As part of the process we are looking to embark on a tree change and move to regional Australia next year where living expenses are much lower.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: robirdus on September 14, 2017, 02:18:46 PM
Hi,
I am robirdus from Central Europe, just over 40, with a family of 4.
I've bumped into mrmoneymustache.com when one of my friend sent me an article - I remember it was "the true cost of commuting". I was thinking what is this crap? And I've put it aside for about a year.
Then, when I was working in Moscow, for four years, mostly without family, I've re-read the article, because for some strange reason I have bookmarked it.
I was hooked and couldn't stop until I've finished all the posts.
I have started with following the expenses, and now I am in full control of my financials. My target is to change my career by (around) 2020, because what I was doing in the past 12 years has started to erode my health. I am an executive manager now and I want to be a LION TAMER!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Clookie on September 15, 2017, 08:19:54 AM
Hello! I'm Claudia and I live in Central Europe. I am married, 1 kid, we have no debt and we are on our path to FI. I read Mr Money Mustache last year and I enjoyed every post, then forgot about everything. We are naturally quite frugal, but some MMM's ideas didn't quite made sense for me. Until now. Now I enjoy riding my kick scooter every working day both to the office and to the court house. At first I was given a few odd looks, since I'm a lawyer and am also known for wearing high heels (I still wear the heels, I simply carry the shoes in my backpack when I am riding the kick scooter). I am looking forward to implementing more of MMM ideas into my life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Remnace on September 15, 2017, 09:10:55 AM
Hey all!

I'm a 23 year old software engineer in Huntsville, Alabama. I graduated with my bachelors in May and discovered MMM shortly after. I'm fairly new to the FIRE scene, but I've always known that working the traditional 40 years didn't appeal to me. Currently I have debt in the form of student loans and a car loan, but I'm not worried because I'll have those paid off within a year (hopefully).

I'm excited to join the community here and look forward to interacting with like minded people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: apkanne on September 15, 2017, 10:47:24 AM
Hi, i'm Anne, 26 years old, from Orlando, FL. I have been lurking for over a year. Finally joined! I am a systems engineer, and I want to get into real estate landlording.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stripeshirt on September 15, 2017, 08:54:38 PM
Hello all! I'm Jared from Austin and Round Rock, TX. Have you ever walked into a room before and everyone looked like you? No, you neither? Well, I imagine that feeling of belonging would be similar to what I felt when I discovered the FI community. I first read Go Curry Cracker in 2015, but didn't give it the time of day until earlier this year. Got hooked on so many awesome people in this community.

My wife and I are 35 with 2 kids and a third on the way. If all goes well, all will be born in February within 7 days of each other. That's the kind of efficiency you'd expect out of an engineer. We're from Michigan and went to UofM, but in Austin since graduation.

I'm here because I love to learn and hope to contribute to this community. We aspire to FI in 10-12 years. Since we learned of FI so late, lifestyle inflation has led us to a pretty high cost of living (relative to some of the FI people I follow). Our friends think we're nuts to say that we're going to retire before our kids graduate high school. I'm OK with that kind of crazy!

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bankrupt on September 17, 2017, 03:47:56 AM
Hi all,

My name is Brody I live in Western Australia I have been a long time lurker finally decided to join the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Padrepapp on September 20, 2017, 02:19:52 AM
Hi,

I'm David, living in Hungary. Just found this great site and forum, and started to lurk around.
Hope to find some good tips for people in Eastern Europe.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anatidae V on September 20, 2017, 04:32:13 AM
Hi all,

My name is Brody I live in Western Australia I have been a long time lurker finally decided to join the forum.
Hi Brody! We have an active Meetup thread if you're interested after you've wandered around the forum a bit :) look for the "Perth Meetup" thread.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: robirdus on September 24, 2017, 01:17:46 AM
Hi,

I'm David, living in Hungary. Just found this great site and forum, and started to lurk around.
Hope to find some good tips for people in Eastern Europe.

Hi David,
Hungary is in Central Europe' don't be pusillanmous :)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe
Welcome my fellow countrymate.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: joepaperstackers on September 26, 2017, 04:34:47 PM
Hey all!

I just wanted to introduce myself now that I've finally officially joined the forums.

My name is Joe and I, along with my buddy Taylor, started a new personal finance blog PaperStackers.com (http://PaperStackers.com).

We've been working to get it off the ground still but hopefully you'll start to see us around more.

If anyone has any tips or advice for a new blogger, I'm all ears!

I look forward to connecting with as many of you as possible!

-Joe
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Soonerado on September 27, 2017, 04:10:32 PM
Hello,
I am Brian from Colorado Springs, Co. Any Mustachians around the Springs?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on September 28, 2017, 04:35:37 AM
Hello,
I am Brian from Colorado Springs, Co. Any Mustachians around the Springs?

Yeah. We do meet ups a few times a year, and we stay in communication in between. Not a huge group, but a pretty consistent one. So far, we've done a BBQ at my house (smoked meat), hanging out at Memorial Park, and hiking in Palmer Park. A couple of us did the Starlight this year too. We have a main thread that is general plans, and then we make a separate thread for each meetup. Jump on in here (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/meetups-and-social-events/colorado-springs-ongoing-meetups-and-adventures/). I'm pretty much the most active on the forums, but the stuff you post does get read.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alena30 on September 29, 2017, 03:38:37 AM
Hi,
everyone,
My name is Alena sedina, I'm a financial advisor at velocity group India. I'm married and have a 5 years old daughter.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ExpatPat on September 29, 2017, 02:49:28 PM

Hi there!

heard the term Money Moustache mentioned here and there but finally stumbled here via search for 'credit utilization'

So, I think I will stick around.

Expat needing to build credit for personal loan to build a house in Mexico.

Of course I happily live a frugal life where most folks love to throw money -clothes entertainment restaurants cars- so that travel and education and adventure are possible.

My man started a small software company in 2004 with all our equity. It's doing well now after scraping by during the recession. Still, we really have no savings or retirement plan or college fund for our teen.

Instead of socking away now that he has a good monthly income, we bought a lot in Mexico and will build when we pay that off (seller financed) in a year or so.
Seems like a good piggy bank. Could take an extra 6mo to save for the build but I reckon with a little effort I can get an affordable loan and get out of a rental sooner.

So begins my journey trying to understand Money. Maybe in 5yrs when the company sells, I will have to understand a lot of money. Maybe.

cheers,
Pat
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheFinancialSquirrel on September 30, 2017, 11:05:38 AM
Hi, We are a couple looking to retire early in India in 2027. A long way off I know. Here to learn more about mustachian principles and figure out how to improve our financial life. Trying to blog our experiences at thefinancialsquirrel.com
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: advanced on September 30, 2017, 02:47:10 PM
Hi guys, my name is Nico, italian, 30, married, sw engineer, living in Barcelona.

I got a bit of good and bad luck with bitcoin, left regular job, trying to build my future.  In the last three years I got a bit addicted to luxury shit and comfy life, and realised that spoiling myself isn't taking me anywhere.  MMM came to rescue at the right timing.

I have the luck of having one of the most incredible examples of frugal life nearby : my dad.

I want to join this community to stop fucking up money and buying stuff, and focus on badassity .

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hal on October 01, 2017, 08:13:45 PM
Hi there! I have lurked on the MMM forums for a while, and I've known about MMM for a few years now. But I have never fully committed to the lifestyle, and I have sometimes let convenience overpower common sense. I hope that by starting to post, I will become more committed -- through the act of writing -- to my long-term financial goals. I have a lot to learn and a lot to optimize in my life, so I am excited.

p.s. my handle (Hal) is a reference to two of my favorite protagonists in literature (from Henry IV and Infinite Jest)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on October 02, 2017, 05:42:27 AM

p.s. my handle (Hal) is a reference to two of my favorite protagonists in literature (from Henry IV and Infinite Jest)

Love that you put where you get your name from. I was thinking 2001 Space Odessey, but that would have been all upper case.

The story of my screen name: I am of Indian origin, but once when I wore a bola tie to work, my boss told me that I could not be a Cowboy and an Indian.

Anyone introducing yourself, let us know where you get your name from.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jordanread on October 02, 2017, 07:38:24 AM

p.s. my handle (Hal) is a reference to two of my favorite protagonists in literature (from Henry IV and Infinite Jest)

Love that you put where you get your name from. I was thinking 2001 Space Odessey, but that would have been all upper case.

The story of my screen name: I am of Indian origin, but once when I wore a bola tie to work, my boss told me that I could not be a Cowboy and an Indian.

Anyone introducing yourself, let us know where you get your name from.

Don't gunk up this thread, though. We have a pretty awesome thread regarding usernames here (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/what's-in-a-name-username-meaning-discussion-thread/).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrenchMoustache on October 02, 2017, 08:10:31 AM
Hello,

FrenchMoustache here (not very original name, but...). 37 from Paris, with a wife and a 6y old kid. Discovered MMM's blog during the summer, binged-read it and start to apply some stuff (was already living frugally anyway)...

Will be happy to exchange with everybody, and most especially with those in France, as the fiscal situation is quite different...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HuggingSkunk on October 05, 2017, 05:07:50 AM
Hi, I'm Helen.
I like to create waves.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fhytrvin on October 06, 2017, 01:16:52 AM
Hello everyone, I am new in here too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on October 06, 2017, 03:15:31 PM
Hi, I'm Helen.
I like to create waves.

From Troy I assume ;-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SubmarineNavigator on October 07, 2017, 04:47:18 PM
Greetings everyone, I am Galen.

I served 20 years in the US Navy. Mostly on subs.

Along the way we owned various Multi-Family-Residences [Triplexes, Four-plexes and a Five-plex] one at each duty station. My wife is very frugal and she managed our properties while I was deployed underwater.

She and I both took courses on budgeting and we both served as budget counselors to help sailors [omg, most sailors have problems with their household budgeting]. She and I also took the free IRS courses to become tax-preparers. There we learned how to itemize our taxes and we developed our tax strategy to allow us to stop paying into Income Taxation. We both prepared tax filings for fellow sailors for 10+ years.

In 2001 I reached 20-years of Active Duty service and I was booted out onto pension due to their High-Year-Tenure policy [I had become too old to continue to serve]. We sold our remaining Triplexes and Four-plexes and we used the cash to buy a homestead in rural Maine. Where we live to this day, we are off-grid organic farmers now.

:)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on October 07, 2017, 05:01:01 PM
Welcome Galen aka SubmarineNavigator! That is a most awesome story! Living the dream it sounds like. Kudos!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FI-in-no-time on October 07, 2017, 09:52:16 PM
Hello everyone,

I'm Scott from Nebraska.  I've been following the MMM blog for about a year now and recently started spending time on this forum.  I retired from the Air Force but not from work.  I'm still doing the 9-5 but I'd like to retire completely in the near future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Weisse_Rose on October 07, 2017, 10:51:43 PM
Hello everyone, just call me Weisse Rose (White Rose). My real name and location are... redacted for what should be fairly obvious reasons.

I only got my first "real" (actually second) career type job in the past few years (I teach at a community college) and I've been pushing a very high savings rate since starting.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: middo on October 08, 2017, 01:19:09 AM
Hi Everyone,

I started reading MMM about April this year and had a bit of a revelation.  I'm nearing 50, married, and our youngest of 3 is about to finish high school.  We have lots of assets, and lots of debt.  We have also had some interesting conversations over the last few weeks.  Looks like some restructuring is on our horizon, and a "save $82,000 in 15 months" challenge for ourselves.

We live in country Western Australia.  Lots of transport costs.  Rethinking so much of our lives....


Cheers
middo.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jack E on October 08, 2017, 03:02:36 PM
Hi, I'm Jack, a mid-30's entrepreneur in Alabama. I've been reading the MMM blog for some time, but this is my first foray into the forums. I look forward to meeting awesome people here, contributing what I can, and continuing to find the inspiration and support to reach FI before 40.

Quick question: Do you know where on the forums I should post a question related to purchasing a car? I can't seem to find a location for discussion of automobiles. Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thinkum on October 08, 2017, 03:31:13 PM
Welcome Jack. You can post a question about an automobile or otherwise in the "Ask a mustachian" section.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jack E on October 08, 2017, 04:13:15 PM
Thanks, Thinkum. Good to be here, and I'll head over to "Ask a Mustachian".
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pecunia on October 08, 2017, 06:41:24 PM
Hi There - I'll tell you right from the get-go - You know pecunia is not my real name.

I used an unusual handle.  It is the root of the word pecuniary.  I figured most of this thing will be about money so I think it is appropriate.  Although, it kind of reminds me of petunia which makes me sound a little fruity.

I have enough saved up to let her go, but I am thinking of waiting until next Summer when I am 62.

I am an engineer that has been working in all parts of the US.  Right now I am working on small construction jobs in the electric power industry.  I do not work near my home so I've been living out of a suitcase.  I'm getting tired of it.  I have a lot of dreams / interests that do not relate well to what I am presently doing and wish to pursue these dreams.

I am expecting a lot of good advice on this blog.  I've already seen quite a bit.  It's like borrowing your brains and I thank you for it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: silverlombard on October 08, 2017, 08:22:04 PM
hi, Im Silverlombard
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GotStacheNotCash on October 09, 2017, 07:33:24 AM
Hi all,  I'm GotStacheNotCash and, as the name implies, I have an emergency fund, a few decent if new mindsets on spending, and a lot of debt to deal with.  Hoping to get some advice here on the forums, get my life (read: financial state) to feel less overwhelming, maybe find something I'm passionate about, and definitely some day give back once I'm on the other side of this journey!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FriedaClaxton on October 09, 2017, 11:21:11 AM
Hello!  I am brand new here, and kind of a moron about money. Never had a budget in my life and learning at way too late in life.  I don't like being broke, and I need to nip it in the bud!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MMMApp on October 09, 2017, 02:38:05 PM
Hi,

We're Jon & Helen and we decided to jump into FI after meeting Pete at Camp Mustache 2016 and again in Ecuador at Chautauqua 2016. After great conversations about what we enjoy doing with our time we decided to leave our regular jobs and create the MMM App. Our hope is to grow the Mustachian community by providing a tool for people to connect with each other.

We have two young daughters and have been truly enjoying the time we get to spend with them. We now have the opportunity to volunteer in their classrooms, attend their events, and generally just hang out together. This is quite the change from the 1-2 hour commute we had last year and the feedback from the girls so far is they love having us around more.

One of our favorite articles is http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/10/08/how-to-go-from-middle-class-to-kickass/ (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/10/08/how-to-go-from-middle-class-to-kickass/). We created a spreadsheet from the table in this article and used it as a guide to reduce our spending. Our hope is to turn this into a tool within the app someday to help others following a similar path.

Looking forward to enjoying the journey together,
Jon & Helen

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: keeneye on October 09, 2017, 11:44:49 PM
Hey everybody,

The Mr. Money Mustache blog posts showed up on my radar about 4 years ago at a time when I was just starting my career as a digital product designer and generating income. I put my head down and cleared out my student debt. Now, I'm working remotely and trying to keep my expenses level as I travel.

I admit I haven't focused on my retirement much yet but I am glad there is a large body of writing and a community forum that I can look to when I have questions!

Frequently, I am thankful that my dad hired me to reconcile the family's checkbooks when I was in middle school. I became familiar with the numbers and what to expect. It's amazing to think of reconciling checkbooks anymore. A few years later, online banking became a thing.

Looking forward to reading past and future forum discussions!
Best,
Nicki
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EngineeringFI on October 12, 2017, 11:00:38 PM
Hello!

31 year-old electrical engineer here in sunny Tucson, AZ. I have been on the financial independence journey for a few years now, but until now it's just been something I kept to myself. I didn't realize there was a whole online community of people working towards the same future that I want! Finding Mr. Money Mustache's blog was a total epiphany that I'm not totally weird in wanting to walk away from corporate life in my 30s...

I have already paid of all student loans and have no other debt. A little over a year ago I paid off my house, which is a foreclosure I purchased in 2014 and have been slowly fixing up. Now I'm in the phase of putting as much money as I can into investments every month and potentially acquiring some rental properties in the next few years. My goal date for FIRE is in about 5.5 years.

Looking forward to learning a lot of new things and asking the community here a ton of questions!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: teddyjimbo on October 14, 2017, 02:11:48 AM
Hello fellow MMM newbies and veterans

Came across the site and read through some posts and it feels like this would be a great place to understand how smart people make smart decisions about money.  Glad I found this place.

-teddyjimbo
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Say What? on October 14, 2017, 03:00:00 PM
Hi. I'm Say What. I'm not too far out of school and I'm working to figure out what I want to do with my finances and time. I appreciate MMM's viewpoint and desire to continually learn. I hope to learn about different people's strategies and tailor that information to fit my individual situation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: anadyne on October 15, 2017, 09:33:57 AM
Hi there, new member checking in from the Northeast US! I've been single momming it since I was a teen and my main goals were to keep our lives full and interesting, prioritize education, and get my child through college debt free. Recently checked the last box off so in that sense we were a complete success, though I broke the cardinal rule by not investing in my own retirement before funding my child's education. Now I'm cracking into my 40's with no debt, but less investment than I'd like. I've been devouring personal finance blogs and podcasts and I'm really inspired by MMM and this community. Won't be retiring early, but I have a really ideal job and a life that has so much freedom, I feel quite a bit like I'm already living the RE part and just need the FI to catch up with it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on October 15, 2017, 10:10:01 AM
I've been single momming it since I was a teen and my main goals were to keep our lives full and interesting, prioritize education, and get my child through college debt free. Recently checked the last box off so in that sense we were a complete success,

Good job!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FI4PeaceofMind on October 15, 2017, 10:45:05 AM
Hello, all. I want the intellectual and emotional freedom that financial independence would provide. I spend what I earn, for the most part, and I know that if I ever want to retire comfortably I need to plan and prepare, instead of buying convenience every day.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Syd on October 16, 2017, 05:34:40 AM
Hi guys,

French dude living near Paris here!

I've been curious about financial independence for years and discovered MMM 6 months ago. Read stuff, applied stuff, forgot a bit about it, came back... and I'm now ready to go a step further!

I'd love to get help, remarks... my journal is my signature. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: skenney5678 on October 16, 2017, 02:15:12 PM
Hello, I'm Shelby and I'm a mom of two and married to a hunky hunk. We're trying to manage debt while my husband goes back to school full-time and I work full-time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WoodSpinner on October 16, 2017, 02:59:16 PM
Hi,

I have been lurking on MMM for awhile now and have been pretty active on the Bogleheads site. Currently 57 and will be FIREing in December! I have had an amazing learning journey since January when the idea of retiring early first crossed my mind. I have been fortunate to work in a job at a MegaCorp that I love, that has treated me well, and offered me many opportunities to grow and learn. I have always been a saver and have always lived below my means, but never tightened my expenses the way some of the Mustachians here have done. That said, 41 years of savings have accumulated nicely and I decided to retire while my DW and I can still travel, have our health, and enjoy life.

It's a strange time -- excited about the opportunities ahead, sad at what I am leaving behind, and nervous about the unknown. I was pretty adventurous in my youth, spent 10 years, working a year and then traveling a year. but been pretty conservative since then.

Time to bring on the adventure and see what else is out there.

Thanks

WoodSpinner
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FLStache on October 17, 2017, 10:16:12 AM
Hi, new to the forum, but long time practitioner of the tenets in Your Money or Your Life.  Looking to FIRE next year at the age of 50 with the help of a megacorp restructure and a nice severance package.  Now time to fine-tune my FIRE plan.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ms. LLC on October 17, 2017, 05:38:56 PM
Hi Everyone! My name is "Ms. LLC" and I run Lovely Life Cents over at http://lovelylifecents.com/ (http://lovelylifecents.com/). I hope to meet as many as you as I can here! Catch me on Twitter @LovelyLifeCents.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: never give up on October 21, 2017, 06:26:29 AM
Hi, I'm from the UK. I've only discovered MMM in the last few months but have been naturally frugal all my life. I care more about FI than RE and want to put myself in position to be free of a pressurised job environment.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kakanui on October 22, 2017, 01:39:56 AM
Hi Craig from New Zealand. Been checking out MMM every now and then over past few years and always been a big fan of early retirement. My wife and I have been reasonably responsible with our money and not waste too much on things we don't need and have always lived within our means and have avoided frivolous consumer debt.

Became FI  2000 (aged 32) with a small portfolio of rental properties and "semi-retired"- taught part time and did some uni study (for interests sake) for decade or so. Went back to fulltime work in 2011 for a few years but semi-retired again at the end of last year. I am currently working 3 days per week for a local charity & managing my rental properties but next year heading off to a small island in the Pacific to volunteer for 12 months.
 
I consider myself reasonably responsible with my money but there is always room to improve.

Craig
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Llewellyn2006 on October 22, 2017, 03:06:44 AM
I finally managed to get registered after having some problems with the registration process and only being able to lurk in the meantime. Anyway that's all sorted now and now I can post to some of the wonderful threads I've been reading. Lots of very knowledgeable people on here with oceans of knowledge. Who needs a financial adviser!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CashFlowCrusher on October 24, 2017, 05:05:18 PM
Howdy everyone! Mr. Crush here from CashFlowCrusher.com (http://CashFlowCrusher.com). I just started getting serious about my blog again and some of my personal finance pals recommended I check out the forums. I love what I've seen so far and I hope to start contributing more. Let's "CRUSH" it!!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Allie01 on October 25, 2017, 05:38:51 AM
Hi All,

I have been a mustachian and have been living frugally for a while now. I am an expat based in Shanghai and enjoying the opportunities for travel and exploring the culture here, as well as the lower cost of living. Anyone else in Shanghai or China on these forums? I would love to connect and discuss FI and mustachianism.

Cheers,
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cragon14 on October 25, 2017, 06:58:03 AM
Hey all,

I'm 30 with a first baby on the way. My wife and I are natural savers but we've incurred a good deal of life style creep as our work situations have improved throughout the years. I've been reading the MMM blog for over a year now and have embraced the change in thinking, however, I haven't quite bought in yet with my actions.

Recently saw there a forum here and realized you have a great community of similar individuals as myself. Hoping to be able to continue learning from you all and try to give back myself by contributing in any positive ways I can think of.

Clinton
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeriwalters on October 26, 2017, 03:30:16 AM
Hi I am new Here, by the way I'm Jeri Walters (https://www.google.co.uk)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: loreley0628 on October 26, 2017, 04:10:32 AM
Hi there. 28 yo Dutchie here. I recently started looking into financial topics such as retirement, got a big fat shock when the government kindly informed me that my full retirement age is going to be approximately 70,6 years, then decided to turn my life around completely. Found MMM through a friend :)

I've always been relatively responsible with money. Never spent outside my means, and no debt besides a mortgage (bought my house when it was extremely cheap and interest was low, lucky me). But I also never seriously considered saving money. I love my job, but I'd love it even more if it wasn't absolutely necessary for survival. Now I just want to accumulate fu-money and make sure I do not have to work til that dreaded age of 70,6 (or 67, or 60, or heck, 50).

I'll probably mostly lurk and soak up all your knowledge!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Captain DIY on October 26, 2017, 09:39:03 AM
Hi, Double Junior Mustache Captain DIY here. I am an electrician who dabbles in other, slightly less harmful vocational activities around the house including knife juggling and raising chickens and children, in that order. I write a blog about DIY and the money saving potential found therein at diytofi.blog (http://diytofi.blog). I'm on my way to going Full Mustachian, working my way through the posts one at a time. I'm currently up into 2012. I've been slightly mustachios all my life without realizing it, as my father is an old hippie build-your-own-barn-with-some-leftover-utility-poles and live-on-less-than-$10k type of guy. I'm excited to grow my follicles beyond the skin level by dipping into the forum world!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ms.BecomingFI on October 27, 2017, 08:40:18 AM
Hello! 

New to the MMM forums but long time reader of the blog.  In Northern Virginia area, engineer, 34, female. 

I have always lived pretty frugally even before discovering FI was a thing.  I have tended to take sabbaticals from work every couple years (unfortunately delaying FI before I found MMM and knew what FI was and that it was even possible!)  But well on my way to FI and can't wait!  I mean, CAN'T WAIT!  Looking for motivation to keep in the workforce and saving these last few years of the pursuit! =)  Anyone else struggling with the last few years and can offer some advice?

Also have attended a couple of the local NoVA meetups and love to hear from like minded people in the area.  Say hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KTG on October 27, 2017, 11:03:55 AM
Hi, been a lurker on here for a year or so, and are amazed daily with the interesting things I read in this forum. Thought I would finally contribute.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 99to1percent on October 27, 2017, 04:58:31 PM
Hi guys,

We have been a fan of MMM for some time now and we have finally started our own blog [MOD EDIT: Spam Link Removed.]  to talk about our journey to FIRE and give some tips along the way. 

We had poor, humble beginnings as broke, new immigrants to US and Canada. We put ourselves through school, worked 2-3 jobs at the same time, barely had food to eat, lived in not so safe neighborhood surrounded by alcoholics, gang members, gamblers, prostitutes, drug dealers/users,…

But we were able to overcome the challenges, graduate college, and get good jobs and were able to increase our annual Income from $0 to $160K to $400K+ and on track to doubling it in the next 5 years which will allow us to achieve FI and FF very early and pursue some of our passions such as opening some type of school for kids especially underprivileged kids.

Looking forward to interacting with y'all.  Thanks
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CryptoDoop on October 28, 2017, 04:35:22 AM
Hi i'm Thomas and i play around with Bitcoins
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mrs Hen on October 28, 2017, 05:06:05 AM
Hi, I'm Caroline.

I'm 47 years old and living and working in the South East of England.  Hoping to make that just living in the South East as soon as I can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: unexpected_mustache on October 28, 2017, 08:37:37 PM
Hi everyone,
Canadian here.  Moved from Canada to UK to Australia and now in Singapore. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: E.T. on October 29, 2017, 03:25:11 PM
Hello, I'm E.T.

I always felt like an alien but after reading MMM forums for a while, realized that there are other people like me out there. I am naturally cheap but not advanced in the ways of making my money work for me. I've learned a lot lurking and look forward to contributing.

I just turned 29, I'm married, own a home in a U.S. city, and plan for kids in the future. I hope to be FIRE'd by 40, and then be able to start my own business if I choose to.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Quackersnatched on October 29, 2017, 08:39:51 PM
Hi everyone! I'm Quackersnatched. My favorite TV show is Duck Tales.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LilMissMinimalist on October 29, 2017, 09:18:23 PM
Ahoy!

I'm here because I'm ready to stop treading water and learn some endurance technique. I tell everyone how focused I am on "paying down my debt" but it's been two years and it doesn't seem to have really gone anywhere. I'm not getting any further behind ... but I'm not making much progress either.

I want to leave my job. I want to leave my city. I'm giving myself a year starting November 1. I put together a financial plan, and if I can stick to it I will be debt-free. Sometimes worry I cling to my debt because it gives me an excuse to avoid the uncertainty of change. This will be as much an emotional journey as a financial one.

Hoping participating in this forum will keep me on task. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Acolli11 on October 29, 2017, 09:40:33 PM
Hi Everyone, my name's Aaron, I'm 21 I actually love my full time job! But the work I do doesn't really pay much, take home around 42000 and debt up to my ears. Hoping I can get someinsight into building a more independent life for my family.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ACyclist on October 30, 2017, 04:17:09 PM
Hello Moustache community.
Recently, I found this community.  It seems very helpful.  I hope I can learn as well as contribute to the cause of greater good.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CardinalHogz on November 02, 2017, 07:42:03 AM
Hi Guys,

Budding Moustachian from London here. Became aware of MMM through his appearance on the Tim Ferris podcast and since then, have read pretty much every article of relevance to me, and "The Magic of Thinking Big" cover to cover.

I've started implementing some of the advice contained in the MMM's posts and the replies already, very early in my journey but keen to contribute where i can. Going to have some big lifestyle changes over the next few years (read: wedding, first kid etc) so keen to understand how others have transitioned through this too and maintained their FIRE-type aspirations.

Nice to be part of such a positive community - drop me a message if you think we can help each other!

Cheers,

CardinalHogz
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: diapasoun on November 03, 2017, 02:19:02 PM
I'm diapasoun, and have been periodically visiting this site for a while... finally deciding to get really serious about getting myself out of the rat race. I've never been a high spender, but I wouldn't call myself naturally frugal, either; I have a weakness for good food and good books. I'm looking forward to being part of the community here and getting (and hopefully givng!) help.

I'm 31, in a long-term relationship, about at the point where we start talking about marriage; no kids, no current plans for them. I have a PhD and work in tech, and am probably underpaid but that's a fish for a different post. As you can guess from the tech bit, I live in everyone's favorite HCOL area, the SF Bay (blessedly in one of the cheapest parts). I definitely have ambitions of moving elsewhere, just have to figure out the details of that (including that whole "marriage?" question).

Total debt is about $32k in student loans, to be paid off within the next 7 years, and $5k in a car loan (yeah, I know). I also paid off about $8k of credit card debt last year, accumulated from moving and just being a total freaking idiot after leaving grad school for an actual living wage. In total savings, I'm currently at $15k in 401k, $2.8k in HSA, and about $8k in my emergency fund. I plan to be in positive net worth waters by summer 2018. My current SR of net is 31%, and I'm trying to figure out how to get that much, much higher -- at the current rate, I'm on track to retire by the usual age, but I am already Extremely Over the corporate world and want to get myself into a much freer position.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREwalker Fed on November 04, 2017, 12:17:57 PM
Hi...I'm Mike.  Family of four, two dogs, and about 6 years until FI.  Happy to meet everyone, and to be a part of this community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stingrayfunk on November 05, 2017, 05:53:59 AM
Hey Everyone,

It's a pleasure to be here! Lovely to meet you all. :-)

I'm new and I've just posted a topic on Throw Down the Gauntlet:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/reaching-out-to-london-mustachians/

Thanks,
S
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SaucyAussie on November 06, 2017, 07:12:30 AM
Hi All - I'm Robert, 47 years old, 2 kids, divorced.  I got a late start on this caper but I have make up for it the last couple of years and hope to be able to FIRE around 52.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bell on November 06, 2017, 11:33:47 AM
Hey folks. I'm a 28 year old librarian looking to retire before 40 or at least be FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gaurav on November 09, 2017, 09:58:00 AM
Hi Everyone,

My name is Gaurav. I am 34 years old and based out of India. India, traditionally, has been a saving oriented society. With economic liberalization and globalization, consumerism is being heavily promoted in the country.

While I am a junior mustachian, I inherited habit of frugality from my parents. I don't let credit card debt pile up and haven't had a single cent of interest and finance charge ever since I started using credit card. Not many people in India use credit card in the first place. I have some savings (8 months liquidity), some long term investments (mostly Indian equivalent of 401k) equivalent to 12 months liquidity, negligible credit card debt. Elephant in the room is 25 year mortgage which I raised while buying an apartment 2 years back. I have prepaid most of it and the remaining will get over in next 3 years.

I have no car. I commute mostly by budget motorcycle and occasionally by bike. I live 8 miles away from my office. City transport infrastructure in my country is not at par and everyone ends up buying a motorcycle at least (it is very cheap to buy one in India compared to car. You need to fork out $1k for new budget motorcycle whereas a small hatchback car will cost $4k at least. Used cars market is not that common and reliable either.

I love endurance activities (running and hiking) and am a voracious reader. I live uncomplicated and uncluttered life. Interest is to achieve FI and move back to the countryside. Looking forward to contribute on MMM board and join the discussions.

Best regards,
Gaurav
             
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JonEll on November 10, 2017, 04:48:43 PM
Hi everyone-

I am a long-time MMM reader, just recently discovered the power of the forums.

Here to learn, get motivated, and start my path to FIRE. I work in the real estate world.

Looking forward to the discussions!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ChewBarker on November 11, 2017, 06:25:28 PM
Hi there, I'm from New Zealand and have been following MMMs blog for a while but only recently got super motivated to apply the tools of the blog to my life. I intend to retire in 4-5 years. Shame I've started a little late getting out of the consumerism life style. Buying lots of stuff doesn't make me happier. Took me a while to get this simple concept.

I have a few killer bees to kill before they sting me to death. I'm in the lucky position of having a good income of $100k plus a commercial property that provides a passive income of around $75k. I also have $400k in my superfund. I work for Air New Zealand as a Flight Planner and intend to job share 3 days on 6 days off in four years time. In the meantime I'm aggressively destroying the debt I have on our home and commercial property. The biggest light bulb moment for me from the blog is "it's not about the money". For me it's about taking control of my life and creating freedom. Even now in my debt state I feel happier knowing I am taking control of my life. Thanks MMM love you longtime.
Bret
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheWifeHalf on November 11, 2017, 07:42:39 PM
Hi!
I'm 59,  and TheHusbandHalf and I have been married for 37 years and empty nesters for 3-4 years.
I guess we are already  FI, our money makes the same as he makes by working.  He does the same thing I do only on a bigger scale. He sits in front of 6 computers and tells people what to do - I sit in front of one computer at home and tell him what to do!

Yes, he's still working, until all this health care stuff is worked out nationally. He is thinking maybe in less that 3 years he retires.

I was in a car accident 10 years ago, had a closed head injury (coma, rehab patient). Though unless someone is told, it is not obvious I have any problems, but there are little things that we just can not be without guaranteed health insurance.
Why am I here?
I ended up here while doing what I normally do - using this computer to keep my brain stimulated, and decided "I bet there are things to learn here" so here I am!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREbender on November 15, 2017, 06:31:52 AM
Hello everyone!

I found MMM almost one year ago browsing through the internet, and kept reading through all his posts. Since then I've shared with my wife and we are working together to get our net worth from the red and back to black.

Both of us are young and impatient, but working hard to achieve our goals. I've been lurking and learning on these forums for a long while now, but figured it was time to become a part of the community.

I hope to learn and grow along with the rest of you here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Eden on November 15, 2017, 08:24:29 AM
Hi, I'm Eden,

My husband and I just hit FI on May 8th 2017.  Life is good and we really enjoy the MMM blog. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: G-dog on November 15, 2017, 05:43:39 PM
Hi, I'm Eden,

My husband and I just hit FI on May 8th 2017.  Life is good and we really enjoy the MMM blog.

Woohoo!  FI! Love that you have an exact date.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cubert on November 17, 2017, 04:50:06 AM
Hello, I'm Cubert. I live in Minneapolis with my wife and two kids. My goal is to take much of what I've learned from Pete and Mrs. MM to reach an early retirement by age 46. We're using real estate and small business in conjunction with my full time corporate gig to make it happen. Oh yeah, we avoid extravagances too. Honda Fit? Yessiree. Sadly not a stick shift, but I'm not perfect. :-)

Glad to be a part of the forum! Stashes on FIRE!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Greenback Reproduction Specialist on November 17, 2017, 07:18:58 AM
Hi, and welcome cubert!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KathrynM on November 17, 2017, 01:55:24 PM
Hi, I just joined today. I am from Colorado and enjoy skiing, hiking, and just generally being outdoors.....
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jantoven on November 18, 2017, 08:34:59 PM
Hi all!  Been lurking for awhile, decided to finally jump in and start posting.  My wife and I are in a HCOL area, grinding our way towards FI, not sure about FIRE.  Looking forward to contributing to this wonderful forum and learning from y'all.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mrkm on November 19, 2017, 03:49:32 PM
Hello! My name is Mike, and I'm a 30-year-old public high school teacher in the greater Seattle, WA area. My wife (29) and I have a son (18 mo.), a 2-year-old golden retriever, and a 12(ish)-year-old cat. My wife is a novelist and freelance writer. We rent a home with my brother (28), an assembler at an aerospace company. There are many factors at play in our financial decisions, so I've been doing a fair bit of research, and I recently discovered the MMM blog and community. I hope to learn a lot.

FI/RE seems impossible for us right now, but we know that we can turn "impossible" into "unlikely" and "unlikely" into "attainable" with careful planning and decision-making. That's why I'm here!

See you all around the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AFinancialSavvyDoc on November 19, 2017, 07:55:47 PM
Hey there!

New to the forms here.  Names Matt I am a first-year dental student and I am trying to better understand how to run a business before I actually own a business. I am strangely obsessed with being frugal and learning about finances. I want others to have the same information so I started a blog!  I'm excited to be part of this forum to learn and hopefully help others!

I like to ski and scuba dive! I am married and no kids yet!

That's me! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AR on November 20, 2017, 01:13:45 PM
Hey Hey!
I found MMM about a month ago and have been on a bit of a binge reading (almost) all MMM's posts and now into the forums. 

Bullet Point Profile:
-I'm 33yo and just relocated to South Carolina with my wife for her career and to get away from the cold (we're Canadian)
-Based on my reading, i'm pretty certain I am a Mustachian and luckily my wife is pretty darn Mustachian as well...although we didn't know that was a thing until very recently
   
Examples:
 - We own one car that is 16 yo
 - I ride my 20 yo mountain bike as much as I reasonably can
 - Our primary residence for the last 18 months has been a sailboat with the equivalent of about 300sqft of living space
 - Although we love the sailboat, we just bought a fixer upper house within a short bike ride of my wife's work in a great community, with cash
 - Our yearly spending is about 25K
 - We will only buy wine that comes in a box
 - There is currently a piece of tinfoil in our drying rack that has been re-used at least 5 times
 - I do a bit of work from home as a consultant, but left full-time employment 18 months ago

I feel like I've found my people here and just wanted to say Hi!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: G-dog on November 20, 2017, 04:50:33 PM
Hey Hey!
I found MMM about a month ago and have been on a bit of a binge reading (almost) all MMM's posts and now into the forums. 

Bullet Point Profile:
-I'm 33yo and just relocated to South Carolina with my wife for her career and to get away from the cold (we're Canadian)
-Based on my reading, i'm pretty certain I am a Mustachian and luckily my wife is pretty darn Mustachian as well...although we didn't know that was a thing until very recently
   
Examples:
 - We own one car that is 16 yo
 - I ride my 20 yo mountain bike as much as I reasonably can
 - Our primary residence for the last 18 months has been a sailboat with the equivalent of about 300sqft of living space
 - Although we love the sailboat, we just bought a fixer upper house within a short bike ride of my wife's work in a great community, with cash
 - Our yearly spending is about 25K
 - We will only buy wine that comes in a box
 - There is currently a piece of tinfoil in our drying rack that has been re-used at least 5 times
 - I do a bit of work from home as a consultant, but left full-time employment 18 months ago

I feel like I've found my people here and just wanted to say Hi!!

You may want to check out the meetup threads for local informal meeting and more formal camps. Then you can see your people in person!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AR on November 20, 2017, 05:47:04 PM

You may want to check out the meetup threads for local informal meeting and more formal camps. Then you can see your people in person!

Thanks G-dog, I will do that!  Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BookLoverL on November 24, 2017, 12:34:51 PM
Hi everyone! I'm BookLoverL, I'm 24, and I live in England.
I first discovered MMM about two years ago and have been lurking since, but decided to finally make an account. Originally, I planned to do the recommended route of get a job, save money for 10 years, and then retire, but then I realised that I hate office jobs so much that even 2 years as an employee would be too long. Therefore, I'm currently living off the savings I had left from my university student loan (the year I graduated means that paying it back is basically set up more like a tax, so if I'm not earning, I don't have to pay anything) combined with some leftover money from a grant I got when I tried teacher training (also not for me, it turns out), while setting myself up as a freelancer/entrepreneur.
If I'm setting my own hours and doing my own work, I've achieved half of the things I wanted to retire early because of anyway. I'm still definitely very much into frugality and against needless consumerism. I'm not earning much yet, but I'm sure that I will be soon. I really don't want to go back to the mind-numbing tedium and conformity of office work, so I've got the motivation.
I'm looking forward to participating more actively in the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anatidae V on November 25, 2017, 03:32:15 AM
Hi everyone! I'm Quackersnatched. My favorite TV show is Duck Tales.
I've got the theme song stuck in my head now! Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoneyMouse on November 28, 2017, 01:25:49 PM
Hello, everyone!

I'm MoneyMouse, from Alberta, Canada.
I discovered Mr. Money Mustache about two or three years ago, but haven't been thinking about it a lot until recently.
I'm still young in my working career (3 years out of University, but fortunately working in my field for now), but have no debt and am definitely a "dragon" with my money - I like to sit on a big pile of coins. But I need to invest this pile of coins for sure, and I'm resolving to make that my first step followed by trying to embrace more Mustachianism in my spending to boost my currently 8-10% savings rate as high as I can.

I already live within walking distance of work and my gym, and only use my car 2-3x a week for trips to my long-time karate club in a neighboring city (30 mins away in an ittybitty used Honda Fit).

I'm a little scared because my current job situation is very tight and I may not have a job for much longer at the time of writing, but I also know I'm in enough financial security right now that I don't need to throw myself into another job right away. My biggest worry right now in following Mustachianism is that both my partner and I earn less than $50,000 a year (each), and being in public and pseudo-public organizations, we're not likely to get a raise anytime soon. But for now, I can certainly work on cutting down my spending a ton.

Thanks, guys, and I'm looking forward to learning and adventuring alongside you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: desertkender on November 28, 2017, 05:21:46 PM
Hi, I'm Desertkender. I'm 24, live in Vegas, and studying to be a highschool science teacher. I love nature and like to draw fauna and flora. They make very pretty Christmas cards and calendars.

The goal is to be financially independent by 40 so I can dedicate the rest of my life to helping people fall in love with, protect, and preserve wilderness.

I'm here so that I can learn how to beat my debt down and make my 'stache grow quicker!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsBFI on November 28, 2017, 05:56:23 PM
Hey Everyone!

I'm a 20 something that recently graduated college and came to the realization that I'm not cut out for the rat race. My S/O and I are doing what we can to try and become FI as quickly as possible (at this rate, looks like that should be in my 30's for me, and a little later for him). We currently are house hacking our first property and are paying down debt as quickly as we can.

We are chronicling our journey if you would ever want to follow along (this includes the newest adventure of planning a wedding without going into debt!)
Look forward to becoming a part of this community and learning as well as hopefully passing on some knowledge as well!

www.befindependent.com/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: waffles on December 02, 2017, 11:18:22 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm 51, and became eligible to retire just over a year ago. I had been told early in my career to put money into the retirement fund (TSP), be sure to get full matching, and leave it alone and let it grow. So I did.

Upon realizing I was eligible to retire, I suddenly realized I didn't know how to use all that money I had barely looked at in my retirement fund. So I turned to some internet research and found this site. I really wish I had found it earlier in my career but I am glad to have found it now! I have been reading here and jcollinsnh and feel like I have a better idea of how FI works.

Despite paying very little attention to my TSP I've done okay. Since I wan't looking at it in 2008 I didn't panic and left my stock investments alone, and continued putting money into stock funds.

So now I am looking at retirement affordability, and y'all are going to laugh at me and my fears. Because our accounts have gone up so much in this amazing bull market, it feels like pretend money, not quite real. Like vapor. So if DH and I retired now, a thumbnail of our finances would be:

My retirement:  70,000/yr
DH retirement:  30,000/yr
Total in retirement funds and taxable account: 2 MM
No kids, no debt beyond a small mortgage

And I am terrified of a giant market crash...yes, I've read about the 4% SWR and still am afraid the recent large increases in our accounts will melt away like snow in summer and leave us without enough to weather medical/inflation/emergencies ahead. I have mandatory retirement in just under five years from my current job but I am burned out NOW and am trying to figure out how much longer to stay. I swing between "we only get one life and we should have enough" and "a responsible adult would keep working to maximize retirement in 5 years, and age 56 is still earlier retirement than many".

Just typing this has actually helped organize my thoughts a bit. I am finding leaving my steady paycheck frightening and staying for now is safer but at the same time I would love to leave my stressful job and do my own thing. The pre-FIRE checklist on this site is very useful, and I am starting to do the steps there so I will be ready. Whenever that is.

If I'd found this site earlier in my career I'd be even better off! I grew up in a family that never discussed money and really have only been better educating myself about finances for the last few months.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mid-atlantic minimalist on December 03, 2017, 07:11:07 AM
Hello! My adorable dog and I live in the Washington, D.C., area. I found myself struggling with health crises for him and my other now-deceased dog this year, and these experiences inspired me to look more carefully at my habits to ensure I am prepare for the next emergency. I'm grateful to have found this resource. Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EarlyInJourney on December 04, 2017, 04:16:59 PM
Hi all,

After learning about FI/RE earlier this year and doing lots of reading and lurking on the MMM site and this forum, I want to get a bit more involved and (hopefully) make myself a bit more accountable re: goals.  As my profile name would suggest, even though I'm 40 years old, I'm not very far along on this path.  I have certainly not been frugal or very smart with money, and my current finances/net worth bear this out:

Not so hot:
- Student loan debt  61K
- Credit cards     11K
- Car lease remaining  5K

On the positive side:
+ HSA  7K
+ 457B  3K
+ Cash  4K

So yeah, not great.  But there are 3 things that make me feel much better about my financial situation:

- My partner and I are earning and saving -significantly- more now than we had been, due to new, much better paying jobs in a new state.  Over 200K/yr joint income, currently saving 50-60% of net.
 
- I'm vested in one state pension (this one very solid), which will/should pay 2K/mo starting at age 65.  I'm 3 years away from vesting in my current state's pension (this one a bit less solid), which should/will pay $3200/mo IF I work here until age 60 or $4900/mo if I make it to age 65.

- Assuming Congress doesn't mess with it in the meantime, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program should wipe out a big chunk of my student debt in 4 years - about 50K!

I'm much more about FI than RE, since I actually like my job and the thought of working for another 20-25 years doesn't make me cringe.

Thanks for all the insights and advice y'all have shared,
EarlyInJourney
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Northaholic on December 06, 2017, 05:52:18 AM
Yellow,

I am also a Mike. There are many like me, but I am my own. I currently live in North Western Minnesota. I have been try to read and get into the amazing world of money mustaches for about half a year. I am 25 now and time marches on, so there is no better time to start grooming my mustache a.s.a.p.

It seems that I am very similar to a lot of other people on here it seems. I enjoy creating things, writing, cooking, and trying to find any way to get ahead.  I live in a very ahh... unmustachian environment. The NW MN is a literal frozen tundra 1/3 of the year with punishing temps of (60 below to 10 above) and long commutes (30+ miles) to a work place are normal. You have to be a gluten for punishment to live here, my Centralized Canadian neighbors have my condolences as well.

I am not sitting to terrible financially, but it will be an uphill battle for a while. The biggest downfall I am seeing so far is loans. Specially my car loan as I had a run of bad luck with vehicles having fatal issues 1-2 years into owning them, just when I paid them off....

Where I live, unless you are very lucky, everyone needs a vehicle for at least 1/3-1/2 of the year. So I buckled down and got a new basic Subaru Impreza. Amazing on snow and ice, and on the gas. My average daily commute is about 40-60 miles.

Debit:
Student Loan -18k
Car -18k
Bank Loan -2k
Credit Card -1k
Possible house soon -45k

I work 2 jobs with a net income of about 2,000-2,400 a month. I have no issue living cheaply, but it seems like there is a never ending life tax associated with existing. I have come away with a bunch of amazing tips from this site already. But is anyone else in this kind living situation?

Thanks everyone!

Best Regards,
Northaholic
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Darin Shreves on December 06, 2017, 07:55:05 AM
Howdy, all!

I'm Darin, a 33-year-old un-married no-kids lawyer who rents in Kansas City, Missouri.

I learned of the MMM blog a few months ago from a close friend, a tip for which I'll always be grateful. (I wonder if he's also a forum member here?) Discovering MMM was, without exaggeration, a "Eureka!" moment; I was immediately hooked. Since then I've been reading every MMM blog post in chronological order. Thus far I've made it to February 3, 2013, so there's still lots of reading and learning ahead.

I was, in my pre-MMM life, fairly mindful of and careful with my personal finances. A few years ago I read Burton Malkiel's "A Random Walk Down Wall Street" and it was hugely impactful. However, MMM's grander Mustachianism/badassity approach inspired me to do more, particularly since it has the side benefits of promoting human well-being and protecting the natural environment, two causes I care about deeply. I've already implemented some of his techniques (such as buying a hybrid bike and using it to commute to work), but I want to do more, which is why I joined this forum today.

I look forward to swapping ideas with everyone and connecting with fellow Mustachians in the Kansas City metro!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cloudo on December 08, 2017, 10:21:21 AM
Hello everyone, I'm a long time lurker, first time poster.  I work for a medical device company and have a side hustle playing online poker.  I want to achieve FIRE so I can read, learn, write, and play games at my leisure.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pvilla on December 09, 2017, 08:32:11 PM
Dave here. Just paid off debts but refi mortgage close to 3K per month. 61 year old. Spouse younger, needs almost 20 year to retire. 2 children - 15 and 8.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thefrugalhaligonian on December 11, 2017, 05:55:18 AM
Whats up, party people?

I'm Melissa from Nova Scotia! I run a twitter account called Moneyhugger Halifax, and potentially a blog in a near future.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NiteWolf on December 12, 2017, 07:28:19 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm NW and will be moving to Winnipeg from Thailand soon. I'm married with 4 kids.
Title: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: speedofsound on December 15, 2017, 01:59:56 PM
Hello. My name is John and I'm a married, no-kids guy living in the Kansas City area.  I have been working on this plan for a while. I'm a CPA and wife is an accountant. I also play the piano for money sometimes.

HHIA: $135K
Debts: $0
NW: $200K ($100K liquid, $100K invested in retirement accounts).

Monthly Expenses:
$1000 - Rent
$300 - Utilities and Insurance
$30 - cell phone (shared)
$25 - sundries (Netflix, Amazon Prime Student Account)
$250 - one or two dinners out per week.
$50 - gasoline (I live 3 miles from work, wife w/i walking distance)
$200 - groceries

We rent but are thinking of buying a small (800-1000 sf) house with cash.

My biggest struggle: dealing with family who don't get the plan and spend profligately, and pressure me. They tell me I'm not 'living up to my status', etc...I don't ever break, but I can admit to bending (emotionally) in private moments and having frustration. This is the thing I need help with most.
Title: Hello from PA
Post by: t185 on December 18, 2017, 12:15:16 PM
Been a cheap bastard my entire life.
Surprised it took me this long to find this site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Brannen on December 20, 2017, 08:29:46 PM
Hello All,

Currently binge reading the blog and planning a budget for 2018. I live in Georgia and brew beer for a living, good times are cheap and the weather is hot. Any other mustachios in the south that want to meet up and exchange stories and a drink (on me of course).

Currently crushing the last few thousand of student debt and on my way to a promotion and positive net worth!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: froggie on December 21, 2017, 05:03:14 PM
Hiya,
Froggie here.
I am 36, single mom, from greater DC area. Originally from France, moved to the US 15 years ago.
I was just doing my thing and working hard to retire in 6 years. And then, just last week, I got fired (the no-more-job-unexpectedly kind):
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/who-else-got-fired-the-week-before-christmas/

My new free time led me to the MMM forums!

Yay to unplanned "holidays".
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CCHQ on December 23, 2017, 03:31:07 PM
Hey there. I make videos. People even pay me for them.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: montgomery212 on December 24, 2017, 02:25:25 PM
37 yr old, single, female, lawyer, living in DC for almost 3 yrs – in NYC for ~10 yrs before that.  Just started reading here in the last few months and esp. during this Christmas time off, but I’ve always been a live below your means type.

Went to a top law school and the trajectory from there is a big city law firm where you make top dollar (while working 24-7).  You work like that for 8-10 years, and then the firm owners decide whether to make you a fellow owner (partner).  Recession hit when I was a newly minted 2nd year associate and I quickly realized that current partners were freaking out about business falling off and were not even looking to keep associates for 8 yrs, let alone allow any new owners to share a piece of the pie.  So I always thought – this is going to end and then I will be unemployed/searching for a “regular” job so take advantage of the big money now.  But reality is I worked SOOO much, there was no time to spend money anyway though rent etc. in NYC is expensive.

So as expected, I got pushed out in year 8 at age 33, then ended up unemployed for 18 months and then had to move to DC for a government lawyer job, which I hated and still do.  When I first started in the government, I had the view of – I’m not staying, I’m out of here in a year etc. We’re at 2.5 years, and I’m still here.  Reality is, the market in my industry is REALLY tight and given that it took me 18 months to find this job, it’s not like I’m going to find another one anytime soon. 

Plus this job pays well and it’s now occurring to me – I’ve already made it for 2.5 years and at 3 years, there’s another 1% of my 401k (TSP) that is a government match that becomes vested, so why even consider leaving without that.  That 1% will only be ~$5500, but I think 6 more months is worth $5500.

I feel weird posting exact numbers, even though this is an anonymous site.  Maybe I will, as I grow more comfortable here.  But for now:
–   Maxed out my 401k to the IRS max 18k (17k back in the day) since graduation in 2005 (except the 18 months unemployed). 
–   Have only had a match for the last 2.5 yrs in the gov’t though – that (vested) 7% has added up really quick and almost “makes up” for my lack of contribution for the 18 month unemployed stint. 
–   Plus I aim to save at least 33% of my net each year. 
–   Some of that savings is invested in a brokerage account, which now amounts to about ¾ of my 401k balance.  When I was first building up that account when at a higher salary, I used to move a fixed amount to funds/ETFs every month so I had a great build up thru dollar cost averaging over 3-ish years (2011-2013).  In the last 2.5 yrs, I haven’t been doing automatic investment, but still end up putting in a similar amount over the course of the year.  As the market goes higher and higher, I find myself buying the dips more.  I try to be careful not to go too deeply into individual stocks though – right now the balance is 75% S&P or sector ETFs and 25% individual stocks (blue chips/decent dividend payers w div reinvestment).

Goals
-   Get out of this government job, as the unhappiness is sucking the life out of me.  IDK if that involves a move back to NYC (much higher COL) and/or a lower salary and most certainly losing the sweet 7% match.  Just don’t want to be one of those people who stays in the government for job security and one day I realize that 20 yrs of my life went by bc I was too scared to make a move.

-   Corollary to getting out of the job -- do I try to establish a business so I never have a crappy layoff or lousy job situation again? And do I do that now or find a way to stick it out for another 5-10 years at a good lawyer salary and do it then? (I don’t want my own law firm – so no idea what a business would be.)

-   Kick the net worth to the next level to make FIRE even more of a realistic possibility (it’s somewhat realistic now but it matters how I handle the next 10-15 yrs).  IDK what that entails though – a rental property? More stock? I don’t own my own home and family/friends always pressure me about that, but doing the math the return on the S&P since I graduated in 2005 (including the recession) has outpaced the increase in housing value including in NYC and DC.  Plus cash/investments feel more flexible to me.  I’m glad I didn’t move to DC and buy ASAP only to find that I hate this job and then be sort of stuck bc you’d have to sell a home if you found a better job in a better city or even 20 miles away (the commutes here are killer and determine precisely where you live).  Though I do have a goal of buying/paying off an apartment before retirement to eliminate housing costs in retirement.

Would welcome any thoughts. Just reading this thread has been so helpful.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CanuckExpat on December 24, 2017, 02:58:51 PM
37 yr old, single, female, lawyer
...
Would welcome any thoughts. Just reading this thread has been so helpful.

You are Single Female Lawyer (http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Single_Female_Lawyer)?!?! That is awesome.
Futurerama references are thoughts right?

and welcome
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sharkey on December 29, 2017, 07:50:26 AM
Hi!

Yet another overpaid software engineer here. But with a twist: I live in Ireland.

I only really discovered the whole early retirement concept this year.

However, I'm not in too bad shape financially. I've always funded my tax-deferred retirement account, I own a comfortable but not-too-expensive apartment and I can walk everywhere and don't own a car, so my basic living costs are reasonable. I do spend way too much on travel and books, though.

Still, I'm at the point now where I could stop funding my retirement account and just cover living expenses and mortgage - it should grow to be more than sufficient by normal retirement age.
If the market cooperates by being flat or positive, I ought to be able to cover basic living costs from 4% of investments in 2.5 years.
If it continues to cooperate, I ought to be what I'd consider fully FI (including a fully paid off mortgage, keeping it doesn't make sense here) in a little over 4 years, and then I will RE. I have plans to go study afterwards in a new field, education is affordable here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chadbert on December 29, 2017, 09:43:34 AM
Hi, I’m Chad. I’m married with one kid and one on the way. I live in a MCOL area with a frugal wife, so we are on our way. DW is better at saving and not spending and she is teaching me better habits


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hegemony on December 29, 2017, 05:18:15 PM
Hi all - I've been lurking here for awhile, but I think it might be time to wade into the fray.  With the new year coming on quickly, I've been thinking through some financial plans and personal challenges for 2018.

I'm 37 and female, living in Ontario, Canada with my partner of almost three years. 

I work in education in an administrative/faculty support role.  I've been in this job for three years, after leaving a job as a part-time faculty member (reality: full-time work, part-time pay, limited benefits).  I completed a doctorate nearly six years ago after spending a good long time in grad school.  Thanks to a lot of frugal living and taking on a number of different jobs, I graduated with savings instead of loans. 

I've largely kept up the frugal living, despite needing to a buy a car for work and moving to an area with a higher cost of living.  I have a good pension, a solid savings account, and relatively few regular expenses.  But despite having savings and no debts, I still feel behind where I should be/would like to be, particularly in terms of investing.  This is something I hope to work on going forward, along with cutting back some of my miscellaneous spending and making some other health-related changes, and this forum is a great inspiration and resource.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wintergreen78 on December 29, 2017, 06:52:32 PM
Hi,

I’ve been lurking for a while, finally decided to sign up for the forum and join the conversation. I live on the Central Coast of California. I’ve been with my current career for 13 years, and kept my lifestyle inflation fairly well in check. I’ve made a point of directing most of every raise toward savings. About a year ago I set spring of 2018 as a FIRE goal. About 2 months ago I sat down with my boss and picked the end of January as the date.

So, 1 more month! I’m pretty excited.

I had never set an explicit goal to retire early, but around the time I started looking at the numbers seriously, I stumbled across the MMM blog and forum, along with other sources on the web. They were a big help in realizing it was feasible and seeing some of the ways other people had been able to make it happen.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on December 29, 2017, 07:36:00 PM
Hi,

I’ve been lurking for a while, finally decided to sign up for the forum and join the conversation. I live on the Central Coast of California. I’ve been with my current career for 13 years, and kept my lifestyle inflation fairly well in check. I’ve made a point of directing most of every raise toward savings. About a year ago I set spring of 2018 as a FIRE goal. About 2 months ago I sat down with my boss and picked the end of January as the date.

So, 1 more month! I’m pretty excited.

I had never set an explicit goal to retire early, but around the time I started looking at the numbers seriously, I stumbled across the MMM blog and forum, along with other sources on the web. They were a big help in realizing it was feasible and seeing some of the ways other people had been able to make it happen.

Congratulations--that's great news!!!

You may want to join this thread:  https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/2018-fire-cohort/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wintergreen78 on December 29, 2017, 08:27:40 PM
Thanks! Done.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Germanicus on December 30, 2017, 04:42:59 AM
Hi guys,

I'm also new here. I am following mr money mustache for a while now and I have read a lot of his posts but I still need to read many more, but that is no problem since it is a lot of fun!

Also, I'm trying to blog about my own life en personal finance. With this I hope I can help people with some experience of my own.

Btw, I'm Dutch for whoever wants to know :)

nice to meet you all and I hope i can contribute to some discussions.

cheers,
Germanicus
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dlcp on January 02, 2018, 07:49:34 AM
Hello, I've lurked here for a while and finally decided to join the forum. I'm 32, female, married with two children.  I am excited to join in the conversation and learn even more about saving and investing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chloes1 on January 02, 2018, 09:45:15 AM
Hi all,

I'm 49, and a single mother to a 10 yr old.  I live on SSDI and so have a fairly fixed income.

I came here after deciding to get the remnants of my life together.  Since coming here I have paid off all but two recurring bills.  The one credit card will be paid off in two months, and the car loan should be gone in January 2019.

My situation us such that saving any meaningful amounts of money is utterly counter productive... but I can at least learn to live well within my means.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wintergreen78 on January 02, 2018, 09:07:28 PM
Hi all,

I'm 49, and a single mother to a 10 yr old.  I live on SSDI and so have a fairly fixed income.

I came here after deciding to get the remnants of my life together.  Since coming here I have paid off all but two recurring bills.  The one credit card will be paid off in two months, and the car loan should be gone in January 2019.

My situation us such that saving any meaningful amounts of money is utterly counter productive... but I can at least learn to live well within my means.

If you are paying off credit cards, you are getting rid of high interest debt, which is one of the best investments you can make.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CoconutAlligator on January 02, 2018, 09:29:12 PM
Hi Everyone,

I'm a 30 year old single male living in New York. I've always been interested in living more simply but finding this community has been reaffirming in my goals. I went to college, then to graduate school in math and taught throughout my 20's. Luckily I'm not in debt I was only able to save about 30k throughout this time which I regret now and moving to New York has burned through that. I now have a job I want to save as much as a I can to make up for lost time. I'm hoping to learn more from everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TikiTime on January 02, 2018, 09:36:00 PM
Hello y'all, having enjoyed reading the forum for years, decided it was way past time to join in.  Nothing like no more lurking to force yourself into walking the walk.  Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 25andfree on January 03, 2018, 10:40:08 PM
Who is the youngest self-made early retiree, through frugality?
Hey All, I am Michael. I am a 25 year old early retiree with an awesome wife and daughter. I want to find someone my age, maybe on MMM forums?, who has done what I've done at my age. I retired early, FI 2% SWR at the age of 24 with 1,200,000 in net worth. The majority of my net worth came from saving. We lived frugally (my wife, daugther & I) on less than $1500/month. We currently spend about $2500/month before considering things like our House Hack - duplex living and our tiny house we rent out on airbnb. We saved almost all of our salaries and invested that in real-estate, and I renovated the properties (buying them well below market value because they needed work). Anyway, majority of my wealth - say $1,000,000 of it was saved over the last 7 years of hard work. I graduated school debt free etc., and didn't really have a lot of help - I left home at 17. Am I the only one who found guys like early retirement extreme at age 17 and went dead set on retiring early?

I blogged about it on 25andfree.com/about.... where I was trying to find others like me (to create my own cult of sorts) and to help others...anyone know anyone? Am I the youngest? Maybe the youngest in Canada?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TribecksMustache on January 04, 2018, 01:14:01 PM
Hi! I'm TribecksMustache. I'm 24, single, and living the city life in the southeast US.

I'd always planned on retiring "early" (50ish). Imagine my joy at discovering MMM and realizing I could be FIRE much earlier! If I can find a job with a bike/walk commute, I hope to move that number up to 35, but for now my goal is 40.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gavint on January 06, 2018, 08:44:45 AM
Hi, Gavint here. 

I'm a Canadian living in Germany with my wife and four kids.  Life is good, debt free, steadily accumulating wealth on a moderate income, self-employed in a job I love: I play in the dirt and climb trees for a living - my 10 year old self would be proud!

Financial independence is on the (distant) horizon, but there is no hurry - as a self-employed person I already feel like I'm free.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Corone on January 06, 2018, 12:23:10 PM
Hi there!

I've been a hard core Dave Ramsey fan for several years, and following his plan got me from being in debt and being oblivious about my finances in 2014, to having a savings+ investment rate of 31,9% of my net income in 2017.

That savings rate needs to be cranked up a bit, so I came to the MMM blog, and now I'm on the forum too. My goal is to reach FIRE asap, but no later than 2030. I'm male, in my mid thirties, originally from Europe and currently living in the Caribbean. Investment opportunities like mutual funds are limited here, unfortunately.

I look forward to learning a lot on this forum!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: arthanari on January 08, 2018, 12:39:10 PM
Hi,

I am Artha, I found you through some blog. Haven't explored much of this site yet. I read a couple useful articles. I am searching for tips and advice on how i can manage my financials better and learn how to negotiate on financial areas.

I am from Alpharetta, Georgia, so if any one around this area is there here and have any local tips and tricks n how to save and handle financials better please send me a note, i will be very excited to connect with you.

Looking forward to learn and share my experience with this community.

Have a wonderful 2018.

Thanks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Arbitrage on January 09, 2018, 12:59:09 PM
Hello,

Longtime Boglehead, which has been instrumental in putting me into the position where considering early retirement actually is starting to seem real.  Current age is 39, with a 41-yo DW and two young children.  Even though I don't hate my job, every time I have some time off, it reminds me how much I prefer time off to time at work. 

We've always been frugal, and I don't know that DW would be willing to make too many (more) trims to the lifestyle.  Thankfully, our incomes have risen significantly over the past few years, without really increasing our lifestyle, so early retirement is hopefully still in the cards.  I'm going to shoot for age 45.  I think the biggest challenges will be funding college for kids (would like to fund at least 75% of it) and convincing family to move out of HCOLA.  Without that move, I don't think the goal is feasible. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrsW17 on January 09, 2018, 02:35:49 PM
Hi there,

I heard about MMM for the first time through the Tim Ferris podcast a few months ago. It sounded like a nice idea, but not something my husband and I could realistically do.

But, and I’m not sure how this came back up, I stumbled upon the podcast again and gave it another listen.

Now my husband and I have talked about financial independence — and whether it’s something we could realistically achieve — every day for a week.

I started perusing the forums a few days ago, and decided it would be way more fun to jump in and join the conversations!

My husband is a software developer and I’m a self-employed writer and photographer, and we live outside of Nashville. In addition to our “day jobs,” we have plans to launch our first product business this spring — and we’re really excited about it! We’re both entrepreneurs at heart and hoping that business can help us reach our goal of buying a home with cash.

We aren’t sure where exactly we stand as far as our financial independence goes, but we’re 27 and 28 with no debt, a full emergency fund, retirement accounts, and additional savings that are currently earmarked to launch our business in a few months. Not too bad since we just got married last year and paid for all of that in cash!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SpareChangeYourLife on January 09, 2018, 08:09:28 PM
Hello Mustachians,

My wife and I are new here but have been lurking the MMM website for a little over a year now.  We are both teachers who are trying to make the most of our meager incomes and pensions.  While we will probably work until our kids are on their own, we are enjoying preparing for a possibility of FIRE on teacher's salaries.  I was a finance major in college and I also teach personal finance to other teachers, many times directly quoting MMM.  It has been a pleasure to help others along the way.

I am here to learn from and contribute to a community of like-minded people.  I look forward to the ride.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PVkcin on January 10, 2018, 12:35:00 PM
Hey, I'm PV Nick, 34, married with two kids, and planning to FIRE within about 5 years! I hope to join the conversations around here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheBeardedOfficial on January 11, 2018, 03:23:44 PM
Hey all,
Just found the FIRE community over the holidays and my wife and I are very excited.  Long time DR acolytes looking for next steps in our journey after popping out our 3rd kid in 3 years.  Case study to follow in the near-ish future. 

Looking forward to getting punched in the face and moving closer to FIRE together!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bowg on January 11, 2018, 05:23:32 PM
Hey all,

My parents were awesome and raised me Mustachianishly without ever hearing of it. I paid off college through summer jobs, biked to and from work and school in snowy 0 degree weather, hit up the library weekly, had lots of fun and free hobbies like board games and hiking, etc. I lived a while in Guatemala and effortlessly saved over half of my tiny part-time teaching salary. I have fond memories biking home from the market with eight bags of produce (about $15 worth, if even) balanced from my handlebars and spending twelve luxurious hours a day running, biking, cooking, reading, and socializing.

Fast forward four years to my first "real job" and somehow, gradually, I started falling victim to lifestyle creep. A Garmin running watch here, a Vitamix there, driving to work on rainy days, etc. The final wake-up call was spending $25 on a haircut. Eek!

Stumbled back across this awesome website and got inspired. I'm hoping to nip my spendy habits in the bud and rekindle my old Mustachian ways. Hopefully this forum helps and I can find some like-minded people in the Bay Area!!

Cheers,
Ellen
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ulzxhi on January 12, 2018, 09:45:49 AM
Hello! I have been planning to FIRE since before I knew it was a thing, so a coworker introduced me to MMM to give me a leg up. I've been reading MMM's blog since last year but just created my journal today. Glad to meet you all! I'd love to make some friends. Please link to your journal here, drop me a line, leave a comment etc :D

 please clickity for my journal here (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/9829-the-high-to-low-on-stinio-9829/)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Justo on January 12, 2018, 02:02:02 PM
Hello!

My name is Justo, I'm pretty basic, I live in Atlanta, I'm engaged, I love Basketball, I have "side hustles", I work in Corporate America, I am planning for Financial Freedom one day at a time!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Spoon on January 12, 2018, 04:59:53 PM
Hi

I'm Spoon, a 35 year old bloke living Downunder. I'm married with 2 daughters aged 5 and 2. I been lurking on the forum for just over a year and decided that it’s time to get involved.

I'm naturally frugal but had believed the world when they told me I was wrong, and am glad to have found a tribe that challenges conventional wisdom. To anyone reading MMM before starting work, I’m bloody envious.
   
I currently plan to retire when I am 40 but running my own company makes my wage more variable than most. I will probably blow the plan up by building my own house in the next few years and believe this will increase my happiness and quality of life.
     
I enjoy writing (I managed to get some articles published before the birth of my youngest) but find it takes a decent amount of time to craft something that you are prepared to send out into the world. I find it difficult to break from the formal writing rules I learnt and look forward to jamming some swearing into my posts. Fuck. Hopefully in time it will come more naturally! 

Spoon   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: simonkkkkk on January 14, 2018, 11:56:37 AM
Hi

I'm Spoon, a 35 year old bloke living Downunder. I'm married with 2 daughters aged 5 and 2. I been lurking on the forum for just over a year and decided that it’s time to get involved.

I'm naturally frugal but had believed the world when they told me I was wrong, and am glad to have found a tribe that challenges conventional wisdom. To anyone reading MMM before starting work, I’m bloody envious.
   
I currently plan to retire when I am 40 but running my own company makes my wage more variable than most. I will probably blow the plan up by building my own house in the next few years and believe this will increase my happiness and quality of life.
     
I enjoy writing (I managed to get some articles published before the birth of my youngest) but find it takes a decent amount of time to craft something that you are prepared to send out into the world. I find it difficult to break from the formal writing rules I learnt and look forward to jamming some swearing into my posts. Fuck. Hopefully in time it will come more naturally! 

Spoon
(http://goo.gl/gqqjFD)
(https://www.coinexchange.io/?r=6b25e44b)
(https://www.litebit.eu?referrer=253890)
(http://www.dx.com/?Utm_rid=72353221&Utm_source=affiliate)
Nice to meet u!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rogernelson on January 15, 2018, 03:47:53 AM
hi everyone.I'm new to this forum.help me to stay here...thank you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sarganis on January 15, 2018, 11:00:28 AM
Hi there!

I am Yury, 30 years old, living in this big wierd Russia country and drinking no alchohol.

The idea of MMM that ticked with me is that financial freedom through frugality actually makes the world a better place and makes you a better guest on our host planet.

So, I am excited to figure out what of those high-income badass ninja tricks would work for the largest third-world country.

Cheers, comrads!

p.s. sorry in advance for odd English.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ulzxhi on January 17, 2018, 02:12:18 AM
@Sarganis Hi Yury! My elderly Russian teacher has never had a sip of alcohol in her life, so no worries ;D

PS your country has the most beautiful language I've ever studied (and I've studied plenty). It's not my favorite to listen to, but man the semantics is absolutely GORGEOUS. I love how expressive, playful and free your language is. English is so BORING (yet practical), and I often find myself lusting after other languages. Yours has a special place in my dreamy heart.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: letstalkaboutdune on January 17, 2018, 12:16:24 PM
Hi everyone! 31 y/o, married with no kids, just joined the forum after finishing all the MMM posts.

My friend and co-worker turned me on to MMM this past November, which was very timely because at the time I was shopping for my first house. After absorbing the MMM wisdom, I now live within ~3 mi of work (and right next to two nice grocery stores), commute via bike, have majorly cut down on my expenses and increased savings, and am working on retiring in the next 9 years!

Looking forward to interacting with all the lovely Mustachians here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 17, 2018, 06:48:02 PM
Hi everyone! 31 y/o, married with no kids, just joined the forum after finishing all the MMM posts.

My friend and co-worker turned me on to MMM this past November, which was very timely because at the time I was shopping for my first house. After absorbing the MMM wisdom, I now live within ~3 mi of work (and right next to two nice grocery stores), commute via bike, have majorly cut down on my expenses and increased savings, and am working on retiring in the next 9 years!

Looking forward to interacting with all the lovely Mustachians here.

Welcome!  That is a very cool story.  Good for your friend for recommending MMM, and good for you for having an open mind and making some big adjustments!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pab88 on January 17, 2018, 11:02:50 PM
Hi all,

I thought its about time I joined after reading nearly all the blog posts over the summer break.

Long story short I'm a single teacher from Sydney, Australia and have been working since I was 24 (I just turned 29). I relate to MMM's background because it sounds like we had similar vices in our younger days (i.e., cars, namely older, sportier Japanese ones). I also like o/seas travel and have done a number of cycling expeditions overseas, from 1 month to 3-months.

This past year I finally took the plunge and moved out from my parent's place and bought a modest, though pleasant and liveable apartment in an older block. It's within cycling range (10mi/16km each way) from my work. I know I've probably bought at the top of the property cycle and would not be surprised if its price stays the same for many years to come (or even slightly declines in real terms in the immediate future).

I'm not too worried as it is a buy and hold scenario for me to live in and is all I need (unless family happens, then it might not work). I managed to put up 190K in savings as a deposit as I saved a lot while living at home + made a mid-six figure windfall from a bet that came good in 2016. I even sold the supercharged sports car last year and am car-free for the first time since I was 16 (would be much stronger now if I dropped the car habit a bit earlier, oh well).

My expenses (in AUD - multiply by 0.8 for USD) are about 3000/month including 2000 in mortgage payment. My after-tax income is about 5750/month including a 4500 salary, 860 in flatmate rent and averaging 400 in side jobs. Hoping to pay the place off in 9 years and begin saving a 'stache for FIRE some time in my early-mid 40s.

Probably too much detail here for an intro but its not worth a case study.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 18, 2018, 06:58:03 AM
Welcome!  There are lots of Aussies on the forum.  And some regular folks, too.  ;-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: letstalkaboutdune on January 18, 2018, 09:13:09 AM
Hi everyone! 31 y/o, married with no kids, just joined the forum after finishing all the MMM posts.

My friend and co-worker turned me on to MMM this past November, which was very timely because at the time I was shopping for my first house. After absorbing the MMM wisdom, I now live within ~3 mi of work (and right next to two nice grocery stores), commute via bike, have majorly cut down on my expenses and increased savings, and am working on retiring in the next 9 years!

Looking forward to interacting with all the lovely Mustachians here.

Welcome!  That is a very cool story.  Good for your friend for recommending MMM, and good for you for having an open mind and making some big adjustments!  :)

Thank you very much! It's amazing the big effect just a few adjustments can have. Some of my coworkers have noticed my bike commute and are now considering it themselves - hopefully they follow through and start a trend!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 20, 2018, 09:59:48 AM
Hi everyone! 31 y/o, married with no kids, just joined the forum after finishing all the MMM posts.

My friend and co-worker turned me on to MMM this past November, which was very timely because at the time I was shopping for my first house. After absorbing the MMM wisdom, I now live within ~3 mi of work (and right next to two nice grocery stores), commute via bike, have majorly cut down on my expenses and increased savings, and am working on retiring in the next 9 years!

Looking forward to interacting with all the lovely Mustachians here.

Welcome!  That is a very cool story.  Good for your friend for recommending MMM, and good for you for having an open mind and making some big adjustments!  :)

Thank you very much! It's amazing the big effect just a few adjustments can have. Some of my coworkers have noticed my bike commute and are now considering it themselves - hopefully they follow through and start a trend!

Even better!  That would be an awesome trend!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MyHilariousUserName on January 21, 2018, 01:00:45 PM
Hi, I've found this site after going on google searches about issues with my financial aid office. I remember reading some of Mr Money Moustache blog some time back and sounded reasonable. I don't think I'm going to give my life story here because if the whole story isn't given, my experience has been that online people bite your head off. But yeah, hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JohnGalt615 on January 21, 2018, 09:21:05 PM
Hello, new user checking in.

Found the blog through reddit a year or so ago. This seems to be an amazing community of people looking to optimize saving for the long term, and I'm joining to learn and discuss.

John
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on January 22, 2018, 11:24:18 AM
Hello, new user checking in.

Found the blog through reddit a year or so ago. This seems to be an amazing community of people looking to optimize saving for the long term, and I'm joining to learn and discuss.

John

With that nickname, you'd assume some political opinions as well. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Major Tom on January 23, 2018, 02:29:45 PM
Hi everyone,

I have been lurking for a while, whilst thoroughly enjoying the content and the community.

I am 47 male from Down Under!

Will be sharing my thoughts and FIRE goals in good time.

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on January 23, 2018, 03:36:22 PM
Hi everyone,

I have been lurking for a while, whilst thoroughly enjoying the content and the community.

I am 47 male from Down Under!

Will be sharing my thoughts and FIRE goals in good time.

Cheers

And all this while, we thought you were lost in space.

Sorry, could not resist;-)

(Space oddity by David Bowie)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MarkSmith09 on January 24, 2018, 04:42:04 AM
Hi!
I'm Mark from Cranbury, NJ.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: somers515 on January 24, 2018, 04:50:12 AM
Hi!
I'm Mark from Cranbury, NJ.

Nice to see another central NJ mustachian - welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ScreamingHeadGuy on January 25, 2018, 09:38:59 AM
Hi. 

I am a married 38-year-old man from Wisconsin with a 4-year-old daughter.  I've been reading MMM's posts and lurking for half a year (or so) and decided to finally register to post on the forum.  (So I feel like I know many of the posters already, even though nobody has seen me yet.)  I am currently a civil engineer working in private development; I find the job fun (three-dimensional puzzles!) and yet frustrating (permitting, stick-in-the-mud bureaucrats, paperwork, documentation).   For fun I read, join friends for D&D, exercise, play games on my computer, am involved in church and local government, and am "daddy". 

I had always been interested in retiring earlier than my parents did (my father "retired" at 55 when I was still in college and my mother at 55 also a few years later) - I thought 50 would be exceptionally early.  Well, little did I know back then (or even a year ago) there was this whole FIRE community that put my retire-at-50 dream to shame.  Since I started reading and learning more I've discovered could top that goal, based on our saving rate and low spending rate (based on life events when my wife and I married in 2010).  Now I'm looking at hitting my mark around age 42, depending on near-term market performance.  Hooray for those extra eight years of life!

Based on what I've learned and shared with her my wife (and I) became comfortable enough for her to recently quit her (torturous due to a change in boss a year ago) full-time job and is transitioning to part-time work for her employer for two more months before cutting the cord and becoming fully self-employed teaching online and tutoring world languages (along with personal fulfillment, reorganizing our house, and being "mama").
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Virtus3 on January 26, 2018, 08:27:55 AM
Hi all. I am a 29 y/o soon to be dad! I'm a long time Boglehead and lurker of MMM and many other personal finance and investing blogs. Finally decided to join and hope you guys can't help my wife and I improve our financial security. Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LIGRECLM on January 26, 2018, 05:44:57 PM
Hi There - Lauren aka "Ligreclm" here. I am a CPA (audit, not tax unfortunately), mama of a 3 y/o, wife to an electrical engineer. I just left the rigors of public accounting life and took a part time job with a nonprofit client for WAY less money (and less stress and less hours) so I can spend more time with my little lady and more time working out because I am very overweight (getting healthy is a priority). I am FREAKING OUT because I make about 30-35k less a year, which I am learning is actually a lot of money and was much of our disposable income and savings.

I am trying to take control of the situation and am looking closely at our finances, retirement, spending, and overall lifestyle so that we don't fall anymore behind than we are and maybe even get ahead.

My husband and I have always put about 5% into our 401k so we have about 200k in retirement, amassed a decent savings account (or what we thought was one) of about 40k. We have a mortgage on our house of about 175k, we have used cars, no student loans left and no credit card debt.

Our goals are as follows:
1) Learn how to spend LESS and where we can cut current expenses
2) Get money out of savings and put into income earning accounts
3) Figure out how to get house projects done without spending an absolute shitload of money. We have a house from the 1940's that needs new windows, insulation, kitchen relocation, shed, patio and landscaping, etc.
4) Increase annual retirement contributions
5) We REALLY want to have another child and will likely have to spend 20k on IVF or other treatments to have this child. We need to save for that.
6) Once we are in better shape financially, I would like to possibly invest in real estate or something similar. I love the idea of owning a few rental properties near me and Airbnb-ing them or having long term rentals. There are only 2 Airbnb's in my town and they are 75% booked for the YEAR so I am waiting for a relative to die and leave us some money or something to buy a little rental. Ha. I'm awful. Oh well.
7) Getting our family healthier by less technology, more exercise, more biking (hoping to commute to work in the spring!), and more TVless quality time.
8) I would like to learn how to earn money on the side. I am a quickbooks pro advisor so I thought about helping people that way, but I do accounting all day so I can't imagine doing it at night or on weekends too, its so boring. I am also an avid quilter, knitter, crocheter and am considering opening an etsy shop for my goods. In my next life, I would like to arrange national and international artisan tours of handcrafted studios and arrange classes. Wouldn't that be a dream.

I have been analyzing income and expenses and will probably be posting into Ask a Mustachian. I opened up a vanguard account and transferred some savings into there but can't seem to even pick an index fund to buy and am questioning whether now is a good time to buy, because isn't the market high? Bah I don't get investing. I am overwhelmed a bit and may need hand holding. It's pathetic but its true.

Thanks Everyone and I hope to get to know you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vikingtantan on January 27, 2018, 08:25:39 AM
Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum, but not to the MMM blog. I recently escaped student loan slavery in August 2017. Since I was a lone adventurer in my quest for freedom from debt, I turned to Youtube and the mighty internet to learn from others escaping debt to help keep myself motivated. Now that I've accomplished that goal, I'd like to work on true financial independence. I've been feeling a bit lonely because I'm the only person out of my family or friends that has 1. Escaped debt 2. Trying to build an empire so I never have to work again. I'm excited to interact and learn from all the badass MMMs.

Current status: 35; No debt; a little over 5k in an emergency fund; currently living in South Korea;

1. Trying to figure out which company allows expats to open investment accounts while they live abroad cause from what I gathered Vanguard isn't cool with that.

2. I'll be in Korea for 1 more year and then probably moving back to the States. Current plan is to save $10K to transition back (more of an emergency fund in case I can't land a job right away) and open a Vanguard account as soon as I move back.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lex_luthor on January 27, 2018, 01:25:54 PM
Wanted to drop a line & say hi. I've been a reader of MMM for a few years now, I think I've read almost all the posts, some more than once. I'm excited to be a new homeowner, got a fixer upper within biking distance to work (although in my line of work, it isn't very safe/smart to do so), but transportation costs have dropped tremendously. I'm 31, married, with a 4 year old and another one on the way (surprise!).

I'm interested in home projects (always busy), efficiency and organization / streamlining habits. I'm looking forward to meeting other local Mustachians and learning new skills / trades.

I was able to consolidate my student loans with SOFI based on MMM's article. It's been a huge catalyst for me. Now I'm looking for ways to continue to streamline and simplify so I can maximize what I currently make in order to set up a better future!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sterlingmossy on January 27, 2018, 01:29:55 PM
Hi,  I am 52, married, with two boys (24 & 21).  I am a Brit living in the midwest,  I have been in the USA since 1991.  I sold my company in 2016 and gained FI although I agreed to stay on consulting until the end of 2019.  I am looking for help and inspiration planning the next chapter.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dollarchaser on January 28, 2018, 06:53:20 PM
Hi to all you bad asses.

Your community has been great to give hope of breaking away from "the man". I have been a factory slave for almost 20 years. Lots of perfectly good green soldiers have been sacrificed to consumerism. But I have been frugal and fortunate with some home purchases so Pete's messages are finding fertile soil. I even recall reading The Millionaire next door years back.

My DW is frugal and we are DINK's so I am putting a plan in place to push toward FI and some bad assity.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BamBam20 on February 01, 2018, 04:46:52 PM
Hello World!
My name is Dom and I have been an MMM reader since October of 2012! The reason I know the exact month/year is because the first MMM post I ever read was the most recent at the time: "How to go from middle-class to kickass".
That post alone changed everything I believed about spending. Can't thank MMM enough for introducing me to the FI path!
I have been an observer of the forum for a few years and now that I recently discovered tapatalk, it will make it a lot easier for me to check the forum and interact.

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MLR on February 02, 2018, 10:15:40 PM
Dear MMM readers,

After being inspired by MMM and then by a couple of other financial bloggers, I have decided to start my own blog to keep a track of my journey to financial independence. I would really appreciate if you can visit my blog and provide me feedback on my progress. I need your encouragement during this tough phase of my FI journey. My blog might not be perfect, you might not like my style but I ensure you that I will put in all of my effort to provide as much details on my journey and use your feedback.

You can visit my blog at midliferecovery.com. I will look forward to your comments and feedback there.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Clara Smith on February 02, 2018, 11:47:36 PM
Hello, I'm Clara Smith:
I'm a foodie and love to travel but due to some personal issues I can't really travel and do adventures.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FearlessTSmith on February 04, 2018, 12:51:58 PM
Hi, everyone.  Have been lurking enough on the forum to feel like I have friends even if they haven't heard of me before.  Hi snacky, SailorSam, frugalparagon, lhamo, ellefiji, monstermonster, etc. 

White cisgender male living in USA, FIREd more or less recently...just long enough to find out my too-frequent habit of "I'll procrastinate until I have to go work" has become "I'll procrastinate."  Started journal to chronicle my upcoming journey from having freedom to actually living it.

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/from-fearful-to-fearless/
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Evildunk99 on February 07, 2018, 10:55:22 AM
Hello Mustachians!  Ryan from Conshohocken, PA here (just outside of Philly).  I've perused the blog like many of you and wanted to make an introduction.

Current situation:

- 31 y/o, recently married
- Dual incomes ($130k combined), no kids
- Assets:  $60k in home equity, 2 401k's totaling $40k, 1 Roth IRA totaling $30k, cash & brokerage totaling $40k, 2 used cars totaling $15k
- Liabilities:  $75k in student loans ($800 / mo), $140k mortgage ($890 PITI)

Short term goal:  Use cash + roth IRA to purchase 2nd home, and rent out the existing one.  Ideally before we have kids ~2020

Long term goals:  1) pay off student loans ASAP, 2) use 401k's to pay for children's future college expenses, 3) compound rental property expansion to retire within 15 years, 4) use excess cash to fund a fun small business during retirement.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: salmo trutta on February 09, 2018, 02:36:27 PM
Long time lurker / first time poster. Really enjoy the blog and the ideas it generates.

I recently achieved my goal of being a millionaire by the age of 50 and embrace the FIRE concept, but more the FI for now and not the RE just yet... I am 100% debt free, saving several thousand dollars per month, and generally just enjoying life.

FI for me is simply living a stress-free and simple lifestyle without the tedious task of trying to rub a few nickels together to make something happen. I love my job and enjoy my clients and the relationships I have there, so getting up everyday and going to work is still something I get excited about. No "Monday Morning Blues"... I do plan to retire soon and have a good plan in place. More to come...

I am into life-hacks (counter culture, new ways of doing things, shooting sacred cows), cool tools, DIY everything, technology (I work in the industry), voracious reading, fly-fishing on a daily basis, and Jeeping. In between I enjoy a good IPA (or many good IPAs) and clean simple local foods. Oh, and don't fret my daily driver is mod'd Corolla @ 30+ mpg and a solid messenger bike!

Cheers all, here's to a great 2018!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SimplySueLoo on February 10, 2018, 07:44:27 AM
Hi, I'm Sue. Back living near Milwaukee in my home state of Wisconsin after many years living in and traveling to places with more exciting geography.  It's super flat here.  I have 1 nice husband, 1 nice dog.

People have always called me cheap.  But for many years I've worked on ways to exchange expense for freedom. LOVE this forum!

I'm in my early 50s, and furtively trying to convince my early 60s hubby that YES, WE CAN RETIRE!  I routinely pull out excel spreadsheets for my "state of our union" pro-FIRE presentation.

Ideal retirement for us has:  much hiking, much travel, much time to tinker with fun and flexible extra income (or savings) ideas

Nice to meet you :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PKate on February 11, 2018, 09:43:04 AM
Hi,  I am happy to find this place.  My DH and I are looking to get organized and be able to FIRE soon. While we are savers we are not organized and I am looking on how to make retiring early happen. 

 We are on either side of 40 and while we don't have kids I have medical issues that make things more expensive but still doable for FIRE.  DH's current work contract is ending in a few weeks and we will be shifting to working part time so we can get organized, work on developing our tiny farm, and time for our hobbies. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jeff K on February 11, 2018, 03:21:49 PM
Hi, I'm Jeff and I'm pursuing FI in Vermont with my wife.  I've been reading the MMM blog for over a year now and looking to connect with others in the FI community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: StealthFundip on February 11, 2018, 03:53:08 PM
Hey everyone, I'm StealthFundip!  I'm a 21 year old from Wisconsin with a 2 year degree in Software Development, currently looking for a full-time position to truly get started on my path to FI.

Since first learning about MMM and early retirement, I've paid off both of my maxed out credit cards ($2700 combined) and finally have more than $50 in my savings account!

I read just about every post from MMM over the course of a month, and a few lurking suspicions I've had about money have been reinforced completely (For example, my 200 mile round trip commute is probably going to give most of you instant heart attacks!) 
One day I hope to have a cushy software development job within biking distance, and a garage full of all sorts of woodworking/welding tools so I can work on all sorts of projects in my free time. 

After I get enough to retire... I'm not sure yet.  Doing something to help with the exploration of space sounds pretty neat, but we'll see what happens along the way :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalOliphant on February 12, 2018, 11:10:38 AM
Hey everyone,

I'm a 31 year old long-time lurker living in Knoxville, TN.  I've really enjoyed this community and am dipping my toe into the water on posting. 

My goals for this year are to pay off my car and save $15,000 in an emergency fund.  Then in 2019 I hope to max out my 401k and HSA, with additional money going to either an IRA or my student loan balance ($71,000!!).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Aswampdog on February 12, 2018, 01:23:26 PM
Hello, I am Swamp, living in San Diego county.  42 years in the Mortgage/Real Estate world.  Just found your site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DreamFIRE on February 16, 2018, 09:48:58 PM
I've been lurking on this site from time to time for years and have been soaking up info elsewhere online even longer.

I've been frugal and saving for many years just by my nature before I ever heard of any early retirement sites and have already built up a pretty good stash but hope to pick up some more useful tips here and there.

Despite my saving since a young age, I figured I would work until I was 67 - which is the normal retirement age for someone my age, but I'm now looking to retire in my 50's.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Livethedream on February 17, 2018, 09:38:27 AM
Hello from Northern California.

Found this site a while ago but life got crazy for a bit. Refocusing our FI and this site seems like a great place of likes minded people.

31m, married two kids. Duel incomes, looking to show our kids the world by homeschooling and having the FI to do it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Richmond 2020 on February 17, 2018, 03:18:58 PM
Hi everyone!

42 years old from Oz with wife and 2 young kids. If all goes to plan will retire in three years time at age 45.

Already shifted down to 4 days a week as wife has gone back to work full time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WebbieOT on February 18, 2018, 06:56:13 AM
27 year old occupational therapist about 2 years now living in Miami. interested in FI since the beginning of this year.

started out at ~80K in grad school debt..down to 40K now since I've been working... 403b, roth IRA contributor.

ready to continue my road to FI..
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trilliumshamrock on February 18, 2018, 08:13:32 AM
hey from the GTA,

early 20s Canadian, about to graduate this spring and excited to start putting these principles into reality and taking on investing, dealing with student loans, and following in the footsteps of MMM, ERE and reading the simple path to wealth by JL Collins!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mclements on February 21, 2018, 09:03:40 AM
Hi Everyone,

My name is Mike. I live in Miami, Florida. I am 48 and kicking myself I didn't find this way of living earlier!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jacquelynthomas on February 23, 2018, 04:48:04 AM
Hello Guys and Girls!
I am Jacquelyn Thomas, working in construction industry and love to talk to people. I am single and graduated a long time ago. Love to make new friends, talk to other people and know their stories.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grilledcheese on February 23, 2018, 07:47:28 AM
Hi,

I'm grungebaby. 38 years old (I think?) and living in Canada. I somehow snagged an amazing guy and lucked out with two of the most amazing kids. As a family we love traveling, playing music, and just hanging out together. Life is crazy and chaotic for us right now, because we both work shift work and are juggling childcare on top of our kids' activities and social commitments. We dream of FIRE because we don't have time to work! Ha ha. Seriously though, FIRE means freedom for us and we cannot wait to have more time and energy to spend with our family and on our passions.

My husband has always been good with money, one of those kids who collected pop cans and saved every penny and put it toward his future down payment. I never had any money, but somehow avoided going into debt as an adult, aside from my student loans. We lived pretty frugally in our twenties, and went on to have a cheap wedding, and got a pretty good deal on a home in a fantastic neighborhood. We rented out half of our house for 10 years, and recently took over the whole house.

We've been extremely lucky, and made some good choices, but we still have so far to go on our path to FI. Since discovering MMM a couple of years ago, we started tracking our money and tried hard to lower our expenses. It's been a rocky road so far, with lots of not so great choices and weak moments, but we are still on the path and can't wait to reach FIRE. We don't have an exact date in mind yet, but we hope to reach FIRE in the next 5-10 years.

Anyways, that's a bit about me. I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the community.



 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: maiyen on February 23, 2018, 09:57:16 AM
Hello, I'm maiyen. My hobbies include saving money, spending money, petting critters and eating.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eazyebeneezer on February 23, 2018, 10:21:21 AM
Hi. I'm a teacher in the Boston area who has always been dumfounded by my colleagues' lifestyles: big, expensive house in suburbs far from their work, two cars, tons of driving, always complaining about being busy. I live three miles from work and either bike or run my commute most days, rent an apartment in a cool neighborhood, do zero house maintenance, and travel every summer. I've always been frugal, as you might be able to tell from my username (my college nickname was Ebenezer) and proud of it. Since finding MMM, though, I have newfound purpose and strategies to make my dream of being free from working a reality. Thank you!!!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: trmcph01 on February 25, 2018, 05:56:21 AM
Hello everyone.  I'm Ryan, married with two beautiful girls.  Have been reading MMM for about a month due to a friend turning me on to the site.  Still have a way to go. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoStash on February 25, 2018, 12:34:12 PM
I'm Mo, debt free and (after a recent promotion) finally maxing out our retirement accounts and IRAs but my spouse likes craft beer too much to be able to retire. We did something right as our millennial children both educated, employed, and debt-free besides mortgages. The only thing left to nag them about is grandchildren!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: msfibidie on February 25, 2018, 08:28:57 PM
Hi, everyone!

I'm Ms. Fibidie, another longtime lurker and first-time poster. I'm 47, a single mom, and just getting my life back on track (again). I've been a MMM reader for several years but have been pretty terrible at doing what I need to do to achieve FI. Recently I've gotten back on track though, and I'd really appreciate the support, ideas, and brilliant observations of MMM readers here. You all are amazing inspiration for really going for it.

I have $60k in a 401(k) and am another $50k in debt to my 401(k). Long, stupid story, but I'm eager to get on with it before I'm too old to enjoy myself.

Looking forward to contributing what I can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Phiz on February 25, 2018, 11:34:47 PM
Hullo hullo

I'm Phiz from Singapore. One of the most expensive places in the world, but I get by. I'm here mostly to watch and learn, and worry about the fact that A) I would like to be a Mustachian, and B) I am also a big Apple geek. Learning to make do with my iPhone 7 for at least 2 more years.

I'm debt free (aside from an 88 dollar library fine which I keep meaning to clear), and I'm slowly building my savings. Eventually, I'll tackle the investing side of things, which may take a different path since, in Singapore, a 401(k) is called an SRS, and it may not be the same thing. So, wish me luck!

Oh, also, learn not to be smug if I do manage to be financially independent and my peers don't. Smugness is my pet peeve, and I'd really hate for me to add to it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kshforFI on February 26, 2018, 04:52:55 PM
Hello all - I'm KSH and I'm trying to learn all that I can about becoming financially independent. I feel like I have the basics down (no debt, saving 40% each month, contributing to retirement), but there's always more to learn.

I discovered the Money Mustache blog a couple of months ago, but just found about the forums. Looking forward to contribute to the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: canuckiwi on February 27, 2018, 04:15:59 PM
Hi,
I am a New Zealander now living in coastal BC. Recently laid off from a Mega corp job, but a Mustachian lifestyle means I can now spend some time mountain biking, renovating my house and hanging out with my children (while I decide what my next job/ training might be).
I have learned a lot from the forums over the years, and am looking to share any wisdom I might have gathered along the way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Old Ball Coach on February 28, 2018, 12:40:28 PM
Hello all!

I'm a 43 year old teacher in the Midwest. Wish I would have learned about the MMM life sooner!

My details:

Married wife is an LPN. 2 kids aged 14 and 12.

Income - $103k combined

Assets:
403(b) - $58k
Roth IRA - $750 - Just started last year.
Wife's 401(k)  - $110k
Stock Account - $1,600 - Just started last month.
Home Equity - $43k
I also have a defined benefit plan through the state which will give me 75% of my salary after age 66.

Liabilites:
Student Loan - $7200 - $80/mo
Credit Card (yuk) - $10,200 - $350/mo
Car Loan - $2,800 - $300/mo (Will actually get this paid off next month! :o) Then will hammer credit card.
Home Mortgage - $111k - $716/mo PITI

My plan is to destroy that credit card debt within the year. Then aggressively load up my stock account with a mix of stock and bond index fund at 80/20 ratio. I'm also going to have a new driver in about 14 months as well that will need a vehicle to drive. I'm already searching through used car lots looking for something good yet reasonably priced.

Hopefully I'm making good decisions.  I plan on learning as much as I can through this site!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 51cent on February 28, 2018, 02:01:16 PM
Hello To All!

I'm an early 40's Husband and Father to 4 in NE Georgia.
I've been on a path to "FIRE" for most of my life, I just didn't have a name for it.  Then I realized there were all of you folks out there about 2 years ago.

I'm mostly involved in real estate investing and am getting closer to my goal of a 3 day work week in the near future I hope!

Look forward to learning more on the forums & sharing what I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dabighen on March 01, 2018, 06:31:06 PM
Hi All,

I'm Matt.  Live in NH.  33 years Old.  Wife and 4 kids. Facilities Planner and my wife is a teacher.

My family and I like finding creative ways to enjoy life without spending money.  Its a sport for me.  Combined income $120K.  Retirement 300K.  Owe $150 on the house.  $70K in taxable accounts.  $25K combined college savings.

Thanks,

Matt
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Katie_Scarlett on March 02, 2018, 01:17:23 AM
Hi everyone!

I'm in my early 30s living in South Korea but originally from the Philippines. I've always dreamed of financial independence but hasn't really taken any steps towards that until I had the opportunity to work overseas.

My goal is to be able to eventually diversify my investments overseas so as not be subject to my country's frankly fragile economic and political situation. I hope to pick up and share ideas with people with similar goals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rowing Investor on March 02, 2018, 09:20:54 PM
Hi everyone,

I like to row and invest. One day I hope to be able to row full time (and no, the chance for becoming a professional rower was lost many years ago). Another - more realistic - goal is to become financially independent. Let's then see if I actually "retire" or continue working (potentially with something more rewarding from a non-financial sense).

I occasionally write a few lines on my blog (https://rowinginvestor.blogspot.com (https://rowinginvestor.blogspot.com)), on which I would like to increase the frequency of postings, without becoming too shallow.

I find this forum very interesting and useful. Thanks to all who take the time to share your wisdom.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on March 03, 2018, 12:36:28 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm in my early 30s living in South Korea but originally from the Philippines. I've always dreamed of financial independence but hasn't really taken any steps towards that until I had the opportunity to work overseas.

My goal is to be able to eventually diversify my investments overseas so as not be subject to my country's frankly fragile economic and political situation. I hope to pick up and share ideas with people with similar goals.

Welcome!

You should, if you haven't done so already, check out @Adventine 's journal and introduce yourself to her.  She's amazing!!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TeacherStacking10s on March 03, 2018, 06:51:43 PM
Hello!

About a 3-year reader, first-time forumer to MMM.

28 years old. Minnesotan Teacher.

Been socking away money for the last 3-4 years. Need to reduce some of my superfluous spending habits (I spend way too much money going to restaurants and drinking beer at breweries).

I have a pension through the state but "retiring" with full benefits is getting pushed farther and farther back. I believe now it's at 62. I would love to hit FIRE in my 40's and not have to work into my 60's to collect a full pension. Thanks to everyone posting their knowledge! Lots of great info on here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: eco mom on March 04, 2018, 08:35:48 AM
Hi, I'm Liz. I live in Seattle with my mustachian husband. We've reached FI and are under 35 but have yet to fully RE - but we've got it pretty good by reducing our hours to 3 days per week after having our first kid. Our second is on the way soon. Slowly since kid #1 happened and I've had some extra time, I've caught up on the blog all the way to the present.

Husband is considering early retirement next year but I always struggle with "what will you do?" when he says he won't take on more household responsibilities or desire to care for our kids yet. He vaguely says maybe volunteering and I think he'll figure it out, but I find the whole "finding meaning in life" piece to be the most mystifying and challenging piece of taking the leap. I don't want to just fill my time with Netflix or even just reading if I take the leap - I want to be sure I'm going to make a difference in a way that feels good; better than what I could do with the $$ I'd earn from just continuing to work part time.

I love my extra time with my kiddo yet also don't want to take on 24/7 childcare since it can be really tiring and I lose my patience at times. I have very green aspirations and volunteer part of my extra time in several local groups. I think if I were to convince myself that if I quit completely I would find a way to do a startup or personal effort that would really make a difference, particularly for climate change/the environment, I would do it. I love my job but it doesn't exactly contribute to "making the world greener".
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jsap819 on March 07, 2018, 05:35:23 PM
Hi everyone,

My name is Joseph and I'm 35. My wife recently gave birth to a healthy baby boy who is going to be 6 months next week. Our goal is to reach FI as soon as possible although we don't really have a timetable. I'm a chiropractor who owns my own practice and my wife is a pharmacist. We plan to save/invest enough money in the near future so that my wife can work part time or maybe even a SAHM. The goal for me is to continue growing my practice and eventually work part time while I hire another doctor to watch over my practice.

Our hobbies include traveling, hiking, cooking, and baking. I love to play golf and play as often as I can but have been finding it extremely difficult to find time due to our baby. We live in a HCOL in Southern California but we love the location as it has one of the best school districts in the area, walking distances to parks and shopping malls, 10-20 minute drive from our work, and live close to friends and family. Unfortunately, our piti is 70% of our monthly expenses. Thankfully, with our dual income, we are still saving over 50% of our take home pay after maxing out retirement space (401k/roth).

Looking forward to sharing more information with the wonderful people of this board and also hope to be able to contribute. I'm glad I can share my journey with people who have the same mindset as we do when it comes to finance.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cali on March 09, 2018, 01:04:49 PM
Hello Mustachians,

I live in Long Beach, California. I'm 38 single, no kids. My 12yo Honda died four weeks ago and I bought a Civic. My plan is to be FIRE before this Honda is 12.

I look forward to getting to know you all better.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: another saver on March 10, 2018, 08:05:43 PM
Hello!

I've been lurking the blog for a long time, but want to finally get my feet wet CONVERSING with some like minded people.

I'm 31, pharmacist located in Oregon.  I am married and my husband is "retired" since moving to Oregon 5 years ago, now a stay at home dad.  I'm working two jobs, one per diem and one about 30 hours a week, actually averaging close to full time (it deludes me in to thinking I only work part time not being stuck at the same place all the time).  Luckily, my husband was a tradesman and can do almost all of the work ever required around here (he keeps busy).

We have no debts.  Bought our 20 acre property but putting more than half down, and paying off the rest in a little over a year (I would have bought cash, but we didn't know what kind of expenses we might run into).  We own more vehicles that moustache standards would allow, but, driving is a necessity living where we do and having to (currently) commute for work.

I've got about 180K in my 401ks from various jobs.  23k in a IRAs for me.
My husband has about 25k in 401k and 30k in IRA.  We have about 25k in our HSA account.

That brings us to about 283k... another 5-10k in stocks (it fluctuates, I don't check).  We carry about 10k in our checking account.  Additionally I've got, in various betterment accounts (thanks Mr. Money Moustache for introducing me!), 21k in an emergency fund, 26k front loaded into an accountant in my name for my child's eventual school or...??? and 74k in a "build wealth" taxable account.

To sum it up, we save real well.  I estimate we have about 400-420k just in "cash" savings of various kinds, not accounting for vehicles, property etc.

I'm not really finding my job fulfilling.  It makes pretty good money, but there's not really any possibility to do any more than I'm doing (or anything different in my field, unless we move, and we aren't doing that). 

We hope to homeschool and I would like to travel (assuming we can find an arrangement that works and someone we trust to keep an eye on animals and the home while were gone).

A guestimate on MMM calculators is that we're about 6 years from financial independence.  I lean towards worst case in my numbers, so that's probably closer to 5 years.

I don't think I plan to stop working entirely, as in my field you need to keep in the game to stay on top of things.  But I'm hoping I can average working a day a week or so... but I would REALLY like to find other ways to use my training and background to generate more interesting income.

So, Hello!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DesertRatNomad on March 12, 2018, 12:08:04 PM
Hi,

I’m Austin.  I started reading ERE years ago but it was a bit...extreme.  When Jacob ‘passed the torch’ to MMM I realized this was something I could really do and really wanted. That was about 6 years ago.  In that time I’ve gone from basically zero net worth (but no debt thankfully) to completing (with a partner) 2 house flips and working my way up to about 50% savings rate...and am planning to start my first house hack in the Fall. Reading the (entire) blog has changed my life.

I currently live and teach on the Mississippi coast but will be moving to Hattiesburg soon.  I occasionally work on cars or motorcycles, check my Vanguard balance way too often, spend a few weeks each summer living in my truck in National Parks, and recreationally pick up heavy things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chenell on March 13, 2018, 02:59:13 AM
Hello - Chenell from Philadelphia here!.  I decided it was time to make an intro :)
Current situation:

- 30 y/o, single
- ~$100k business income; what I pay myself varies as I have to keep the business afloat - generally around 40% of income but working to increase that
- Assets: 401k at $62k, 1 Roth IRA $2k, cash & brokerage totaling $20k, don't own a car
- Liabilities: $30k in student loans ($200 / mo minimum, paying $550 currently)

Short term goal:  Build up savings and retirement while balancing growing a business.

Long term goals:  1) pay off student loans 2) Buy first home

I'm excited to jump in and learn even more from this community :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brookebcollin on March 14, 2018, 02:34:15 AM
Hello guys,

I'm Collin, love to learn things and share useful information with people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ChocoBilly on March 14, 2018, 07:43:56 AM
Hi, I'm new. I'm 32 years old and live in a third world country. I have a 2 year old daughter and decided I should not leave her broke with no headstart in life like me. I have started saving money since Last month and have saved 6000 USD. I have no debts except a mortgage which is for a place I have rented out. I hope to be as successful as my fellow mustachians in here and am excited to reach my goals despite being in a third world country. Anyone willing to mentor me is welcome.

Sent from my Infinix X559 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LateStarter27 on March 14, 2018, 06:55:05 PM
My user name is a bit of a misnomer.  27 is not my age - 2027 is my expected retirement date.  And it won't be early either!  DH and I are just finishing putting 4 kids through school and we are trying to reset our finances for a comfortable retirement.  Reading this forum has given us the courage to say "no" - although I am still having a hard time saying that to my kids!  I certainly don't regret the money we have spent on our children, but now is the time for us to make wise financial decisions.  I am hoping that it is never too late!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: savvylawdog on March 15, 2018, 02:22:30 PM
Hello everyone!

As my username indicates a persona that I've adored for some time. I am 37 years young with a gorgeous young wife and no kids at the moment. Looking forward to go part-time or take a long sabbatical from my day gig within 10years. I was introduced to MMM on the podcast OLD (Optimum Living Daily) and wish this was around 10, 15 or even 20 years ago. However, I am excited to have found this forum and will continue learn badassity to its fullest.

savvyforester
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: poodlepam on March 19, 2018, 06:32:13 PM
Hello. I am a long-time lurker who adores the MMM way and this forum. My husband and I have the savings part pretty much figured out but do not know how to make money work for me/us. We both came from dysfunctional families. Mine had no money sense, his was only work oriented. I hope to figure out this investing business and make our savings grow.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tomdrake on March 19, 2018, 11:05:41 PM
Hi everyone, I first read MMM back in 2012, when this post (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/06/21/i-just-gave-up-4000-per-month-to-keep-my-freedom-of-speech/) came out... it was a big topic at FinCon that year, which I think was the same year I met Pete.

I'm a Canadian personal finance blogger that runs MapleMoney (https://maplemoney.com), Retire Happy (https://retirehappy.ca), and Financial Highway (https://financialhighway.com) (that one's US-focused).

Looking forward to chatting more on here and helping out where I can with any Canadian questions. If I don't see something here, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at @TomDrakeCanada (https://twitter.com/tomdrakecanada) or @MapleMoneycom (https://twitter.com/maplemoneycom).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bene Gesserit on March 20, 2018, 12:56:44 PM
Hello everyone!

I've just registered, happy to join this  community!
I'm European, female, in my mid-30s. Have been lurking -  first the blog, then the forum for quite a while.

Love rational thinking spiced up with some humour!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeniferwilliams on March 21, 2018, 01:01:54 AM
Hey
Hi everyone, I am Jenifer. I love adventures.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: exit2019 on March 21, 2018, 09:40:10 AM
I'm exit2019. 

This is my third post on the MMM forums.

I am new here and new to the FIRE community.

I only discovered MMM/FIRE a few weeks ago when telling a friend about my secret plan to escape work. He said, "you sound like those crazies who want to retire at 30 on $20k a year." 

What?

I had no idea such a thing existed.  Since this is the introduction thread, I will introduce myself by sharing something that I have never told anyone.

I graduated and started working my first professional engineering job in tech a few months before the dotcom crash.  I had expected that things would fall apart because it was obvious; what can't go on will not go on.  But still, the magnitude of things completely blew my mind.  Within months of moving to California, I was reeling from the collapse of the job market and the rapid rise of offshoring.  At the same time, the massive Indian bodyshops were making real inroads in the onshore low-cost engineering contracting in the companies everyone I knew worked for.  I was convinced that the entire career I'd invested so much in was about to go to zero; my boss told me that at their leadership offsite the CEO and CTO of the company had announced an India First strategy for all growth and replacement reqs going forward: no replacement in the US but 3:1 replacement rate for Bangalore and Chennai.  As a GenX it looked clear that social security would be gone.  Then Bush-Kerry and finally 9/11 happened.  The world was ending while I was working 10+ hours a day and weekends trying to avoid the swings of the layoff axe.

I'd stay up late after going to bed most nights working on trying to find a model for the future that I could work with to build some plan I could execute to get us to safety, about how my new wife and I would afford to live/eat/not become a burden on our parents if I got clipped in a layoff.  Then I'd be exhausted in the morning.

As a response to all of this, I put my wife and I on a severe financial diet and accumulated some cash.  Later, not long after 9/11, while trying to find something to educate myself about how to save for retirement, I came across a book called "Your Money or Your Life" on Amazon.  Over the next month or so I read it in secret at night when I couldn't sleep and my wife was asleep.  She was very worried and afraid - unlike me, her degree was not ever going to earn her a real living.  I avoided talking to my wife about my own fears: at least I was employed.

18 years later, I have a lot more grey hair.  While all of those things really did change the trajectory of the world around me, the fact that they happened also put me in a position where I started, bit by bit, to try and work towards controlling my own destiny.  I have been very, very hard working but also very fortunate.

Those other two posts I mentioned above: me posting in the 2019 FIRE cohort that I plan to join.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: the_FI_engineer on March 23, 2018, 10:24:58 AM
Hey everyone! Long time lurker coming out of the shadows. I'm the_FI_engineer!

I was exposed to MMM in late 2015, and that exposure really opened my eyes and gave me the kick in the pants to pursue FI. I knew within a year of starting my engineering career that I really wanted to live a different kind of life; working 50-60 hours a week for the next 40 years just doesn't sound all that appealing! Finding MMM showed me that it's possible to live a simpler, more independent life that really goes against the grain of our culture here in America, and I was hooked!

January 2016 marked the beginning of my journey to FI. That's when I started tracking my net worth, spending/savings rates, etc. I'm really thrilled with the progress I've made, as I've since more than doubled my net worth.

I will be getting married next year to a partner who has slowly become more interested in the FI lifestyle, thanks in part to advice I've gleaned from MMM! I've been a musician since middle school, and I went on to play guitar in several rock bands in my region. Guitar is my main outlet, but I also play drums and bass so I can create music on my own schedule at home! My passion for music is another driving force in my quest to achieve FI; I miss playing in live bands terribly. My career makes it difficult to be a reliable band member, and I'm eager to get back to that part of my life.

Right now, my hope is that I will reach FI in January of 2028 - 12 years after the start of my journey. I'm well on my way, and looking forward to getting to know everyone in the community and helping others where I can.

Later!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Arbit Trage on March 25, 2018, 07:24:39 AM
Hey ya'll,

I stumbled upon this forum last month and have learned quite a bit so far. My name is Josh and I live in western North Carolina. Just wanted to say hello and thanks for the community that has been built. I look forward to building up my stache!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dougstash on March 25, 2018, 01:14:21 PM
Hi, I'm Doug. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xoxoseo on March 27, 2018, 10:03:04 AM
Hi, I am Oxana, currently living in Europe, an owner of online businesses
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mtbbrown on March 27, 2018, 11:20:21 AM
Hi, I'm Travis. Currently a college student at NC State (Raleigh, NC) studying Business. Just figured out about the Money Mustache community and I'd really like to learn as much as I can about all of this. Looking forward to talking with you all a bit more later.

Travis
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fluffyo1 on March 28, 2018, 02:34:35 AM
Hi, I'm Yin. Female, late twenties. I switched careers after obtaining my first degree and now currently a new grad RN with a BSN. Starting to really think about my financial future and decided to focus on being FI. I currently have 10k in my savings, an old beat up 2006 car, and 33k in student loan debt. Currently unemployed but I should be able to find a job soon hopefully. I never liked how our society is so focused on materialistic possessions and I feel something is just inherently wrong about working 40+ years just to retire to finally "feel" free. And being in the health field, it pains me to see older adults who have worked hard all their life to end up in a hospital bed in the end. Lots of lessons learned from them. Anyways, I am very excited to start this journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Epor on March 30, 2018, 02:31:56 PM

Welcome everybody. I've been around for about a year now, and this site has had a tremendous impact on my life; I hope it will have the same positive impact on yours.

Wishing you all the best!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: another saver on April 01, 2018, 06:24:17 PM
admin - please delete above post thank you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlphabettiSpaghetti on April 02, 2018, 02:59:58 PM
Another newbie joining the cause (woohoo!). Warm hellos from the other side of the pond in rainy England :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nottheturkey on April 02, 2018, 10:29:27 PM
Hi all. High net worth, high earner, but not close to retirement and not really interested in it. But I want to be challenged on my thoughts and figured this was a good place to do it.

Why is it so hard to post something? The CAPTCHA is close to unreadable and it takes me 5 tries to get it every time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Flat9MKE on April 03, 2018, 03:45:59 PM
Hi I'm Tom.  I'm a 34 year old commercial real estate developer living in Milwaukee with my fiance.  I like to do crossword puzzles, play jazz/blues guitar, read, and have fun  I enjoy the MMM philosophy and it has inspired me to put together a budget and save a LOT more money.

Looking forward interacting with like-minded folks on the Forum!

Tom
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: millionairedojo on April 04, 2018, 06:38:46 AM
Hi I'm Nathan.

I'm happily married and enjoy living life on $25,000 a year. I love martial arts and am a systems engineer in I.T. at my day job. I am currently tracking my progress to become a millionaire and have started a martial arts themed blog to do so.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: enFuego on April 04, 2018, 07:32:16 PM
I've been reading on this site for over a year at this point, trying to incorporate mustachianism into our lives. We're naturally frugal but not necessarily hard core mustachians. We're trying to find that balance that is right for us. I really identify with being extremely conscious and delberate about money.  I find it liberating.

As my description states we're somewhere in our journey between a Hair On Fire situation and FIRE. We were always savers and on a good track. But we had some lifestyle creep and then a major financial setback put us in crisis mode. With the help of MMM we are flexing our frugal muscles again and making major strides. Ironically we're actually on a better track than if we had avoided the crisis; it changed our trajectory for sure.

A big thank you to MMM and the MMM community. Looking forward to contributing going forward.

EnFuego


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bro-mero on April 04, 2018, 11:10:46 PM
Hello!

I've been a MMM reader since I started college almost 4 years ago, and I am graduating in a month with a Bachelor's in Finance. I am starting a Financial Analyst position soon, and I cant wait to begin my journey to FIRE!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SansSkill on April 04, 2018, 11:49:54 PM
Hello!

Been reading MMM for close to half a year now after I got a part time job that actually left me with excess money.
Figured I might as well get my finances setup up now that I am starting to join the real adult world and ended up in the wonderful world of FIRE instead.

Current goals for the year are a 6 month EF, an equivelant amount invested and a driver's license.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NathanDH on April 05, 2018, 09:26:48 AM
Hi, I'm Nathan.
I'm in Texas, spent a lot of my younger years being financially irresponsible and in school.

Hoping to fix some bad habits.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: punxphil on April 05, 2018, 03:38:09 PM
Hi I'm Andrew from New Zealand.
I'm 49 and a bit despondent.
I did about 8 months of MMM happiness last year.
Other than that sprint of investing (SP500) I've got no other money except a 4% govt super that only started 2 years ago.
Things could be worse I could be in debt!
One complication I have is developing a couple of products for a startup I have.
But it's not really an excuse for no saving last 2 months.
Here to get back on the shiny path to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: batljunk on April 06, 2018, 02:12:01 PM
Hi everyone, I'm Keith.
Doin' fine and glad to join the MMM way to FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KBCB on April 11, 2018, 05:01:42 PM
Hello! I am Kay!

I am a mother of a 13 month old.

I work full time and look forward to becoming as mustachician as I can be!

This year my goal is to get myself and family outside as much as possible and enjoy the earth and the wonderful things it has to offer :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dashuk on April 12, 2018, 06:49:19 AM
Hi all,

MMM reader and forum lurker for a couple of years now, finally bothered signing up here properly.

In the UK. 35yo dad of two under-5s. Mechanical Engineer. Enthusiastic about bicycles. Concerned about the environment.

Probably 10-12 years off FI, best described as cruising rather than racing there. Could get there quicker if it was #1 priority,  but currently using a reasonably 'Mustachian' annual expenditure as a means of living off one (deliberately) part-time income to maximise time with the kids without stopping 'stache growth entirely. Might work a bit harder when they are both in school. Maybe.

Still hit around 35% savings rate last year, and think there's still a bit of fat to be trimmed from the expenses without really compromising the lifestyle. Largely here for inspiration and exchange of ideas on that front.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Finntastic on April 13, 2018, 03:39:35 AM
Hi All,

New here and new to fire, starting today and aiming to get to FI and possible RE next year. I'm 40 years old married and grandfather of a 4 year old girl living and working in Thailand (originally from Finland). I've been pretty much broke the whole life and and number of failed businesses before, but the current company is doing great and my math looks like I should be able to get to 85% saving rate without even stretching it too much thanks to geo arbitrage and cheap living cost in Thailand. However my biggest problem is my money investments which pretty much been catastrophic to say the least. I have invested around 400k$ in past 1-2 years and lost about 350k$ so pretty much back to square one now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: merry1 on April 15, 2018, 07:33:59 AM
Hi, I'm a fifty-something recovering from a bad divorce. A year ago I had nothing but debt and an alcoholic spouse on a certain road to financial disaster. Today I have saved about $20,000 in a 401k, almost paid off a small house in a retirement community in Mexico, a fixer-upper that I fixed up, and drive a long paid-off 2001 MBZ. I did this all before I found MMM.

I'm doing some goal-setting and want to reach financial independence within 5 years. I'm looking for like-minded folks, and this looks like a vibrant and active community.

Hi folks, I just wanted to give you an update to let you know that FIRE REALLY WORKS! I've lived and breathed FIRE since I first posted, and I am happy to say I'm retiring in 26 more days. I've worked like a dog and banked about 70% of my paycheck. As a result I learned I can live quite well with not much.

Now I'm packing and getting ready to move. Tomorrow I tell my boss. WOO HOO!!!

Merry1


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hjon71 on April 16, 2018, 04:26:33 PM
Hello,
New to this forum from rural SW Tennessee.
46yr old married man
Kids are grown so it's just me/she

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PWFI22 on April 17, 2018, 02:08:10 PM
Hi Guys!
I joined this forum for a class I am currently taking called "Financial Independence: Early Retirement" I love reading MMM posts and learning about what he has to say. I am looking forward to reading more posts and learning more about each topic!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: saskamustachian on April 20, 2018, 01:13:49 PM
Hi!

My name is Brian, I'm from the flatlands of Canada and I found this blog via reddit.

I'm just dipping my toes into FIRE. So much to learn.

I'm 35, just bought a house. I have 12k in student loans and 1800 in a car loan. Car loan will be paid off by June and student loan by December (fingers crossed)

House will be paid off by five years.

Can't wait to learn as I read the posts and forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: leland on April 21, 2018, 10:04:16 PM
Hi all!

Long time reader. New time poster.

39, single/committed, no kids, no real estate, a dog from the SO, living in the PNW (Seattle) and thinking about what's next... Looking to talk through some planning with experts about how to think about shifting into the FIRE type of life.

(aside: I cannot do these verification images...)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Saskatchewstachian on April 22, 2018, 08:37:20 AM
Hi!

My name is Brian, I'm from the flatlands of Canada and I found this blog via reddit.

I'm just dipping my toes into FIRE. So much to learn.

I'm 35, just bought a house. I have 12k in student loans and 1800 in a car loan. Car loan will be paid off by June and student loan by December (fingers crossed)

House will be paid off by five years.

Can't wait to learn as I read the posts and forum!

Welcome from a fellow flatlander!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: maximize_futility on April 22, 2018, 04:52:04 PM
Hi, I'm Russell!
I'm just about to graduate college in Idaho and start my first job in Wisconsin. I hope to apply Mustachianism to my career and life from the beginning, and I hope to retire pretty comfortably by age 37 and focus on creating fun & fulfilling side-hustles and biking around before and after retirement.
All I can say is that I'm extremely glad to have discovered MMM before getting out and paying for a ridiculous apartment and new car on my fancy new salary, even though it will be outrageously high relative to my cost of living. I'm excited to get on the right path!
Cheers, and see you here on the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Accountant on Fire on April 23, 2018, 11:52:36 AM
Hello! I'm David

I've always been pretty frugal but this blog and a couple others has inspired me to be even more so. I've been reading for a while but just recently started posting in the forums.

I recently started my own blog called Accountant on Fire. I discuss financial independence and debt freedom.

I'm 27 and living in Minnesota with my wife and daughter.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dasaevus on April 23, 2018, 08:51:07 PM
HI!

I'm Ed and I want to be financially free!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dr.Optimus on April 24, 2018, 02:39:12 PM
Hello
I'm Andrew.  I'm fresh out of graduate school and I just found the FI community.  I've made dumb mistakes, hoping to start on the FI path and be Financially Independent in 10-12 years.  I enjoy my job, so I'll probably continue to work after reaching FI.  I am a school psychologist, which means I have all the perks that teachers enjoy, but with more flexibility in my calendar and a higher starting salary because of my advanced degree.  Looking forward to climbing the FI mountain.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ematicic on April 26, 2018, 10:45:24 AM
Greetings! I am Eric, retired Military, look forward to learning and sharing. I have done better financially than most of my peers but always looking to improve. I am a contractor now working at Quantico. I likely will not post much as I can never tell what those captchas are.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: UnexpectedExpenseExpector on April 26, 2018, 10:49:08 PM
Hi!

I'm 33 and I've been reading the blog on and off for the last 2 years, but I only recently discovered the badassity that is these forums!

My bride and I have been working our way toward FI since we got married in 2014.  We currently have 2 children and we're expecting number 3 in July.

Our current estimate for FI is around 8 years.  I'm looking forward to learning and sharing with everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Village Farang on April 27, 2018, 12:13:36 AM
In Thailand, I live in a house, in a field, in a valley, with a view.

I dutifully completed my university degree in Hawaii before I parted ways with the expected life path of career, marriage, children, debt, divorce, ill health and redundancy.  I discovered Thailand at twenty-one while still studying and moved here at twenty-three after contemplating my life path and dreading a “normal” life.

It would seem that I have been on FIRE for a very long time without knowing it.  I stopped working at 40 and will soon be 64.  I want for nothing and have everything I ever dreamed of but the last few years I have been drifting a bit and struggling with the notion that my best years are behind me.

Village Farang is an online persona I adopted roughly eleven years ago and use across all my social media accounts, which include a blog, facebook, google+, twitter and various forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: I-Ranger on April 27, 2018, 07:23:05 AM
Greetings!

So today I begin my FIRE journey. I am 41, single, no kids, 2 dogs, and am beyond grateful that MMM opened my eyes to the stupidity of my consumerist ways. My goal is to be FI in 10 years, and I feel good about my chances.

I changed careers 4 years ago and completed pharmacy school last summer, so while my new 115k/year salary is great, I have 260k in school loans. Fortunately, I enrolled in the federal public service loan forgiveness program and also got a 20k/year for 4 years state rural loan forgiveness grant, so I'll pay nothing out of pocket for 4 years, then pay about $800/month for 6 years and then be debt free!

I've never been a saver or investor, so I've been ramping up on that and learning as much as I can about investing. I did buy a 33k SUV not long after starting my new job, and after seeing the MMM light, I want to punch myself in the face every time I get into it to drive the 2 miles to my job. Ugh. I'm buying a cheap house near my job soon, and once I'm settled in there I will sell the SUV that costs me $1000/month (aaaaarrrrgghhh!!!) and go buy something sane for cash. At that point I will continue tightening the screws until I am at the 66.5% savings rate that will make me FI in 10 years.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon MMM and look forward to learning from this great community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bcbaseballman on April 27, 2018, 12:09:12 PM
Hello my name is David.
I am 28 years old, have an amazing wife, and two children. I live in a Haysville, Ks. Been reading about all this for a while know figured it was time for me to join
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: verfrugal on April 30, 2018, 10:12:58 AM
Greetings;

I'm a hacker who lives in Vermont.

I've always been relatively frugal, and debt free except for a brief 1yr period with a mortgage which I paid off last year.  A few years ago, I sold a startup, which greatly accelerated my retirement timeline, and also let me take care of my family.

I really enjoy the MMM perspective because it's a environmentalist blog disguised as a FIRE blog.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: felixiscariot on May 01, 2018, 08:31:46 AM
Hello,

I'm new to Mustachianism - only six months in. I hail from Kansas (LFK!). I don't recall exactly how I stumbled across this blog but for the last two years my wife and I have been improving our finances through increasing our earnings and paying off our debt rapidly and it was in that pursuit that I wound up here. We thought we were doing pretty good at keeping our costs low but then I found MMM and realized we had much room for improvement. In the last six months alone we've cut our expenses down by roughly $600/month (that includes energy, food, gas (I got a free bike from a friend!), and a bunch of other random things). I'm also experimenting with minimalism which has helped wrangle my consumer sucka tendencies.

We still have some student loan debt but we're wrapping that up. All the money we currently put towards student loans amounts to about 65% -70% of our take home income, when the loans are gone it will all go to savings. We're looking at retiring by the time I'm 40 (9 years), but that would include us increasing our income and reducing our expenses over the next few years which is no guarantee but I like to push myself a little! At the very least we want to build up a stream of investment income through Indexing and renting our current house when it's paid off which will help ease the need to rely on full time employment.

 Anyway, I look forward to participating in various threads as a way of keeping myself motivated!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stacher on May 01, 2018, 09:53:32 AM
Hi all,

40+ years, from Finland, wife and two kids in late teenage.

I've started the path to FI earlier, but not really doing the math and being conciuos about it. My savings rate in recent years has been in the range of 20-30%.

I found MMM blog last summer and it made me realize that I'm getting there way too slowly. The other learning was that RE is actually something that can be achieved without doing anything extreme. I just have to improve the choices I make and I can get there in 12-15 years.

After finding MMM I've made some corrective action:
- Paid off my 5k credit card balance, that was basically just adding cost to my life.
- Paid the car loan 9 months early because I could.

Now I'm pushing my savings rate from 30 % in 2017 to 45-50 % in 2018. After reaching that level I will start aiming to get up to 55-60 %. I expect this will be an interesting journey and to support it I feel I have to register here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: politenessman on May 06, 2018, 01:33:11 PM
I'm Tony and I got into this later in life (50s)
Hoping to secure my retirement and stop making silly mistakes.
In IT, married, empty nester. Wife is also mostly on board.
Maybe if we are lucky we can retire a little earlier than planned.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Antonn Park on May 08, 2018, 11:52:26 AM
Hello, I'm Antonn. I'm a copyeditor and proofreader who wants to learn how to retire early. I'm in my mid-thirties, so I have some time to plan. I'm already pretty frugal but have a big student loan I'd like to pay off as soon as possible.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jamesdg33 on May 08, 2018, 05:54:07 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm James - I'm from AZ, almost 30 years old, and beginning on my FI journey. My wife and I were married last year, have been together for 8, and have two dogs and a cat! We have about 130,000 net worth (not including home equity of about 55,000), and are both new to the FI lifestyle. I am ready to RE now, but realize we're not ready. I am moving from a 9-5 government job into a more entrepreneurial career soon and my wife is a school teacher. Hoping to learn from you all, and offer anything I can to the community!

James
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jengod on May 08, 2018, 10:41:32 PM
Hello, I'm Antonn. I'm a copyeditor and proofreader who wants to learn how to retire early. I'm in my mid-thirties, so I have some time to plan. I'm already pretty frugal but have a big student loan I'd like to pay off as soon as possible.

Welcome Antonn! Good luck crushing that loan!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: california on May 09, 2018, 11:04:05 AM
Hello everyone!

I live and work in California as a personal trainer, and recently inherited some money from my father.  He not only was a great, funny, loving man, but had great financial habits (lived on 25% of his retirement income, donated 25% of it, saved/invested the other 50%).

I was researching how to invest it intelligently and came across this website.  I have no debts, but I also spend more than I need to.

Hoping to treat my finances like a successful workout plan: having a smartly designed approach and being disciplined about following it.

Cheers!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: drparrish09 on May 10, 2018, 10:39:32 AM
Hi everyone!

I'm new the FIRE concept and am stoked about it.  Still chipping away at my student loan debt currently but should be done in 15 months and then the real fun begins.  I'm excited to have a place where people have the same goals I have and don't look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I can't go out to eat because its not in my budget.

If you are ever in the Fairhope/Mobile, AL area give me a shout!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Boardgamer on May 11, 2018, 04:52:01 PM
Hi everyone,

Excited to be a part of this community.

Financial background: Age 38, have $225k in retirement accounts, $195k in home/investment property equity, about $27k liquid, $42k in teacher pension account

Have about 40k student loan debt @ 2.25% interest

My wife and I are trying to max out 401ks and IRAs plus I get some, employer matching, which adds up to saving $52k per year. We also get about $18000 a year in home equity.

Goals: stop eating out so much, cook more beans and rice, fund an HSA, open a taxable investment account, possibly open a 529 for 3 year old son- current plan is to use my Roth IRA and rental property income (will be paid off in 10 years) for his college or at least some of it

Thanks for reading!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aujusco on May 13, 2018, 05:57:05 PM
Hello from sunny Tucson, AZ! Long time lurker and finally decided to join the community. I'm 43, married, no kids, and I've been on the FI journey for 2 years. I'm taking this nice and easy, planning to reach FI when I turn 50.
I'm a freelance online college instructor and I adjunct for about 7 schools. Hubby and I have 2 rental properties. I plan to pay them and the primary resident paid off by the time I'm 50 too.
Excited to be here!
Angela
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jamesdg33 on May 18, 2018, 12:21:18 PM
Hello from sunny Tucson, AZ! Long time lurker and finally decided to join the community. I'm 43, married, no kids, and I've been on the FI journey for 2 years. I'm taking this nice and easy, planning to reach FI when I turn 50.
I'm a freelance online college instructor and I adjunct for about 7 schools. Hubby and I have 2 rental properties. I plan to pay them and the primary resident paid off by the time I'm 50 too.
Excited to be here!
Angela

Hello to a fellow Arizonan!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nkt0 on May 20, 2018, 07:25:34 PM
Hi. I’m Nick. Fourty-two year old dude living in a small house in Philadelphia with my wife, who is an indie author. While I’m new to the MMM community, turns out I’ve been living by many of the same “live small” principals for a while.

Now I’m inspired to retire by age 50. I hope the MMM community can help inspire me and validate my plans.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rustychase on May 21, 2018, 05:31:54 PM
Hi all! I'm Marie, 24, single, no kids, 35k in debt from student loans, working on a master's (cause my bachelor's won't didn't find me a job for 2 years after I graduated), NOT going into more debt with that.
I want to own and live on a sailboat and travel everywhere in it one day.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: J Dough on May 22, 2018, 07:04:39 AM
This seems like a good place for a first post. Hi! I'm happy to be part of this forum. I'm still wrestling a little bit with how much of my financial situation and personal information to put out here. MMM and JLCollinsnh have been a big part of destroying my student loans, and if I can keep up the pace, they'll be gone by the end of the year. Thanks in advance for all the support and help I'm sure I'll get here, and I'll do what I can to return the favors.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brute on May 23, 2018, 10:04:50 AM
Welcome everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PeachyStash on May 24, 2018, 03:29:29 AM
Hey everyone! I'm a 20-year-old college student (majoring in computer science... why so many CS people do FIRE I won't understand) ready to train myself in the ways of badassity and FIRE.

My focus right now is to do well in school while trimming expenses as much as I can. I start my sophomore year in about three months, and managed a 3.7 GPA in my freshman year. I'm looking forward to starting on my adventure and making the most of it. Glad to have the community here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rustychase on May 24, 2018, 09:22:07 AM
Hey everyone! I'm a 20-year-old college student (majoring in computer science... why so many CS people do FIRE I won't understand) ready to train myself in the ways of badassity and FIRE.

My focus right now is to do well in school while trimming expenses as much as I can. I start my sophomore year in about three months, and managed a 3.7 GPA in my freshman year. I'm looking forward to starting on my adventure and making the most of it. Glad to have the community here.

Nice to see you! Looking forward to seeing your journey! I'm working on my master's at 24, so I have similar "do awesome" goals while not spending a lot lol
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TSpacagna on May 24, 2018, 09:50:05 AM
Hello!
I am Ted and I am a new Mustachian convert. Found the blog via a few podcast interviews some weeks ago and have been diving in since.
Since reading, my girlfriend and I have both purchased (cheapo) bikes and we are working on moving closer to both our jobs! Super exciting!
We both used to work in 'tech' (retail). Now I help manage bands and shes expanding her career in HR.
Definitely an interesting time in our lives, and we are already noticing change for the better!
Looking forward to talking to everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Happily Irrelevant on May 25, 2018, 05:16:13 PM
Hello, I'm 52 and have been FIRE'd for 6 years.  I did it the easy way by joining the military.  After 20 years they give you half your pay so you only have to save enough to cover the rest.  My whole life I've been frugal as I've never required much to be satisfied.  MMM turned out to be a collection of people that viewed money as I did. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: flower_girl on May 29, 2018, 04:30:47 AM
Hi everyone.  Aurelia here from NZ.

I have been reading a lot of the website and forum and am very happy to join you.

Best wishes to everyone.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: XC1984 on May 29, 2018, 04:02:00 PM
Hi everyone,

I'm Scott from LA. I'm 52, and have been working for big corporations in the finance area for 30 years. I finally decided to pick a number and a date, and I plan to be FI in 4 years when my daughter finishes college.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tigerclaws on May 31, 2018, 05:34:54 AM
Hey everyone! I am Robyn from Georgia, I am excited to be a part of this community.  I am 53, own my home, zero debt.  I have been my mother's sole full time care giver for 1.5 years.  I am in plan and decision mode for future expenses in case of assisted living needs for Mom.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jimmyshutter on June 03, 2018, 12:47:10 AM
I just turned 53 and wish I was educated earlier in life about investing. I share the same values as many here and I've my quest towards financial freedom.

I hope to learn from many here. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MissyDOP on June 04, 2018, 01:31:13 PM
Hello, Missy from Virginia here.  We became debt free 2 years ago and have never looked back since.  People think we are weird because we pay cash for everything and live on a tight budget.  Look forward to meeting some likeminded people. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JustJayMusic on June 04, 2018, 02:47:11 PM
Hi, I am Jay and have been lurking here for the past few days. My wife and I have a 11 year old son and live outside Philly. (Home of the Super Bowl Champs The Eagles, in case you forgot who won this year) We have slowly dug ourselves out of financial crisis from a failed business, and the outrageous debt that hobbled us for years. Finally back on our feet, (with a little breathing room from an small inheritance) now with money in savings, money in 401/matched 403/529 and the inspiration to grow our retirement fund with tips found here and other places. We still have one financial obstacle to get past (underwater house, we are renting at a loss) but working on solutions for that.

Pleased to meet you all!

Jay
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ray1 on June 05, 2018, 11:40:36 AM
Hi,
I'm Ray.  I've been lurking on this forum for the past several months and have learned a lot.  My wife and I have four children and live in the southeast.  Recently started a blog about side hustles and personal finance and I'm excited to be a part of this community.
-Ray
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JustJayMusic on June 08, 2018, 08:22:59 AM
Hi Ray, Welcome, I'm new here too and wanted to say Hi! You should post your blog site in your signature. I have been looking for some side hustles too and would be interested to see if there are any new things around that I haven't thought of or have skills for . . .

Jay
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Raynae85 on June 08, 2018, 07:34:36 PM
Hi!

Raynae here 33/F/Married/1kid/$100k NW

I’ve been exploring MMM for about 3 months and am learning a lot about myself, my spending habits, and what I want for my future. My husband is about 5 years away from his 20yr. military retirement too. I have a good base (20% mustachian stubble), but am still learning and I’m excited to be apart of the community. I’d love to have my time to myself to read, spend time with families my, volunteer, travel, and perhaps start a small side business someday. I’m also highly social and motivated so I don’t terribly mind juggling a high paced career as a project manager and being a mother and wife for now. I do however want t break away and travel extensively in about 15 years. I wish I would have done more sooner, but here we are and here we go!

I’m really excited to be on this journey! I’m still trying to convince my husband fully though. He’s supportive, but he has no mustache yet. I’ve made some big changes in the last month alone just being more mindful and reducing a lot of stupid lady luxuries and laziness.

Some highlights;
-fully funding $18500 to my 401k (18% now, previously 12%)
-increased mortgage principal payment to $500.00 per month instead of just $100 extra
-opened a vanguard account and bought my first $3000.00 in vtsmx

I’m definitely curious to know how we’re stacking up and what we can improve on, but I’ll save that for another thread. I have some big decisions to make upcoming so I appreciate your help in advance!

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: I Want to Believe on June 11, 2018, 09:10:08 AM
Hi,

My names Patrick from the southwest of England. I found this site looking at something else, and a lot of the ideas are resonating with me. I'm fed up with living in debt, and feeling like I'll never be free to actually live, but didn't understand how it was possible to get there short of a lottery windfall or something equally unlikely.

Reading the articles in the blog and forums showed me that anyone can do it, if they are determined enough. The hardest part is going to be convincing my other half that we need to make some drastic changes. Getting a better rate on the loan now our credit scores have improved is only the first step, but will make it easier to climb out of that deep hole.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JOAT MON on June 12, 2018, 02:22:52 PM
Hey everyone,

I'm a recent (1 year ago) college graduate living in/returning to San Diego. Right now I am living with my parents who live within biking distance of my job while I save up for the down payment on a house. I know that San Diego is a very expensive place to live, but I also find it an exceptionally pleasant place to live and am willing to pay for it.

I work as an electrical engineer and have what I would consider a very good salary. I started reading MMM because in a previous summer internship I had, I spent nearly all of the $17,000 I made that summer with very little to show for it. I was fortunate enough to have no permanent consequences from that experience as well as graduate college debt-free because of generosity from my parents. I am now working towards living at the very opposite end of the consumerism spectrum.

If anyone has any real estate advice for the area or if there are any San Diego area meetups going on, please let me know. I'm excited to be a part of the Mustachian community!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: waylah on June 14, 2018, 02:16:30 AM
Hi!

I'm a scientist and I am so excited to find this place!
I love the idea of being proactive in planning for retirement. Both my partner and I have lots of hobbies we wish we had more time for. I love the idea of figuring out what you want THEN figuring out how much money you need for that, rather than the other way around of just earning money 9-5 because 'that's what people do', and then spending it on whatever.

I live in Australia, no kids (yet), and am new to this website and forum, and many of the concepts (and acronyms!) therein. First step I think is figuring out EXACTLY what our spending is, where it is going. Then I'm going to fill in a 'case study' and soak in all your excellent advice! :D

and keep reading!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: overdrive23 on June 20, 2018, 08:48:01 AM
New here & to FI/RE lifestyle. Slowly dipping into it and trying to get smarter.

My #1 main question is how someone in my current situation can expect themselves to do well with FI/RE. Most of the FIRE stuff I've read is great for people that are early in their lives/careers.

I'm 35, have a wife, house, kid, 2 cars, CC debt, college debt etc..... the "sadly typical trap" of life.

I'm paying as much as possible into our highest interest debt, just got confirmation from VZN that we have no contract and will be switching to Ting or RW shortly.

But honestly, I'm very far from making this happen and it just  seems insurmountable. Can anyone give positive guidance on how someone where I AM NOW can succeed??
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: diapasoun on June 20, 2018, 02:08:04 PM
@overdrive23, I'd suggest heading over into the Case Studies and Ask a Mustachian sections. Read around -- there's plenty of young folks and super high earners on here, but there's also plenty of folks starting in the position that you're in, too. You might also consider starting a case study yourself to get ideas and feedback.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kole with a K on June 21, 2018, 02:13:26 PM
Hello!

I've been reading MMM for a while, after having a financial literacy class in high school, and thought I should get on the forums to find advice and knowledge from some pretty cool people.

I'm currently attending college and avoiding any loans in the process. Picking up internships and work where I can. Making sure I have enough money in my accounts to pay for each year.

College life definitely has lots of spending temptations, especially when your friends have no clue how to lead an even remotely mustachian life. I still join on friend outings, but often spend way less money on dumb stuff and overly expensive foods. So far, loans are out of the picture and looking good for next year. And it should stay that way!

Kole
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GreenEngineer3 on June 22, 2018, 11:22:49 AM
Hello to everyone!

Lee 45/M/Married/2kids/NC area/2028 Class Cohort

Been reading the MMM forums for over a year, but am only posting for the first time this week.  (Previous job did not allow me to interact online)  This forum allows me to interact with like minded individuals who would prefer to reach a level of financial security and personal freedom that seems to be foreign to anyone else that I associate with in my line of work.  Even my closest friends, in the same industry, can't fathom leaving the work place until they reach retirement age.  Enjoying today's indulgences rather than sacrificing for the future is the standard practice.  Whereas, my wife and I are much more frugal and want to pass those teachings on to our kids.... while still planning the day and activities that we will enjoy when we say 'enough is enough'.

Timelines: 3 years to mortgage paid off/5 years until college begins for oldest child/10 years til retirement
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: clarkebarry on June 23, 2018, 01:19:10 AM
Hi,

I am Clarke Barry.

I just love to travel & find interesting things to share around. Barely, I had any month without travelling anywhere. I am a swimmer, blogger and content writer.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mon€yp€nny on June 23, 2018, 07:02:19 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm Moneypenny with €'s cause that is the currency I'm trying to save as much as possible. I live in the Netherlands.

Mom of 2 little girls, wife, admin assistant/ secretary, 42.

Pardon my English in advance. My spelling check isn't very helpful at times and when I'm tired I don't see everything clear in my own language or any other.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: John Galt incarnate! on June 23, 2018, 02:44:13 PM
Greetings to one and all,

A year or so ago I was on the www  reading about recipes for fried potatoes which led me to this website.

As I recall, the first post I read here that day was by Mr. MM himself on the subject of fried potatoes (his favorite recipe I think).

Since then I've been an occasional lurker; today I decided to register.

I'm FI/RE and  live in rural California.

I have B.S. in finance and a J.D. degree so there's plenty of subject matter of interest to me here at Mr. MM's site.

A LOUD HELLO TO ALL!




Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PickingDaisies on June 23, 2018, 09:48:33 PM
Hello
I am a long time follower of MMM and the blog (it’s only been a few years) and I decided to make myself official. I will continue to read until I one day get brave enough to ask for help or voice opinions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rivertop on June 26, 2018, 04:45:39 PM
Hey!

I'm Suzee. Long time lurker, first time poster. 55 from Texas and will FIRE late this year or early next year. Glad to officially join!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BMW Jalopy on June 28, 2018, 01:13:49 PM
Hi. I'm 55, married, kids almost out of college & thus off the payroll. I really need 5 more years to hit my FIRE numbers, but my nerves are fried really bad right now, and a vacation isn't going to help much. Sadly, I never had a high paying job until recently, so every "one more year" makes a profound difference in my after-FIRE spending power. To get up to speed, I'm consuming a large amount of this forum, Mad Fientist, and the reddit people. My spending is completely out of control, so I'm concentrating on that, to increase my savings rate and reduce my FIRE number. I'm finding the effort greatly complicated by having 3 other humans that I'm financially connected to. Very excited to be here, and I see that there are other late bloomers here as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dtmriley on June 28, 2018, 03:44:08 PM
Hi

My name is Dan, 27 years old. Trying to figure it all out, one mustache hair at a time?

Was just turned onto website from a friend who said this sounded like how I live.

I have no debt, biggest area I would say I need work/advice/knowledge is what to do with funds I do have saved, only small portion our invested in market. The rest is in checking acct lol.

I look forward to becoming more involved in this website and community.

Feel free to reach out !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nomadic Becca on June 30, 2018, 07:18:40 AM
Hi, I'm Becca and Just discovered the world of FIRE. I'm based in Berlin Germany and Devon England but am half spanish so i am there sometimes too. My life philosophy for lack of better word is to live freely, maybe in an eco house in Devon or even better sailing around the world. I'm in my mid forties and i wouldn't say I'm retired but am looking for ways to make my money last and that involves some form of work. At present I'm looking at investments, i have enough property for now.

Looking forward to meeting you all.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sanderh on July 01, 2018, 11:42:13 PM
Hi, I'm Sam and have been lurking on the forums off and on for a few years. When I first discovered MMM, I read all the posts (took me days). Not exactly a Mustachian thing to do, sitting and not being productive. It turned out I was mostly living the Mustachian way already. I like hiking and outdoors, science and fiction.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Writer_Girl on July 03, 2018, 07:44:52 PM
Hey all!  You may have guessed by my user name, but I'm a writer.  I work full-time and have manged to pull in some decent side-income by writing.  We'll call it freelancing, but really it's more of a second job.

Basically, I need to retire early because I have something of an invisible (but progressive!) illness and I don't want to end up on disability relying on whatever tiny amount of money the government deems that disabled people are worth.  I want to make sure I'm provided for.

And even before I was diagnosed, well, I was frugal then too, and I had saved a lot.  Thanks, parents. 

I have a little nest egg, a very nice car (I know, I know, not mustachian of me) that I bought at 0% interest, a steady, full-time job that I don't hate, a job outside of that job that gets me the extra money,  a sparkling credit score, low rent, and a single smallish student loan I haven't paid off because it's keeping my credit score sparkly.  I graduated during the recession, so my 401k COULD be a lot better better, but unfortunately the first few years of my career were "staying afloat" and "not accumulating debt" and "not living in a cardboard box" so that went well.  Every year, I up it by 1%, and I use the company match and then some.

I want to learn how to best use the stock market in order to retire early using my freelance income.  Oh, and what I get paid for the clinical trials I'm in can go in there too.   (I'm not going to die though, stop worrying.)

Basically, I told the doctors to attack my incurable ass disease with everything they got, and I'm not going to stress but also going to go for early retirement with what I have.

My one vice:  makeup.  I won't put cheap stuff on my skin. 
My other vice:  my medicine costs more than twice my income but it's cool.  'Merica.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: D.O.G. on July 06, 2018, 07:02:34 AM
Hello from Germany!  My name is Dirk, I'm 53 ys old, photographer and editor and live in the countryside of german Texas (= Bavaria). I have a family, a house, a dog, too many hobbies, a bend for thriftiness and - I think this qualifies me first and foremost - a big mustache :)
 
Thank you all for your interesting posts, I catch myself all the time procrastinating by constantly browsing this forum. I hope I may also contribute something worthwile reading!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mo Geek on July 06, 2018, 11:10:44 PM
Hey everyone! I stumbled across MMM about 1.5 years ago (through a link in a youtube channel, no less!) and was immediately hooked. I've been lurking in the shadows of this forum ever since and thought I'd finally introduce myself!

I'm Monique, 32 years old and live in the Pacific Northwest. My fiance and I own a very modest house, a sweet old dog, and have way too many hobbies that revolve around getting out and exploring the outdoors, whether it be in a raft, on bikes, snowshoes/boards/skies, or in hiking shoes.

I'm super happy to officially join and look forward to becoming more involved in this rad community of mustachians :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PurpleMinion on July 06, 2018, 11:35:01 PM
Hello everyone! I've heard a lot about these forums over the last few years and I finally decided to head on over and sign up.

I'm married with two kids, and about two and a half years ago I decided to go back to school. I just graduated in May, and my dream job will be opening up next year. If I get it (which is very likely, although there are never any guarantees in life), my salary will double. Until then, I've laid out all our debts that we've accumulated and we're trying to pay them down as much as possible. Once my salary goes up, it will be much easier to do that, but until then we'll do the best we can. That's why I'm here. I can't wait to read some great tips and insight from you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Raymond Reddington on July 08, 2018, 03:12:16 PM
Been reading the blog for a couple years now, finally deciding to be more active in terms of pursuing Mustachianism and trying to surround myself with people with similar values. As I've gotten older, I just find people so...unfulfilling by and large. All they want to do is go out to eat and drink things, or spend money on expensive "entertainment" like movies or shows. Plus they mostly want to talk, typically about depressing subjects such as politics, or what they are doing with their life (which is typically not a whole lot, which is why it's depressing). Personally, I find people who are always striving for self improvement and talking about it to be invigorating, exciting to be around, full of ideas, and happy. There is too much cynicism, and I am capable of being a perfectly good pessimist on my own without needing to surround myself with more!

I'm 32, married, living in NYC, no kids. Homeowner with a mortgage. Enjoy brewing beer at home, going to the batting cages, hiking, investing, home improvements, etc. Have great credit, no debt, a moderately high paying job (this is by NY standards, so to many of you it will seem high) that I keep trying to save and invest more of the proceeds from. My job places a lot of demands on my time, so I'd love to retire by 50 (as that's when my pension will be fully vested), although I will certainly settle for 55 (as that's when I'll be able to start collecting from my pension).

I do own a car, but work features variable commutes, often to bad neighborhoods and at hours where public transportation is not running. I don't want to leave this job because of the minimal cost of healthcare and the pension. But I bought the car used, and it's paid off. When I can, I try to take public transportation to and from work. My biggest weakness is probably a tendency to eat lunch out way too frequently on work days.

I want to learn how to get the most for my money, diversify my streams of income in retirement, and otherwise live a healthier, more active lifestyle frugally, and make some friends while doing so.

It's funny, by all metrics, I'm doing great for my age, but yet when I run my own simulations, I always get results that indicate to me I squandered much of my 20s re: saving and investing (even though I did a fair amount), and will never be able to make up for the damage I did. So always looking for more to do that allows me to maintain a similar quality of life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Retyrebye50 on July 09, 2018, 06:22:55 AM
Hello friends,

Matthew from Northeast Ohio here. 39 (soon to be 40), married, no kids, (2) dogs. I am a mechanical engineer (20 years experience) and starting to get tired of the rat race. I am looking to retire in 10 years. I have already been browsing the website for a few weeks and anxious to start reducing my wasteful spending habits and start investing my money into the right places.
Nice to meet you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Britt on July 09, 2018, 06:25:28 PM
Hi, I'm Britt.

I'm 31 years old and in the middle of wedding planning for this October. I have about $31,000 in student loans that I am determined to pay off within the next year or two and this is the first year that I have actually really focused on saving for a rainy day. I'm starting off with baby steps (meaning that I'm focusing on one or two things at a time) because it's pretty common for me to throw myself into something completely, burn out and then give up, and I don't want that to happen here. Glad to have a place for support, ideas, common goals, etc.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SamBea on July 10, 2018, 03:52:16 PM
Hello!

I'm Sam and new to all this. 26 and living in NYC with good pay and some student loans as the only form of debt. This blog has inspired me to pay off my loans by October and try to retire by 41. Excited for the journey!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ladonnabaffuta on July 16, 2018, 10:23:57 AM
Hi, everyone!

I've been reading MMM for a couple of years now, but only recently discovered the forum and the wealth of knowledge here! (Pun intended.)

I've always thought of myself as relatively frugal (through necessity, rather than choice) because I came from a very modest background. I also always assumed that I would need to work until standard retirement age and that retirement calculators were accurate (everyone spends every penny they earn, right??). I've recently begun to question all these assumptions. While I'm not anywhere near the mustache levels of people on this forum, I aspire to be much closer than I am.

I'm 34 and live in SoCal with my husband (no kids yet - hopefully one in the near future). Our combined income is $176.5k. We save about 40% of our income, but we could do much, much better. My husband is naturally pretty thrifty, but there are some things that he is not on board with just yet. I'm focusing on cutting my own wasteful spending first, and then will gently encourage him to consider it, too. (I've already been able to cancel Hulu, Showtime thru Amazon, and Netflix, so I consider these all big wins!) I plan to post my own case study once I get rid of some of the really embarrassing items.

Thanks to everyone who has posted here because I've learned so much already.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bitingbutterfly on July 16, 2018, 10:33:25 PM
Hi!

I discovered MMM a few weeks ago after perusing many debt-reduction blogs and getting inspired. 30, F, Canadian, $65k in debt from law school. I am putting 47% of my take home pay to debt reduction, so hope to be done with it in a few years. New to the frugal mindset but very excited to turn things around and see what life has in store for me :)



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Keely on July 17, 2018, 11:29:24 AM
Hello all!

I'm Keely from Minnesota. Decided to make some changes after becoming incredibly unhappy with my current career and feeling like I couldn't make a change.  I refused to feel so stuck so I started taking action to change things.

29 years old, married for almost 11 years, 2 dogs, 1 toddler.  We have always been relatively frugal but there are definitely areas of our life where we could improve.  I've always had a passion for paying down debt quickly.. I just never tried saving/investing instead.  We have a mortgage and just replaced 25 y/o furnace and AC after something in the AC compressor exploded; currently $6500 left on a 36 month 0% line of credit, which will quickly be paid off.

I'm here to learn and to challenge myself in new ways!  I'm already much happier as a result.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shackleford on July 18, 2018, 03:18:41 AM
Hi.  I'm Shackleford, 38 years old from Scotland (although right now I live/work in Norway).  I'm single and I've spent the last seven years working overseas.  I don't really enjoy my work very much, so I'm looking at how I could shorten my working life (or certainly shorten my time in my current career), hence how I've found my way on to this website. 

Currently working my way through the monster "overheard at work" thread which is very entertaining! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BestCoast on July 18, 2018, 03:21:07 PM
Hi, all. BestCoast here, 30 y/o man in the Seattle area. Married, one newborn child, supported by my income plus a little freelance work. Renting for the foreseeable future (crazy house prices in the NW as you're all surely aware). No debt besides my last $3k in student loans, which should be gone by September. Excited to share my journey to greater badassity, and learn from yours!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Epor on July 19, 2018, 12:14:00 PM
Hello!

I've been reading MMM for a while, after having a financial literacy class in high school, and thought I should get on the forums to find advice and knowledge from some pretty cool people.

I'm currently attending college and avoiding any loans in the process. Picking up internships and work where I can. Making sure I have enough money in my accounts to pay for each year.

College life definitely has lots of spending temptations, especially when your friends have no clue how to lead an even remotely mustachian life. I still join on friend outings, but often spend way less money on dumb stuff and overly expensive foods. So far, loans are out of the picture and looking good for next year. And it should stay that way!

Kole

Was MMM specifically mentioned in your class, or did you just stumble here after looking for more information on financial topics?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Epor on July 19, 2018, 12:19:30 PM
Hi, everyone!

I've been reading MMM for a couple of years now, but only recently discovered the forum and the wealth of knowledge here! (Pun intended.)

I've always thought of myself as relatively frugal (through necessity, rather than choice) because I came from a very modest background. I also always assumed that I would need to work until standard retirement age and that retirement calculators were accurate (everyone spends every penny they earn, right??). I've recently begun to question all these assumptions. While I'm not anywhere near the mustache levels of people on this forum, I aspire to be much closer than I am.

I'm 34 and live in SoCal with my husband (no kids yet - hopefully one in the near future). Our combined income is $176.5k. We save about 40% of our income, but we could do much, much better. My husband is naturally pretty thrifty, but there are some things that he is not on board with just yet. I'm focusing on cutting my own wasteful spending first, and then will gently encourage him to consider it, too. (I've already been able to cancel Hulu, Showtime thru Amazon, and Netflix, so I consider these all big wins!) I plan to post my own case study once I get rid of some of the really embarrassing items.

Thanks to everyone who has posted here because I've learned so much already.

I like that! Welcome and your username is very nice too.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: artemidorus on July 20, 2018, 09:02:48 AM
Hi!

32/M/Married/First kid on the way. I've been reading MMM for 4-5 years and checked out more of the forum in the last year, I've finally decided to speak up.

In my 5ish years of reading, I finished paying off my $50K in student loans within 8 years of graduating, and have significantly ticked up my savings rate to 50%. This will be my first year maxing out both my 401k and ROTH IRA, while hopefully investing more on top of that. While I'm at best a below-average level Mustachian, the small steps I've taken from this community are significantly affecting my future, and my stress levels are a fraction of what they were 5 years ago when the paycheck-to-paycheck life took a big toll on me.

Looking for some new efficiencies as I become a parent, I'll certainly be leaning more on this community as I try to avoid the spendypants habits of literally every person in my life that is a parent!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CaliGirl on July 20, 2018, 11:47:30 AM
Hi!

I'm fairly new to the FI concept as I only stumbled onto it about a month or so ago. Since then, I've devoured MMM's blog posts along with a few others, subscribed to a several podcasts and bought and read "The Simple Path to Wealth."

Unfortunately, I've already succumbed to life style inflation and so now I'm focused on reigning that in. Fortunately, I've always loved money so I've been a decent saver along the way.

I love everyone's contributions to the support I see in this community! Thank you so much for all of the posts and the information. I've already made several changes in my life and I continue to keep on the lookout for more!  FI is a dim light at the end of the tunnel right now, but I'm focused on growing it bit by bit!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bdbspeed on July 20, 2018, 06:02:25 PM
Hello fellow Mustachians!

I'm 29yo living in Seattle and discovering the FI/RE community has changed my life.
 
My journey into the world of frugality began with the first chapter of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I had been practicing frugality and anti-consumerism for 7 years before discovering Paula Pant's podcasts last year which led me down the rabbit hole: Vicki Robbin, JD Roth, JL Collins, MMM, Mad Fientist, etc.

It's refreshing to meet an enthusiastic group of like-minded people. I love how the FI/RE community combines many of my convictions and interests: Minimalism, DIY, Anti-consumerism, unconventional living, frugality, experience > things, etc.

Currently I maintain a very comfortable 50-55% savings rate. I plan to start buying rental properties in early 2020 and be LEAN-FI by age 35. By the time I'm 45 I want to be DOUBLE-FI: $1,000,000 in equities and $40,000/yr cash-flowing from rental properties.

I live in the Seattle area. Let's hang!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brute on July 23, 2018, 07:06:11 AM
Welcome aboard!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ladonnabaffuta on July 23, 2018, 02:05:43 PM
@Epor thanks! The case study is a bit of a killer because I know exactly what needs to go, but I've haven't fully converted my DH just yet...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ajb147 on July 26, 2018, 07:44:24 PM
Hey!  I'm Adam and am ready to take the leap into FIRE at 31.  Looking forward to learning from you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bhoneydew on July 26, 2018, 08:00:07 PM
Hi.  The Automatic Millionaire started it for me back in the mid 2000's.  I really enjoy reading everything on this site.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bgfoot on July 28, 2018, 02:28:14 PM
Hi. Tom
I started following the forum about a year. Finally joined
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ymoccy on July 30, 2018, 09:00:08 PM
Hi I'm Alyssa. I found MMM recently and I've been madly reading, learning, and applying everything I can basically. I found MMM while researching how to pay off debt faster. I've found the lifestyle and philosophy really jives with me and the tips have been really helpful. The big game changer for me recently is that my husband is finally on board with living more frugally - before this I could only do so much to make up for his spending. Now we're on track to pay off our student loans reasonably quickly. He's about to open an RRSP to take advantage of his work's matching program. Once the loans are slayed, investing will be next. We live in Edmonton Alberta Canada.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Douggyfr3sh on July 31, 2018, 03:28:43 PM
Hey everyone!

I'm Doug.  I'm a software engineer and poker player from Maine.  I found MMM after listening to Pete's interview on the Tim Ferris podcast.  I'm 30 and have too much debt and not enough invested, but I am very motivated to change that!

I love mountain/cross-country biking, hiking, camping, whitewater rafting, etc.  I also love movies and wish I had better facial hair.

Looking forward to soaking in all the knowledge in these forums :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sanderh on August 02, 2018, 08:04:02 PM
Hi!

I'm a scientist and I am so excited to find this place!
I love the idea of being proactive in planning for retirement. Both my partner and I have lots of hobbies we wish we had more time for. I love the idea of figuring out what you want THEN figuring out how much money you need for that, rather than the other way around of just earning money 9-5 because 'that's what people do', and then spending it on whatever.

I live in Australia, no kids (yet), and am new to this website and forum, and many of the concepts (and acronyms!) therein. First step I think is figuring out EXACTLY what our spending is, where it is going. Then I'm going to fill in a 'case study' and soak in all your excellent advice! :D

and keep reading!
Welcome from Australia, waylah! My situation is somewhat similar to yours, including the country, but I found MMM years ago. Have been lurking and recently posting.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ReginaD. on August 02, 2018, 11:46:19 PM
Hello everyone,
My name is Regina, I live in Kansas with my husband Robin. He's a lawyer, I'm an artist. We're sharing the same dream to travel around the world. So I suppose - it's never too late to think about our savings? Luckily, I found this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sanderh on August 03, 2018, 04:53:59 PM
Hello everyone,
My name is Regina, I live in Kansas with my husband Robin. He's a lawyer, I'm an artist. We're sharing the same dream to travel around the world. So I suppose - it's never too late to think about our savings? Luckily, I found this community.
Welcome, Regina! It's never too late if you are still alive and posting :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kasterborus on August 05, 2018, 01:40:52 PM
Hi,

Just paid off the mortgage at exactly the 15 year half way point - should have got a 15 year mortgage after all.
Now 100% debt free, and living as frugally as possible.

Still working an 8-5 IT job, but now looking for ways to avoid that too. ;)

Rapidly developing the woodworking skills - replaced all the window sashes on my house, and just climbed down from the roof after replacing some corner siding.

Looking for some guidance on what to do next, investment, rental property etc...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JustInStarting on August 06, 2018, 07:45:33 PM
Hello everyone,

I've been reading MMM on and off for several years, and the forum for several months. I wish I had known about this forum when I was much younger. Well, better late than never, right? 😊

I've learned so much from this forum, and look forward to learning more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ellewoods on August 07, 2018, 02:02:35 PM
Hi Everyone!  My name is Elle.  I live in Los Angeles.  I am an attorney and mother of 2 pre-school age children.  My husband and I both do well salary-wise but are looking to take it to the next level with investing.  Been listening to some investing podcasts and through them discovered this community.  So hello to all of you and hope to be chatting soon!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sir Tom of Ato on August 07, 2018, 10:25:13 PM
Hi all!

I go by Tom, and I stumbled upon MMM a few days ago. I'm 21, I have one more year of college, and I don't like beer.

A week ago I hadn't even thought about the idea of early retirement (I haven't even started my career yet, after all), but now I can't help but picture myself financially independent in my 30s! By then I hope to have married my girlfriend and probably have kid(s).

I'm hoping the kind people here can help hone my habits and skills in the next months while I am still in school with just part time work, even before I get out and start full-time work, so that I don't fall into the typical American trap.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Major Tom on August 08, 2018, 11:53:37 PM
Hi All

Major Tom here. I already posted my case study some time ago. I thank all who responded with their helpful and insightful comments.
Now working hard to stick to my plan and taking on any tips and clues from all the other badasses. Could be more of a serious BA but - luxury is a weakness I need to remind myself.

FIRE will be down the cobblestone path for me!

MTom

Australia
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jenydiaz on August 10, 2018, 05:08:57 AM
Hello everyone.
My name is Jeny, I live in Sydney and work in IT.
I am very interested in this new philosophy of life.
Thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AngelaG86 on August 10, 2018, 04:37:30 PM
Hi,

I'm Angela, 31, engaged. Have a mountain of debt from a business that went south. Fiance also has a mountain of debt (I'm not sure of how much, except for the mortgage). When he comes home from work next week, we're going to have a sit down to discuss it, and see if I can nudge him towards the MMM way of seeing things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sedgry on August 10, 2018, 06:00:55 PM
Hi,

I started reading MMM in college. I started saving money whenever I could and between part time jobs, investing my spare cash rather than buying beer, and some help from my parents I managed to graduate with no debt and around 5k worth of VTI. I just started my first full time job and I'm hoping to save a nice percentage of my income. Hoping to hit financial independence around ten years from now. Will probably be poking around the forum periodically.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ec to er on August 11, 2018, 12:36:31 PM
Hi,
I'm 18 live in the DC/Baltimore area and about to enter college for a degree in computer science and have read MMM for a while. For the past few years I've been thinking of ways to retire early and I've found getting through college within 1-2 years would save a lot of time and allow for a quicker retirement. So through dual enrollment in community college in high school and AP and CLEP tests through resources such as modern states I have gotten 82 college credits. I'm hoping to pull 2 20 or so credit semesters in order to graduate within a year.

Next I'm Planning on living at home for a year or two to save 40k to put 20% down on a 3 bedroom house in a college town in that area and rent out the remaining rooms to cover the mortgage. Hoping to then invest most of the money I earn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: antman on August 17, 2018, 08:25:08 AM
Hello Everyone,

First post on this forum.  I'm antman.  Becoming FIRE has been a dream of mine.  However, people around me do not understand this method of thinking.  Until I stumbled upon this forum, which I am greatful to find.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rivendale on August 19, 2018, 04:55:59 PM
Hello!

I've been lurking on the forum and reading through the blog posts for a few weeks now and thought I'd jump in. I'm impressed with the depth of resources available here and am looking forward to learning and applying all I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jasontcrocker on August 19, 2018, 05:45:04 PM
Hey all!

Just getting into learning about FI and I'm so excited! As a self-employed individual, I'm wondering if there are articles or people I should pay close attention to in the FI world to learn more about how to apply these practices to my situation? I.E. variable income. Also, I'm wondering if my savings rate should be calculated differently since a lot of my monthly expenses are for my business and those wouldn't necessarily continue once I hit FI. Thanks in advance for any help, excited to dive deep!

Cheers,

J
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Goodidea on August 22, 2018, 07:27:34 PM
Howdy all. Goodidea from California here :)

Looking forward to learning and talking shop with ya'll.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DeedlesSci on August 23, 2018, 10:05:07 AM
Hi all!

My name is Deanna. I live in Eastern Washington with my husband. I have always been frugal, but got interested in retiring early about a year ago. We are dinks with one dog and live a pretty quiet life on 2/3 of an acre in Pasco, WA. The plan is to retire in 10 years or so at 45 and 48. We are both educators, trade school instructor and community college professor. Depending on how saving goes, my husband may retire in 3 years with me working part-time for 3 to take advantage of things like health care benefits and to do a sort of dress rehearsal for retirement... see if we can live off of just what I bring in as an adjunct. I look forward to being a part of this community which I hope will help keep my ideals aligned to my current goal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: seaslug on August 23, 2018, 01:48:20 PM
Hello!

Seaslug here. Without knowing it, I have been about 50% Mustachian, 50% delusional spender as I traversed the roller coaster of being an artist in NY. Recently became interested in becoming financially stable, and beginning to wonder whether I can scratch out a life on my social security when the time comes. I have never been able to face these issues as they've always appeared hopeless to me.

As soon as I learned of the blog I began reading it obsessively, and it has given me a lot of hope. A lot of the Mustachian ways come easily to me because I've been broke for so long. But the student loan has meanwhile languished, though I now see I can face it down. I will post the ugly numbers in the case studies section at some point.

I am too old to retire "early," but at least I can become independent and am excited to do so.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Grinding for Freedom on August 26, 2018, 05:25:58 AM
Greetings from Finland, fellow Mustachians!

I've been reading this forum for 5+ years, and some time ago I made the choice to eventually sign up.

My nickname pretty much sums up my feelings towards FIRE: The lack of emotional stimulation in corporate cubicle is making me numb and unhappy. I'm also concerned about the health impacts of sitting & staring a screen several hours per day. Life is not supposed to be like that!

However, my current work position is a logical continuation of my 12 year long corporate career. It matches my education and I get paid well enough. When you have a mortgage, life choices are limited.

So, gotta keep on grinding.. for freedoooom!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Charles Darwin on August 27, 2018, 01:43:00 PM
Hi All,

Discovered MMM in December 2017 and been regular reader since. Decided to start posting more often. I live in Seattle and can commiserate with anyone else in a HCOL area.

I thought I lived frugally before but probably averaging about $1,000 less in spending per month since the beginning of 2018 and trying to keep lowering it!

Thanks for all the informative and inspirational posts! Looking forward to participating more!

Charles
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fiserkre on August 30, 2018, 10:33:44 AM
Man, what an awesome forum.  I first became aware of this site from reading posts on a hiking website I’m a member of, and one of the posters there mentioned it.  I’d been to the MMM site many times before to read the blog posts, but never checked out the forum until recently.  Looks like a bunch of financial obsessed nerds…just like myself. I have no one to talk to about this stuff because no one I know is interested in retiring before the government defined retirement age, so I’m really pumped to get involved here.
 
So about me, I’m a 45 year old male, married with 2 kids.  I work full time and the wife works part time.  Everything we have is paid off including the house.  The only “debt” we carry is that we use a credit card for everything and pay it off each month (i.e. to get the points to get cash back or air miles or whatever).

I feel like I’m a little late to the party because I didn’t start aspiring to the moustachian life style until sometime in the last 10 years or so, and then didn’t actually take action to make this happen until more recently.  I’m glad to see there are others on here in the same boat.  My current goal is to be financially independent so that I can retire, elect to work part time or do whatever I want to do somewhere in the 52 – 55 year old age range.
 
So far I think I’m in line with the values presented here with respect to having everything paid off, maxing out retirement accounts, saving additional money outside of retirement accounts, sticking to a budget and so on.  Where I have some work to do is the “frugal” lifestyle thing.  I’m probably not too far from getting there, but it’s been quite the psychological journey thus far.  I’ve never been into “nice” things, so I don’t own a lot of expensive stuff (i.e. luxury cars, high end furniture, jewelry etc.), rather I just own a lot of stuff.  So I need to start paring things down and work towards a more minimalistic lifestyle.
 
Anyhoo, like I said I’m looking forward to participating in the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sanderh on August 30, 2018, 10:54:45 PM
Welcome, Fiserkre! I know several people to whom your description
I don’t own a lot of expensive stuff (i.e. luxury cars, high end furniture, jewelry etc.), rather I just own a lot of stuff. 
applies. All mostly sensible people, just a slight hamster-like tendency of hoarding :) MMM recommends "storage in the cloud" for stuff, i.e. sell unused items on Craigslist or the local equivalent and buy from same if need the items in the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Thisironiclife on August 31, 2018, 11:05:24 AM
Hi I'm Tobey. Small biz owner and a reader for about 5 years. I've been saving like crazy and now's the time to start real estate investment steps. I am TERRIFIED (and excited). Excitified?

I am really looking forward to more actively using the forum, all my friends and my BF think I'm crazy with my frugality and constant real estate research.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PowerStache on September 01, 2018, 05:46:11 PM
Hi there!  I have been reading MMM, MMM forum and many other FIRE blogs for a few years now.  As time gets close to my FIRE date (end of 2018!), I am joining the discussion instead of hanging out as a guest. 

Looking forward to being a part of the group.
PowerStache
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ItsALongStory on September 02, 2018, 10:02:54 PM
hey,

I'm a 37yo male living in the western US, but originally from Europe. My wife is turning 60 this fall and has been retired (on a gov pension) for 15 years, she was in a bad marriage for many years so she mostly does her own thing as far as travel when I don't have the time off to join her. We talked about retirement and FIRE stuff today and her response was that she supports me as long as it does not impact her ability to live in the here and now. She has had skin cancer and a stroke since we met just over 10 years ago and isn't taking tomorrow for granted.

We are not living frugally by any stretch of the imagination but despite that I have made some decent headway towards early retirement in past years and will continue to do so. My response to her was that I expect the same respect from her as it relates to respecting my goals and she didn't oppose. All of that means that this FIRE approach is basically a solo effort for me. I am fortunate to make good money and have excellent benefits which help out with the staching.

Looking forward to learning loads about setting myself up for FIRE abroad, my current target age is probably 55 years old but through these forums I hope to shave a number of years off of that. Potential destinations for the RE is a lower cost country in Europe such as Portugal but I haven't spent too much time thinking about it to be honest.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: redhead84 on September 11, 2018, 11:26:36 AM
Hi all! I've been a reading and enjoying MMM and the forum for awhile. Decided to finally join in for myself.

Mid-30's, married, CPA, no kids (undecided about kids) living in the upper Midwest. I learned good money habits from my family, and I've always been a saver.

DH is the youngest of 5 kids in a family that had a massive increase in wealth during his formative years. Fortunately, I got to him while he was young, and he went from slightly impulsive spender to a saver the sometimes needs a reminder to live a little. ;)

I started to reading MMM in an attempt to figure out "what comes next" in my relationship with money. Now I'm trying to balance my lofty FIRE aspirations with DH's puritanical work ethic.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brian.ellwood on September 13, 2018, 10:47:09 AM
What's up everyone?

My name is Brian Ellwood. I'm a real estate investor and a coach.

I teach others how to create freedom through passive income, through purchasing rental properties.

I'm excited to be a part of this community. I was turned onto it by a friend.

Looking forward to helping everyone out and learning from you as well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lollipop_hurricane on September 13, 2018, 10:56:25 AM
Hello Everyone,

I'm in my mid40s and we just bought a house in a really rural area.  We had a large down payment, and I signed us up for a 15 year mortgage.  I feel really poor now, cause I put all our money into that down payment.  I hate that feeling.  I can't wait to build up more savings again.

I'm used to living frugally, but since I've been married(12years)  some of my habits have gotten rusty.  I look forward to learning and sharing tips on this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kahooli on September 13, 2018, 05:21:30 PM
First post.
Man the anti-spam on this forum is stronk :D
----------------
Hi I'm Kahooli. I'm 30 years old, I have a bachelors of science in electron management, I live in the midwest.
I have made quite a few anti-mustachian mistakes in my life that I have been working to correct.
But then again I have done some good things. I paid off that car loan in a couple years, my student loans in a few, and until I bought my house always lived with room mates.
I have always been a saver/investor so I do have a reasonable 2x my current salary saved between retirement accounts, HSA, and cash. Not a mustachian figure by any means, but I haven't been living the mustachian way either. I still have ~75% of my mortgage to pay but I have no intention of staying here. In the past two years my LTR imploded, my good friends moved away, and my job started sucking a bit. I have calculated that my best option is to finish the renovations the place needs and sell next spring. So that's the plan!

For my next six months I have these minimum daily personal goals:

My short term goals are:
Once I get that far I can start knocking out the intermediate goals of house reno.

Stuff:
I  have a pretty large collection of expensive tools and test equipment. I have a problem letting people send things to the dump.  I'm pretty sure if it came down to it I could get a license to be a steam fitter in my city and do residential steam as a retirement gig (I have had to do a lot of repairs and remediation to the steam heating system in my home).
But yeah, all my stuff is just a liability at this point. I have so much hobby shit. Much of it I bought and have never used. I'm sure I can resell most of it but I'll lucky to get 30% aggregate capital recovery. I have a motorcycle I don't ride anymore (mice ate the wiring harness and I just gave up on it mentally). I have all the shit that goes with owning a motorcycle.

Current savings rate:
I will save the maximum in my 401k this year! it's a first for me. 2018
I will save the yearly max in a roth IRA ( I have always done this) 2018
I have a HDHP again this coming year, so I should be on track for putting the max into the HSA as well (2019).
But I have not calculated the total rate directly. Rough figures are around 30% of gross income.
I could probably use a bigger emergency fund. I have built myself a treasury bill ladder that would last me a year of basic living expenses (ex-mortgage, I'm assuming to shed that soon)

I fully expect all financial markets to collapse soon. I'm excited to be able to dump a tonne of money into a bear market over the next five years. I have zero concerns over employment security. Right now my only worry is getting rid of my house. It causes me stress daily.

In general I think I'll be able to "retire" at 40 and start doing whatever. The numbers work in my favor as long as I stick to my long term plans. It could be sooner if I do a better job controlling my human impulses. Could be later. But I know it wont be 62, 67, 70. The idea of it makes my stomach turn.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Riverglade on September 15, 2018, 05:47:17 AM
Hi,

Riverglade from Australia here. Have enjoyed the blog the last few months and now reading my way through the forum threads. Married with two young children, and working part-time. Although relatively frugal, MMM has completely changed my mind-set about lifestyle and money! Can't wait to continue learning with you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Money Beets on September 16, 2018, 11:30:58 AM
Hello!  I'm a 32 year old from rural Ohio.  I started reading the blog about 3 months ago and already feel way more optimistic about reaching financial independence.  I recently left my miserable law job for the public sector and, while I am much happier now, I want the freedom to walk away whenever I choose.  I am fortunate to have a spouse who is not a spender and is willing to go along with my experiments in frugality.  We have a 20 year mortgage with about $139,000 on it at 3.25% and a student loan debt emergency of $45,000.  I am looking forward to learning more from the group!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WHY_FI on September 17, 2018, 09:24:10 PM
Hey everyone! Glad to see all these fresh faces going for a more free life.

I've been lurking for so long I feel like I already know people here, finally got the motivation to say hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kaibutsu on September 19, 2018, 11:20:24 AM
Hi All,

I am so glad I found this site.  I just joined up next week.  This is exactly what I needed.  I actually laughed out loud at the coincidence of this, because this is exactly what pushed me over the edge and decided I needed to be debt-free.

"So how does the Mr. Money Mustache target audience differ from that of Mr. Ramsey? I’m crediting Junior Mustaches as being a bit more adult than the folks needing the “baby steps” in his plan. You don’t need be slapped around to get your first $1000 available for tiny emergencies like a water heater replacement."

I'm still in process of catching up from my water heater replacement about two months ago.  I make enough money that I shouldn't be struggling every month to pay my bills, and I'm tired of struggling when we shouldn't be struggling.  We almost enrolled for the FPU class near us, but it seems like a pretty long, drawn out process for something that should be fairly simple, and I'm not particularly on board with it being so religion-based.  Whatever, I guess, it's just not my thing.  Our biggest issue was not paying attention to where our money was going...for years and years...and having the old adage of too much month at the end of our money being true every time payday was just around the corner.

I'm also in process of doing some "minimalizing" as well just to simplify things a little more, and help pay off some of our debt.  Craigslist has been pretty helpful in that respect.

I feel like my biggest barrier to becoming debt free is making sure my spouse is on-board.  If anyone has any suggestions for that, I'd love to hear them.  I just want the peace and freedom of knowing we're mostly or completely debt free.  They often feel like we're "too old to not get some of the things in life" that they feel they deserve.  The funny thing is, I've been doing things to curb our debt for years now.  Bought a used truck that wasn't some crazy car payment every month, I never buy lunches at work, and do all the work on our house, other than the aforementioned water heater.  Screw plumbing, at least that kind of plumbing!  Anyway I would love to hear suggestions about getting spouses on board with getting on track.

I honestly don't care about retiring early.  I really love what I do so I don't want to ever stop doing that, at least right now.  It would be nice to know that I have the option to retire if I ever change my mind.

Again, so grateful I found this site.  It's exactly what I needed, a community of like-minded people.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREball567 on September 20, 2018, 09:21:00 PM
Hi! I'm a teacher in my early 30's, married, and recently started learning about investing. I've been learning a lot and can't wait to learn from everyone on this forum. I stumbled upon this site by searching up bank bonuses.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: arivera3483 on September 21, 2018, 11:53:22 AM
Hi all! Really just started the journey to true FI, just late to the game at 35. Still building net worth, but am down to only having 4 debt emergencies: 2 credit cards (20% utilized beyond normal monthly charges to get points, one for my wife and one for me) my student/graduate loans, my wife's graduate loans, and our house. Was able to pay off the last car, a private loan, and 2 credit cards off earlier this year, one of which I never plan to use. The good thing is I have had a lot of employers with fantastic 401(k) matching which I've managed to max every time.

My goal is FI and more time at home to make the side hustle I have more full time, and/or pick-up a trade as a side. Can't wait to get there and learn from those who've gone before me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: super hans on September 22, 2018, 04:40:18 PM
Oi oi! I'm super hans. I teach Portuguese in a DLI (Dual Language Immersion) Elementary School and I've the goal to find people that think like me.
I hate to spend money and my biggest dream is to retire in the next 8 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Skyhigh on September 26, 2018, 09:47:59 PM
Hi everyone ! I was able to achieve financial independence in my 20's but found it boring and unadventurious. I threw myself back into the rat race and ended up expanding my lifestyle considerably through marriage, children and a disastrous career. As a result, my minimalist life was completely blown up.

The urgent need to earn pushed me into business for myself and am back on track. Building a business has not been fun but I am glad I did it. My large family will ensure that I will never be able to be a minimalist again however I am very interested in financial independence. I could close up shop, sell off the assets and retire but I don't think I would like that very much. I spend many years sleeping in, travel, skiing midweek, and killing days at the library and it did not make me happy.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cool Hwhip on October 01, 2018, 08:55:20 PM
Hello Mustachians!
I am a little late to the party but have been lurking here and in the community for about a year and a half. I learned of the community when I read this article in Crains Chicago Business. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170223/ISSUE03/170229947/joining-the-fire-financially-independent-retiring-early (https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20170223/ISSUE03/170229947/joining-the-fire-financially-independent-retiring-early)
I immediately went to the Mr. Money Mustache Blog and started reading. The FI snowball started to roll. Now I am a regular reader of many FI blogs and listen to several FI podcasts. Can't wait to see the documentary that is coming soon.
Have made quite a few adjustments and improvements to my FI plan because of the great information shared in this community. I hope to continue to learn and maybe contribute in a small way in the future.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wild forest on October 02, 2018, 01:18:46 PM
Hi,

I googled about "should I pay off my mortgage" and it led me here.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TeamCoffee on October 05, 2018, 04:56:07 PM
Hello!

My husband and I are not new to MMM, but we are new to actually following the frugal living idea.  Between MMM and Frugalwoods, we feel like we have finally found our place!

We currently live in Seattle with our three young kids and one dog, but will be moving to the Snoqualmie area in Spring of 2019 after we sell our home in the Ballard area.

We are really hoping to meet like-minded Mustachians and/or Frugalwoodians.  :D

Our family likes the outdoors.  And coffee.  And books.  And working out.  And food.  And definitely cheese.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: winterberrybiscuits on October 09, 2018, 08:56:34 AM
Hi! I stumbled upon this community a few weeks ago and it seems to fit fairly well with my values. I'm mid-thirties and am within months of paying off my student debt. I started paying attention to my finances just three years ago; and even though I feel a little late to the game, I'm really proud of the progress I've made.
Never in my life did I think I would be so excited to start saving money.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on October 09, 2018, 09:08:24 AM
Hi! I stumbled upon this community a few weeks ago and it seems to fit fairly well with my values. I'm mid-thirties and am within months of paying off my student debt. I started paying attention to my finances just three years ago; and even though I feel a little late to the game, I'm really proud of the progress I've made.
Never in my life did I think I would be so excited to start saving money.

Welcome!!  I didn't start paying attention to $$ things until my early FIFTIES, so good for you for starting 20 years earlier than I did!!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dusty Boots on October 10, 2018, 09:26:00 PM
Hi! I stumbled upon this community a few weeks ago and it seems to fit fairly well with my values. I'm mid-thirties and am within months of paying off my student debt. I started paying attention to my finances just three years ago; and even though I feel a little late to the game, I'm really proud of the progress I've made.
Never in my life did I think I would be so excited to start saving money.

Welcome!!  I didn't start paying attention to $$ things until my early FIFTIES, so good for you for starting 20 years earlier than I did!!  :)

You aren't alone. I just discovered FI/RE in general and Mr. Money Mustache in particular a week ago at age 49. I wish I had discovered these concepts decades ago; I could be FI by now if I had, and would have avoided a lot of face-punchy decisions along the way.

My wife passed away in 2016 and it really hit me hard, for obvious reasons. But it was also a wake up call. Since I had to deal with cleaning up her half of our finances as well as handling her probate, medical bills, funeral expenses, etc, I started looking at the whole ball of wax (including my own stuff), and I didn't like what I saw. I wouldn't say I was drowning in debt compared to many people, but I was looking at a long road until retirement. So, for two years, I've been working on getting my affairs in order. All in all, I did pretty good for having to "reinvent the wheel".

Last week, a coworker pointed me to the FI/RE area on reddit, which lead me here. Since then, I binged my way through all the posts "since the beginning of time". (Okay, I may have skipped a few that didn't apply, such as the ones about raising mini-mustachians, since my only munchkin is with her ma.)

And here I am, tall in the saddle and ready to put my wranglers to work. (Mr. Money Mustache has "employees", Dusty Boots has "wranglers".)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Little Orange on October 10, 2018, 09:40:20 PM
Hi Everyone
I'm Lucie, my husband and 2 daughters and I currently live in Indonesia.  I have no idea about any of this and am now using my housewife time to learn more.
I am not working at the moment so my husband is the sole earner.  We made a decision 6 years ago to join RL360 - and up until yesterday thought everything was ok...now we know differently and are looking for ways to fix this.
Looking forward to learning more and gaining more knowledge and expertise so that we can begin to pick ourselves up again and get back on track.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lincolnshire Girl on October 11, 2018, 01:58:52 AM
Hello all. I started reading MMM a few years ago but a change of career made me lose focus and now I need to get back into it again - so I'm taking it seriously this time!

Mum of 3 university students, wife of a hardworking cyclist and owner of an independent therapy business.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Matz_70 on October 14, 2018, 02:43:35 AM
Hi, I'm Matz, born in the 70s with a wife and a cat. I wanted to retire at 30 but instead we traveled a lot, took time off and had fast cars. No regrets.
I'm from Germany, now in Brisbane. I've been charting our finances for 20 years but still not retired. Saving 66% and about 2 years worth in the bank.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kencarylscott on October 16, 2018, 10:26:22 AM
Hello everyone!  Been reading FIRE stuff for a while, trying to push our way there, looking to take it to another level and get some advice from the community.  Will be posting our numbers shortly.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Assetup on October 17, 2018, 10:27:50 AM
Finally decided to register an account after lurking for 2+ years.  I have learned a ton from this forum and really appreciate all of the people that take their time to explain everything!

My SO and I have been trying to make good financial choices while waiting to become DINKs(one of us was in grad school but we avoided student loans).  Starting next year we should start aggressively going after our goal of being FI in our mid 30s.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MichaelYMG on October 24, 2018, 12:41:44 PM
Hello

long time lurker, finally decided to join

I live our in the country in Northeast PA.

Looking forward to learning from everyone.

ps those capcha are a bear, I started to worry I was a robot ;)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ulysses Everett McGill on October 24, 2018, 01:03:03 PM
Hello everyone,

I have just recently learned of the FIRE movement, but have been living for many years in pursuit of the goal of a mid-50's retirement.  I am 52 now and close to FI.  The main impediment is my business lease that runs until 4/2022.  I am operating with a goal of a complete wind down of business by 12/31/2021. 

I found this forum about 2 weeks ago.  I look forward to learning about, and eventually living, a FI life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dogastrophe on October 25, 2018, 09:32:33 AM
Hello from the Canadian east coast!

Been lurking for a while and figured it was about time I registered.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: adventurestache on October 25, 2018, 05:49:16 PM
Hello! I'm a long time reader of MMM and thought I'd join the forum to talk with other like-minded folks. I'd love to chat about travel, backpacking, biking, and practically any other outdoor adventures you do. I'd also love to learn from you all about your strategies for being frugal or even making additional income to speed up early retirement. I live in St. Paul, MN, if there happen to be any fellow twin cities lurkers here.

I'm all about learning and expanding my horizons, so I can't wait to start participating in the forums to do just that!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OldMother on October 26, 2018, 10:04:52 AM
Hi,
I've been under a mountain of debt for quite some time.  I've made progress in some areas, like paying down my credit cards from over ~$15k at the end of 2016 to ~$2800  as of today.  I still need lots of help.  I feel like I need to adopt a MMM + minimalism lifestyle to find some sort of happiness. 

Time to get to work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tighterbelt on October 28, 2018, 12:06:48 PM
Hey everyone,

I found this site a few months ago and have found it really interesting and inspiring.  I'm 40, UK based and starting to think seriously about the next 15-20 years.   I don't yet know what my FI looks like but I'm working on it!

Thanks for all of the information shared so far.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gail2000 on October 28, 2018, 07:20:51 PM
Hello there,

I am a new reader. I am happy to say living frugally but still looking for ways to gain traction. I have 5year old and a live in boyfriend that are both non moustcians. I’m trying to get them on board.

The level of kindness and intelligence from this group is impressive and breath of fresh air. While I am years away from early retirement, I am looking forward to meeting all of you and continuing my journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gail2000 on October 28, 2018, 07:22:07 PM
Hello there,

I am a new reader. I am happy to say living frugally but still looking for ways to gain traction. I have 5year old and a live in boyfriend that are both non moustcians. I’m trying to get them on board.

The level of kindness and intelligence from this group is impressive and breath of fresh air. While I am years away from early retirement, I am looking forward to meeting all of you and continuing my journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: iliketocode on November 04, 2018, 08:03:20 PM
Hi there!

Found out about MMM on YouTube, was some news report.  I was instantly smitten with the lifestyle of having copious free time to do things other than sit behind the desk 8+ hours a day.  I'm not in a dire financial straight, but I'm sick and tired of my current working arrangement.  What I REALLY want to know is how to invest my current income and then have that generate a healthy return.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tate on November 06, 2018, 07:29:22 AM
Hello,
I have been wandering this site since March learning as I go along. Thanks to the site, this forum and some hard work, I am in the best financial shape I have ever been. I just saved up enough to convert my VTSMX over to VTSAX! At the beginning of the year I was saving about 8% of my paycheck and now I am pushing closer to 45%. I still have a lot of work to do and can see what changes I can do to continue to save even more. I want to thank everyone here for being awesome and helping me in this journey even though you didn't know you were!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Graveless on November 07, 2018, 08:10:43 AM
Heya,

I've been reading the MMM blog for a few years now, but finally noticed that there's a forum as well. The advice about not expanding your lifestyle was incredibly valuable to me when I got my first real job and no longer needed to live paycheck-to-paycheck, saving $100 per month over my student loan payments. I'm currently saving 40%-60% of my take home depending on what needs replacement each month and am excited to get even more done.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sunbunny on November 07, 2018, 08:23:54 AM
Bunny, married mom of 2 in Florida. Found this blog/site today through the Choose FI podcast....which I also found today...and fell in love. So, hi. *waves*
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: letsgetfired on November 08, 2018, 09:45:09 AM
This is my first post, though I've been lurking for a little bit after reading through much of the blog.  I'm eager to learn and discuss.  I'm very much looking forward to becoming part of this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MentallyRetired on November 08, 2018, 11:24:00 PM
woohoo! Finally my screenname will make sense to someone. Been using it for years. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JenniiF on November 13, 2018, 07:13:07 AM
Oh hey! I'm Jennii.

We just bought a multi-unit house and we're hoping to be rid of our mortgage bill with a little bit of house hacking.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: El_Mariachi on November 13, 2018, 12:19:25 PM
Newb here

I have been reading the blog on and off the last few years

But this year I really think my wife finally fully understood thinking of our money as a tool that we can use to make money
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cwolff on November 15, 2018, 02:21:55 PM
Hello Everyone,

Cwolff here. I live and work in the Denver metro area with my wife, 14 month old baby Sam and we're due for baby #2 in March.

I'm doing what I can to save save save. The MMM ideas really help. For joining the forum today I celebrated by cutting cable. Next month, when my early termination fees end I will cut Verizon also. It's exciting and this will bring a total of 4k a year savings back to my family.

I look forward to reading all your posts and learning more from this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jose B. McConnell on November 15, 2018, 08:52:12 PM
Hi,
        I'm a newbie to this forum.I'm from Toronto.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheBuffalonian on November 16, 2018, 12:43:32 PM
Hello!

I'm new here... have been reading this blog these past few months... now I'm ready to dive into this thread and join the conversation.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KYFIRE on November 17, 2018, 09:42:45 AM
Hello all.

I've probably ended up here like most other, after binge reading the entire blog posts from the start.

We're a couple in our mid 30s.  We've never been spend thrifts but we certainly have made some foolish financial decisions in the past.  Our focus has been on eliminating our debt and we are down to the mortgage, what's left of my student loans, and a 401k loan we used when we last moved.  Overall we are in good shape relative to the majority of the US; solid retirement accounts, growing investment accounts, and steady debt reduction.  My goal right now is retirement by 48 (financial independence before that) .  This is mostly due to a combination of recovering from years with a lack of dedication to Mustachism, a nice benefits package from the company I work for, and after finding out we are having twins!

Anyhow, I look forward to reading and hopefully contributing to these forums in the future.  I try to do almost all the work around my house so I hope to learn from others on how to continue to handle repairs/upgrades without hiring someone.  I'm handy with cars (one of my many anti-mustachian vices), so hopefully I can contribute with that as a contribution.

Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gardevoir on November 18, 2018, 09:54:07 AM
Randomly arrived via YouTube suggested video last week. How does it get even better than this?

I work with children in a primary school near London, England. My retirement plan involves moving to South East Asia which I may combine with my current job - potentially working in an international school. Fairly modest savings to date, but now I have a plan. Could potentially live of the interest of £120,000. So this is my current target.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tranquil on November 18, 2018, 12:25:53 PM
Hi, Folks. I am mid-30s student/research assistant trying my best to live frugally and ethically with a wife and two kids. We have made it pretty far in terms of behaviors, but we are still working on the more unconventional strategies. I have been a long time lurker and finally have a reason to post, that reason is that I am collecting data for my dissertation about the psychological benefits of simplified lifestyles, and I figured what better place to start than this forum?! So, I will be posting that request elsewhere, and hope to get to know a few of you in the near future.

Best,
Jeremy
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sarebear on November 19, 2018, 02:32:22 PM
Hi, I'm Sarah, stay home mum of two non-schooled kids, ready to Learn, learn, learn, thank you MMM & Mrs MMM!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dpg35 on November 20, 2018, 06:50:44 AM
Hi, I'm Dylan; working as a nurse in San Fran, motorcycling, and shaving off debt.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gail2000 on November 24, 2018, 09:29:25 AM
Hello all,

I am relatively late in the game for this but am happy to say I am debt free with a little in the bank. My goal is to have a positive net worth by this time next year. We bought a house you see so this might take some doing.

I have been following MMM for about a year but had not accessed my own badassity. I know it’s there!
 The discussions I have seen are welcoming and friendly. Looking forward to getting to know you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on November 24, 2018, 09:50:58 AM
Welcome, Gail!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WellBehavedWallet on November 26, 2018, 12:25:55 AM
Wellbehavedwallet here.
Mid-30s, Single, never married.
A $15k student loan standing between me and debt freedom.
I’m currently roomies w my momma in the house I grew up in northeastern NJ. She’s aiming to sell sometime within the next year or so… and she's also anticipating some sort of change in job situation in that time frame, too.

My history:
From 2008 - 2010, I got rid of $15k in consumer debt and a car loan.
In 2010, my student loan was $30k.
At this rate, it would take about 8 more years to knock out.

Goals:
I’d love to be married (currently dating a fabulous fella!)
I’d love to buy a house (of my own…)
I’d love to potentially raise a few kiddos.

Long Term Goal:  to reach Financial Independence by 50s or so.

Tactics:
Raise my income.
Lower my expenses.
Save like crazy!


Found this forum via the financial Youtubers community.
Can’t wait to contribute!
SO appreciate the accountability, humor and intelligence found in these threads!!!

Thanks to all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DappleDoxieStaff on November 30, 2018, 09:01:37 PM
Evening ... I'm Anne
Always frugal ... and still bad with money.   Have horses.  And land.  And a Money Pit ... that has no mortgage :-)
Tumbled in here following a post on a spray boom for the pasture ... and stayed for the conversation!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BackroadsBetty on November 30, 2018, 11:48:22 PM
Hello, I’m Kris. Long time reader, first time posting.

Cheers to all of the friendliness, rationality, and curiosity here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kp88 on December 02, 2018, 05:50:24 AM
Hi. New here. I was aware of the forum for about a year or so but had a devil of a time joining up (never got the activation email, had to try 3 email addys to get one that worked).

I am finally here. Life is long long ride, financially speaking. I come from a place of hardship, which has been replicated over generations of poor/working-class hamster-wheeling. I am trying to get a handle on things, including cards and crushing student loan woes as well as some residual medical stuff (I had a battle with the c. you know that one.)

Looking to lurk & read & learn first. Then hopefully onward and upward.

cheers,

-kevin--
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stephani1221 on December 03, 2018, 07:52:22 AM
Hello! I've been a MMM forum lurker for over two years now, but I've finally joined and I'm really ready to get this FIRE thing going. Married with one kid near Baltimore. Looking forward to diving deeper and getting even more knowledge from everyone here.

See you around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Phineas on December 03, 2018, 04:24:07 PM
Hi!

I'm in my 30s, an investor for over 10 years and naturally inclined towards frugality, financial independence and an enjoyable lifestyle!

Based in QLD, Australia

I'm looking forward to real-world meet-ups, learning from and encouraging others!

Best,

Phineas
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: leonblack on December 03, 2018, 09:12:52 PM
28
High school mathematics teacher living frugally and balancing 3+ other sources of side job/hustle income.
Looking forward to see what else the fire has to offer.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: KathrinS on December 05, 2018, 01:35:36 PM
Hi, I'm Kathrin. I grew up in Switzerland but now live in London, freelancing as a Pilates instructor and language teacher.

I've always been pretty good with money, but ever since I started self-employment, my financial choices have become more my own. Currently I can save 35-50% of my income a month, depending on how busy I am. This puts me on track for FI by 40-45. Excited to read more and participate in the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Overspray on December 07, 2018, 07:15:43 AM
Hey all, new guy here.  Married with two littles (3 and 1).  Currently I’m a blue collar kinda guy, punching the clock and getting my OT. I paint for a living and currently don’t enjoy my job at all. My wife is self employed, works at her own salon suite so we get some financial and scheduling benefits from that. She’s “full time” in reality, but works a few days per week. 

I found MMM through some podcasts and reading, looking to maximize my tax avoidance strategy as of late.  We’re both naturally thrifty people in some areas of our lives, but I definitely wouldn’t say we’re frugal. I drive a monstrosity of a carbon footprint (big powerstroke diesel truck), and recently purchased a brand new fifth wheel camper - don’t stone me to death.  That’s our happy place so it won’t be going anywhere.

Currently I’m investing  the max my employer will match for my 401k, as well as saving into accounts for my kids and ourselves.  We’re making strides in our lives to maintain our current level of life, reduce where we can to invest more, and whatever new comes in will be invested as well.

I look foreword to learning all I can about FI, and if my calculations are correct / life doesn’t drastically change. I should be able to reach FI around 40-45.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sheepman on December 10, 2018, 05:03:39 PM
Hi! I'm Andy. I actually signed up for the forum about 4 years ago, optimistically thinking that I'd at least lurk on other people, but I never really did.

I'm 31 now, and pretty set to retire by my early 40s at most. Really hoping for something around 35, but I have terrible impulse control, so I don't know if that's really feasible for me right now.

Our biggest money pit is eating out. I love to cook, but, between work, school for a Master's degree, and two young kids, I am always either too tired or don't have enough time. And my wife is similarly spent, and hates cooking. And, I assume based primarily on that, I'm not putting nearly as much away as I think I should be. Although I at least max out my 401k. I'm hoping that getting active here in the forum will help me find any other problem areas I'm blind to, and get my butt in gear on getting to early retirement.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tiny on December 13, 2018, 11:29:29 AM
Hi, I'm Bashir. Lost over 3 quarters of my savings recently, but still pretty upbeat. I'm 40, may get married next year and plan on moving to Canada.

Hopefully, I'll get to learn a lot from you guys.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brandon1827 on December 13, 2018, 02:24:31 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm Brandon...just found the site very recently. The information that I've found here is simple, but lots of it had never occurred to me before now. I'm married with one child (9), and just built a house on some land given to us by my mother-in-law a couple of years ago. I'm in debt up to my eyeballs with student loans, a mortgage, two vehicle loans, and a fairly sized mountain of credit card debt.

I've been talking to my wife for a few weeks now about how much better off we'd be if we could just stop spending and start tackling our debt. She's a school teacher and I've appealed to her with the idea that she can retire when our son graduates high school in 9 years...IF...we can pay off a large majority of our debts by then. We have a skeleton plan in place to begin paying down our debt with our tax refund in March and then using the savings from no longer paying those debts, to double or triple up paying off other debts. My hope is that by the end of 2019, we're not sitting here 12 days from Christmas wondering where the money will come from to cover gifts.

I can't wait to buy my freedom back. I'm so sick of the constant stress and worry carrying this much debt causes. I make a 6-figure salary in addition to what my wife makes teaching, but we're poor because most of what we bring home immediately goes back out to our creditors. We should not be living paycheck to paycheck at this stage of our lives. It stops now.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: phildonnia on December 14, 2018, 12:25:10 PM
I was surprised that I had not found this blog and forum earlier.  I've apparently had a mustache all my life and didn't know it.  It's so nice to hear someone say that I'm doing things right.  I appreciate the life philosophy here too, without which the all the financial advice is probably useless or ineffective.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: scottnews on December 14, 2018, 10:16:52 PM
I’ve been following MMM since about 2013, this article:
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/meet-mr-money-mustache-the-man-who-retired-at-30/2013/04/26/71e3e6a8-acf3-11e2-a8b9-2a63d75b5459_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9707f48c681a  My son was 2, and what MMM was blogging about blew my mind.   I wanted to be a super dad! 

The biggest road block to saving 65% of our income was our mortgage.  So, we eliminated it.   After several years of watching the local market, we downsized from > 2200 sqft to < 1100 sqft.   No more mortgage (yes I know the whole 3.5% mortgage rate vs 7% djia average growth).   It took 2 years of renovation before we could move in.

Fast forward today, and we are saving quite a bit.   October was a 60% savings rate and November was 65.    We canceled some unneeded life insurances, so that will blow the doors off December.  After that, a 65% rate should be doable, even with some continuing renovations.  

We are not high earners.  Hopefully 2028 – 2030 will be our RE date.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MyNameIsFamous on December 16, 2018, 07:09:21 PM
Currently 43, single, and loving it.

Raised completely the wrong way financially, and then lived in places I couldn't afford (DC and Hawaii--twice).

I'm making good money at a major university now, with a required pension that has about 5k in it and another 4k of matching that keeps building but doesn't get credited to me until the whole thing vests at the 5 year mark (just finished year 1). No 401k offered and 403b doesn't offer a match so I haven't  done it yet.

I've got 6k of credit card debt that was 10.2k when I started the job last year. Student loan debt is atrocious at 112k (down from 117), but I'm paying the 5100 each semester to finish my PhD without taking on any new debt there. The semester costs should drop to 1600 once my prospectus and proposal are finished (hopefully Auguest 2019). Full costs go away, plus a contract stated 10k raise at work, when the PhD is done which should be by May 2020.

I'm in the middle of nowhere in west Texas, so I went ahead and bought a house -- 1100 sq ft for 93k. Put 20k down and 5k to replace the roof on the DIY extension on the back that was done by someone who didn't know how to D.

Current savings rate is about 15% once you include the match. Credit cards should be paid off by the end of 2019, and once classes are done that will combine to give me an extra 1300 or so per month (before the raise) to split between rapidly paying down the student loan debt, making some minor upgrades to the house, and upping my saving/investing. I figure if I'm out of debt and have the house paid off in 10 years I'll still have plenty of time to retire comfortably by 60 unless I want to ride out the 2-3 more years I'll need for full retirement benefits from the state.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: darknyght00 on December 17, 2018, 05:37:14 PM
A colleague introduced me to the MMM blog last year but it wasn't until my girlfriend left me (turned out to be a super good thing) that I actually got introspective about it.

I was eating out darn near every meal and taking frequent semi lavish vacations which, with the loss of a second person to help with the rent, became very non sustainable very fast.

I'm still stuck in my least til at least Spring (negotiating getting into a smaller unit when one becomes available) but my immediate project is murdering my grocery bill to death. (Currently soylent for breakfast with rice and beans for lunch. Need to work out a proper dinner plan)

On the good side of things: I haven't ever paid for cable TV, I'm still driving my 2001 Honda Accord I got in 2006 (no payments), and I take the train to and from work (from Minnesota so 4 season bike commuting is off the table for me but still want to try it in the Spring)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: debtaholic on December 17, 2018, 08:34:00 PM
James here!

Have been reading for the last 3 weeks and loving all the advice.

In debt up to my eyeballs and taking some firm action to get the ball rolling: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/i'm-a-debtaholic-starting-on-a-new-path-need-help!/

Looking forward to contributing in the future!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alwyswhitebelt on December 18, 2018, 09:52:11 AM
Hello - I've been lurking for far too long and have decided I need to get more engaged so I don't lose motivation.


We've paid off an awful lot of debt over the last 3 years following MMM and Dave Ramsey - now we're moving into the save like crazy phase and looking to stay on the path. 


We live in Western NY (LCL) and have 3 kids, 1 in college (for a little bit more) and 2 in high school.  We discovered FI late and are trying to play catch up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LawyerFIRE on December 18, 2018, 10:14:06 AM
Hi everyone.

I found MMM on the day our daughter was born a few months ago.  Like everyone else, I've found it to be life-changing.  We've got our spreadsheets all setup and the goal is to reach ~FI in 10-15 years.

I look forward to hanging on here and learning from everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: achanmala on December 19, 2018, 10:41:04 AM
Hi! I am an outlier here, I think... my husband and I are already 49... hubby earns a shit-ton of money, yet we have managed to save zero.  We are terrified of retirement and our kid's college costs and recognize all the horrible mistakes we've made along the way (though a few good decisions were made, as well).  So now my goal is to get hubby to retirement by 55 or so in order to get him out of the unhealthy stress he has had to endure all these years as soon as possible.  Really need guidance, though, as there is no time to make mistakes at this point!  Is there a one-on-one or someone you can recommend?
Really enjoying the articles... started at number one and am in 2012 now... catching up.
Loving all the comments, as well!
Adriana
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: george_michael on December 19, 2018, 10:59:00 AM
Hello there, michael here. You can call me mike. well, I do a lot of things, but I am not gonna reveal it all on my first exposure, ha ha. However, what I can share is that I love recent technologies. You can see this as a hobby of mine to keep up with the pace of recent inventions. Like - robots have senses of touch!! Actually this is news from the previous year, december. I got this a while back. I read something called stretchy artificial will be able to give robots a sense of touch, Since this is news from a year past, I can easily assume that they have done it already, right? just jokin' he he.

But I think it is exciting. I mean, robot sensing through its skin is good. It can sense whether my coffee has the perfect temperature, isn't it? if they can make a robot do this, I am definitely gonna buy one (if they are open for purchasing, lol)

and pssst, I also get frustrated sometimes with local financial situations. Local means the root level of society. Each human is a unit of a locale, so I am an active unit too. I worry about my current financial situations, thus the local financial situations, lol.

Anyway, pardon me for being such a talkative at the very initial. I am trying to be less talkative in my day to day life. I am gonna start that by being much talkative here I guess, ha ha.

That'd be all, welcome meee!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dixie_Amazon on December 26, 2018, 07:22:20 AM
Hi, I discovered this forum today. I am married to a hoarder and I am trying climb out the financial hole he has dug for us.

Dennise
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Must_Stash_NM on December 26, 2018, 11:07:46 AM
Hi.
My wife and I are late 30s somethings with two young kids. 
I am an engineer and I like riding bikes and building things. 
I wandered into this blog a couple of years ago after reading an article about MMM in Bicycling Magazine and have been hooked ever since.

I'd like start off by saying "thanks" for everyone's inspiration; I hope I too can contribute in some small way!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: d.rose on December 28, 2018, 08:59:48 AM
Hi Everyone,
Newish here (not to the blog, but the forum) and wanted to obey all rules, so here I am to say hi!

I'm a 35yo woman, wife, mom. I have 2 kids and we're a low-income family trying to do the best we can with the means we have. I came here to hopefully get some wisdom from those who have been doing this longer than we have. We're from Oregon, new home "owners" we like gardening (or trying to garden, anyway), going on walks, board games...things like that.

We're pretty simple.

Nice to "meet" you all!

D.Rose
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tigersforsale on December 29, 2018, 12:12:39 PM
I wanted to say hi and thank this forum for being such a great resource. You guys have tons of good ideas around money, and even as a lurker, I have found incredible support in reading posts from many intelligent people who are doing the things I'm trying to do.

My husband and I are both in our early/mid thirties, no kids (and none planned), living in the United States. He is an attorney, I am just finishing up law school. Both of us have always had a mix of good and bad financial habits, with eating out consistently being the worst offender, and my love of rideshares a close second. I don't spend much money on clothes or other stuff, and we have always shopped around for great deals on rent; however, the bad habits + moving cities a lot have caused us to be consistently broke and to even have revolving credit card debt. It's clear that our lifestyle is not actually frugal, but faux-frugal: renting cheap places and denying ourselves fancy items that other people have makes us feel like we're living within our means, but our other choices cancel those out. For some time, I've been wondering, "Where does all our money go?" and I've been working on finding the answer and corresponding solution with this site and YNAB. Planning to start a journal too.

Hopefully this will really work for us, and we won't end up being that stereotypical DINK white-collar couple that is always mysteriously a couple of paychecks away from needing to file for bankruptcy!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SerenaDarrin on December 29, 2018, 07:18:41 PM
Hello!

So, I found this forum via hunting around some of the FI/Frugal communities, and I'm glad to be here.

I was lucky enough to be raised for the first part of my life with a 'make due and mend' mindset, which has really helped out.

I've also escaped at least some of the marketing/consumer hype, because as someone with a disability, I'm not often marketed to.  I look at a lot of things and go 'I can't use that' and a lot of places and go 'I can't go there,' and these two things have helped keep me off the consumer carousel. . . somewhat.   (Car advertising, as the person who can't get a driver's licence, is just confusing!) However, having a disability means that your cost of living is just plain higher, (health care, plus other disability expenses, plus, the accessible version of things tends to be the expensive version) plus a large helping of 'good luck getting any job, because disability is equated with incompetence.'  Mixed blessing, I figure. 

I do have some debt, some from student loans and some from. . . well, lets just call it "having to escape a very bad situation and not having any money."   This illustrates the necessity of a f*** off fund, which I did not have at the time.  But the Frugal/FI movement has made some improvements already on that front, including making me re-think how and when I do things, and definitely cutting way down on the 'oooh shiny' purchases.   

It's actually also what prompted me to delve into the scary world of self-employment. 

Story Time:  I was applying for jobs I didn't really want.  Sure, they'd pay the bills. But. . .  the responses I got from many (though not all -- I've had a couple awesome employers) HR and Hiring boards were often both illegal and horrific.  I've been sworn at, called a charity case, accused of fraud, and threatened with cops and corporate security when going to job interviews.   And that's -when- I can get in the door.   Because clearly the girl in the wheelchair wasn't the person who wrote the resume. /rolls eyes/  Yes.  This is a thing.  And, of course, at the end, I didn't get the job, so all that effort was for nothing.

So, it's thanks to the Frugal/FI movement that I put that crap behind me.  The idea that we're not supposed to be slaves to money, and money is just a tool for life really resonated with me in a weird way.   So, I decided, why bother applying for jobs where I was viewed so negatively, and jobs that, while they would pay the bills, I didn't want them anyway? Why was I putting my effort into this, when it was so highly unlikely I'd get the job?  Why not put my effort into something that was far more within my control? 

With self-employment, though I make far less money at the moment,  (sometimes terrifyingly less), my work directly impacts my capital.  The more effort I put into this, the more income I will earn.  Sure, the equation isn't directly that simple, obviously outside forces will play with it.   But, overall, the more effort I put in, the more I will make. And, as a bonus, most of it is passive income!    Now I have a job I love, that I don't want to retire from.    Plus, its a job where all my disability accommodations are built in!  Yes, I'd like to earn more money and throw it at my debt, but that will and should happen over time.

And, the Frugal/FI mindset has really helped me re-evaluate what I want, need and have, and, given me many tools to hack the things I do need to spend money on.  So while my income might be crap right now, I can exist on that crap income far better then I could have even last year, and, I can look and see that that income, and my net worth, are growing.   Maybe not quickly, but they are growing. :)

So yep, glad to be here! :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dreaktor on January 01, 2019, 02:43:15 AM
I am really hardcore software engineer and workaholic (married;), who had to jumped out of office cubicle (head of r&d, lead, senior) straight to the self employment. Until 2016 I was fighting the world, the government, the corporation, and my boss, until realized that I need just let the world work for me via the financial assets. Learning US stock market and becoming a top rated freelancer were the first steps to make. (I was sooo excited to know that six figure salary is much easier to make for me being an independent freelancer, not part of any corporation, participating to cool IT startups from time to time.) Now my 5 year goal is becoming FIRE and aquiring rental properties outside of my country. Of coarse I am not going to stop working even after that, just decrease number oh workhours from 70hrs a week to 25hrs a week:)
I really enjoy a lot of things... beat making, playing keys, piano, arranging music, air and firearm range shooting, pc gaming.
By the way my annual cost of frugal living of my family is $25k ... life is expensive in large cities even here.
I am soo glad to find a FI community, and happy to become a part of it.
I wish everyone of you to reach your goals and live the life you dream of
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Piglet on January 01, 2019, 03:01:08 AM
Hi,

Long time lurker, first time posting. Hope I did this right, I'm one of the last of the tech resisting dinosaurs...

I have learned so much from this forum!

You guys are awesome.

Dweji
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: happyuk on January 01, 2019, 02:40:37 PM
Hi Andy here.  I'm a software developer based in the UK.  I'm a keen gardener, almost reaching the stage where I am fully self-sufficient in potatoes, onions and legumes and a few other staples.  Steadily working my way out of the wage-slave treadmill to go and do something where I can feel like my actual livelihood is in my own hands. 

Very heavily influenced by the author John Seymour who was eminent in the back-to-the-land movement in the UK:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Seymour_(author)

I heartily recommend his book "The fat of the land" for anyone interested in self-sufficiency.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: george_michael on January 01, 2019, 06:45:10 PM
I am really hardcore software engineer and workaholic (married;), who had to jumped out of office cubicle (head of r&d, lead, senior) straight to the self employment. Until 2016 I was fighting the world, the government, the corporation, and my boss, until realized that I need just let the world work for me via the financial assets. Learning US stock market and becoming a top rated freelancer were the first steps to make. (I was sooo excited to know that six figure salary is much easier to make for me being an independent freelancer, not part of any corporation, participating to cool IT startups from time to time.) Now my 5 year goal is becoming FIRE and aquiring rental properties outside of my country. Of coarse I am not going to stop working even after that, just decrease number oh workhours from 70hrs a week to 25hrs a week:)
I really enjoy a lot of things... beat making, playing keys, piano, arranging music, air and firearm range shooting, pc gaming.
By the way my annual cost of frugal living of my family is $25k ... life is expensive in large cities even here.
I am soo glad to find a FI community, and happy to become a part of it.
I wish everyone of you to reach your goals and live the life you dream of


Hey Dreaktor, I am obsessed with soft enggs. They keep making me amazed how they make everything, from nothing. Great to see you here buddy, and of course it gave me a lot pleasure hearing you are enlightening your own path, by doing work for yourself - not for an ostentatious boss. I love being self-employed.

Welcome :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dreaktor on January 02, 2019, 05:51:02 AM
I am really hardcore software engineer and workaholic (married;), who had to jumped out of office cubicle (head of r&d, lead, senior) straight to the self employment. Until 2016 I was fighting the world, the government, the corporation, and my boss, until realized that I need just let the world work for me via the financial assets. Learning US stock market and becoming a top rated freelancer were the first steps to make. (I was sooo excited to know that six figure salary is much easier to make for me being an independent freelancer, not part of any corporation, participating to cool IT startups from time to time.) Now my 5 year goal is becoming FIRE and aquiring rental properties outside of my country. Of coarse I am not going to stop working even after that, just decrease number oh workhours from 70hrs a week to 25hrs a week:)
I really enjoy a lot of things... beat making, playing keys, piano, arranging music, air and firearm range shooting, pc gaming.
By the way my annual cost of frugal living of my family is $25k ... life is expensive in large cities even here.
I am soo glad to find a FI community, and happy to become a part of it.
I wish everyone of you to reach your goals and live the life you dream of


Hey Dreaktor, I am obsessed with soft enggs. They keep making me amazed how they make everything, from nothing. Great to see you here buddy, and of course it gave me a lot pleasure hearing you are enlightening your own path, by doing work for yourself - not for an ostentatious boss. I love being self-employed.

Welcome :)

Hey Mike, thank you for warm welcome. Yeah, people of my profession can magically bring ideas to life straight from their heads (computer and the head itself still required though). However this path is not without downsides, you have to sacrifice the significant portion of your life to the world of computers, most probably from teen age. And by the way not my occupation has turned out the most important choice. The decision to become independent of boss and work for myself turned out a real life changer...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Swiss Mustachian on January 06, 2019, 02:03:49 AM
Hi, I'm a fellow Mustachian from Basel, Switzerland. I'm a long-time reader and have been practicing badassity on my own for quite some time ;) I have been a startup founder for the past 10 years and have since retired from that game. These days, I'm mostly a value investor and writer. I'm inspired by books, innovation and stoicism.

I have recently recovered from a weak moment where I almost bought a Tesla Model S (https://remo.org/2019/01/05/i-almost-bought-a-tesla-model-s/) but MMM wisdom saved me just in time :)

Any other Mustachians from Switzerland here?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SBee12 on January 06, 2019, 08:57:19 AM
New here-  found MMM through some family biking podcasts.  Binged the blog,  and love the ideas.  I'm in Alberta Canada, with a spouse, 3 kids and 2 big mutts.

We ran into some major financial issues a couple years ago when the economy tanked and both our businesses suffered,  so we picked up and moved,  found new jobs and are trying to dig our way out of the hole we dug with bad (aka no) planning.  We've always talked about retiring early,  but then spent everything we made.  Time to get serious now.  Thanks for reading this.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Annie101 on January 07, 2019, 02:15:45 PM
Hi, I just discovered this movement a few months ago by reading Your Money or Your Life.  I have learned many great ideas from reading the blogs and forum posts.

Just in the past couple months, I have made a few changes:
-I went from buying lunch every day at work to almost never.  To do so, I am cooking an extra meal on Mondays to use in my lunches
-I joined the coffee club at work.  Instead of $2.26 per day at starbucks it is $20 every 2-3 months
-We shaved off 4.5 miles of driving each work day by switching buses.  We don't drive to the park and ride anymore.
-I opened a 457 account and started contributing

Looking forward to finding more ways to save!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 08, 2019, 05:31:05 AM
Hi, I just discovered this movement a few months ago by reading Your Money or Your Life.  I have learned many great ideas from reading the blogs and forum posts.

Just in the past couple months, I have made a few changes:
-I went from buying lunch every day at work to almost never.  To do so, I am cooking an extra meal on Mondays to use in my lunches
-I joined the coffee club at work.  Instead of $2.26 per day at starbucks it is $20 every 2-3 months
-We shaved off 4.5 miles of driving each work day by switching buses.  We don't drive to the park and ride anymore.
-I opened a 457 account and started contributing

Looking forward to finding more ways to save!

Those are some AWESOME changes!!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: joho on January 11, 2019, 08:58:45 AM
Just saying hello.

I have a long way to go, but am so turned off by Dave Ramsey's politicking that I thought I'd start reading this site.
Though Dave has some good, basic ideas that are practical, there is a lot of built-in nonsense.

Mostly lurking, de-debting, saving, and trying to get on track.

I just turned 57 so "early" retirement isn't on the books, but in my situation "retirement" would be a nice idea.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Rob from Canada on January 13, 2019, 07:49:23 AM
Hi everyone! Super excited to be part of this forum, I have been reading and watching MMM for three years now. My girlfriend is fully retired at 54, I am semi-retired and very close to pulling the trigger at 55.

MMM was my girlfriend's inspiration to quit a job that was so freaking stressful and MMM has given me the confidence work a lot less and to eventually make every day a Saturday for the rest of my life!!

Super excited!!!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Weri on January 15, 2019, 03:03:36 AM
Hi comunnity, I'm from Clifton, NJ.
My name is Jack...i'm 34..
I am a single...but I have a dog)

_____________
usefull articles (https://homecarechoices.org/)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: triple7stash on January 15, 2019, 07:59:49 PM
Hello All

My name is Steven and I'm a 27 year old out of Sacramento, CA, USA.  Recently heard about MMM after plowing through the entire Radical Personal Finance Podcast.  I've read from the MMM first post to about April 2013ish.  Been implementing some basic MMM tactics and thought it would be best to thrust myself into the community to hopefully get torn apart so I can rebuild in a more frugal manner :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SeanTash on January 16, 2019, 04:39:09 AM
Hi. I'm Sean. Yet Another Software Engineer!
I've been living in Australia for the last 10 years, but have spent significant time in the U.S. and Europe (working) and most places (travelling).
Today, I pulled the trigger and gave in my 4 weeks notice (yay!) after 7 years in this last gig.
Hitting send on that email felt soooooooo good!
Looking forward to some extended travel, a bit of volunteering, some teaching english (don't tell the IRP) and whatever else I feel like doing in the coming months and years :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NinetyFour on January 16, 2019, 06:48:00 AM
Congratulations!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 50ShadesOfStache on January 16, 2019, 09:52:41 AM
Hi, another engineer here. Been lurking around the blog and forms for years. I discovered MMM in collage while researching how to live out of my car after having gone into sticker shock from apartment prices in the Bay Area, CA. Unfortunately my grand plans to be a wealthy homeless engineer were ultimately foiled when my then girlfriend, now wife, said she would not be willing to live in a converted box truck. I have since got her to agree to a tiny house, and we are currently in the middle of building, so there's that.

I've always been a natural saver (read: Cheep Bastard), and got a reasonable introduction to financial literacy through Dave Ramsey at age 13. I graduated college broke, but with no debt. DW has two more years left in college, and will also have no debt.

Between the tiny house and DWs college, my savings rate is currently slim to non existent, but I have a stache of about $40K, so not to bad of a start for a 25 year old. Looking to be bare bones FI in 2027, and comfortably FIRE in year 2029, give or take a year depending on how things go.

Anyways, thought I'd finally say hi to y'all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MicrowavablePudding on January 17, 2019, 12:14:46 AM
Hi,

I'm MicrowavablePudding. I, too am an auditor and I currently live in Nevada. I'm 26 and am just now stumbling upon the FI/RE and MMM community.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit behind and I aim to pay off the remaining $20K I have in debt. As a result, over 45% of my take home pay is going towards debt. However, by this time next year, I'll be ready to start the FI clock.

I was hoping to get started sooner, but other than reducing my living expenses, I'm not sure how to get started on this path.

Until next time (or until someone says hello), I will continue to lurk and learn as much as I can :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MissMuffins on January 17, 2019, 07:13:17 PM
Hi. I'm MissMuffins. I usually work as a food scientist specializing in bakery products. I also make a lot of baked goods at home. I have probably made more muffins than you will in your lifetime. One day I hope to make muffins just for fun instead of for work (and fun).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SuperNintendo Chalmers on January 21, 2019, 07:27:36 AM
Hello!

Well, I said that I wouldn't start posting in the community pages until I finished every MMM blog post.  Took me well over a year, but I did it!

I have been lurking in the forum for awhile and really appreciate all the good info and all the time people take to help others out.  Great group and hope I can contribute.

I'm married, in my 40s and doing ok but still have some ways to go.  Live in beautiful CO.

Glad to have finally joined!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OtherJen on January 21, 2019, 07:32:53 AM
Hello!

Well, I said that I wouldn't start posting in the community pages until I finished every MMM blog post.  Took me well over a year, but I did it!

I have been lurking in the forum for awhile and really appreciate all the good info and all the time people take to help others out.  Great group and hope I can contribute.

I'm married, in my 40s and doing ok but still have some ways to go.  Live in beautiful CO.

Glad to have finally joined!

Welcome! Your username is excellent.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SuperNintendo Chalmers on January 21, 2019, 08:08:30 AM
Hello!

Well, I said that I wouldn't start posting in the community pages until I finished every MMM blog post.  Took me well over a year, but I did it!

I have been lurking in the forum for awhile and really appreciate all the good info and all the time people take to help others out.  Great group and hope I can contribute.

I'm married, in my 40s and doing ok but still have some ways to go.  Live in beautiful CO.

Glad to have finally joined!

Welcome! Your username is excellent.

Thanks!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FreeBear on January 21, 2019, 06:13:14 PM
I, along with DW, have been FIRE'd for 4 years and are now in our 50's.  In our former life, we were DINKS making good money in a HCOL flyover city.  From the rest of the world's viewpoint, we were frugal.  We each saved and invested 10-40% of our income for most of our professional lives. 

In the context of this forum, we are not especially Mustachian.  We'd like to change this, though.  After 4 years in retirement, we're realizing that we aren't getting full value for all the money we spend.  DW and I want to grow into true Bad Asses an cut habits that are unhealthy for our bodies and 'stache, such as eating out several times a week.

Overall, we love retirement.  Wish we did it a decade earlier!  I admire all you twenty-something young guns who are plotting to escape the rat race.  I wish that I had all the resources and encouragement that is now available online. IRL, it's still crickets...   Everyone we know just wants more expensive experiences and stuff.  Keep the faith, you can escape, just like we did, maybe even sooner!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TRD on January 24, 2019, 02:09:50 AM
I’m TRD I live in Southern California. My sister told me about MMM. Although I tend to be frugal, this is my first FIRE-related online community. I look forward to learning new things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: heiding on February 03, 2019, 05:07:32 PM
Hello :)

My name is heidi(ng) and I have been reading the forum for a while - really enjoying it and feeling inspired!  I used to be extremely frugal by necessity, I've slipped into bad habits, and would like to curb that now.

I live in Canberra, Australia - I have two awesome kids who are grown up now and live in Melbourne.

I'm tackling a huge mortgage - I was a struggling single parent for years, and was finally able to buy my very first home just seven years ago.  I had it rented out from day one, as I couldn't afford the mortgage and I was fortunately going overseas to work.  I was very lucky to have had that opportunity, otherwise I'd still be renting.  I am looking for the best way to manage the mortgage.  I always figured I'd have to pay rent anyway, so I may as well spend that on my own place.

Looking forward to getting to know you and hopefully learning to grow a decent mo !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johnmcafee on February 07, 2019, 04:43:44 AM
Hi!

My name is Jonh. I have recently joined this community, and I'm glad that I did. Found MMM through Google search. Don't remember what I was exactly looking for, however, I managed to get here :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HoneyandSugar on February 07, 2019, 09:53:26 AM
Hi! I've been lurking for a really long time so it's finally time to say hello. I'm a 37 single woman living in northern California with my two pups. I really want to post a case study but I opened that spreadsheet and it scared the bejeezus out of me. Clearly I am not mathematically inclined but I'm working on it :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Fae on February 07, 2019, 01:05:41 PM
Hi! I found MMM last January from a comment made on another site I frequent and it really struck a chord with me. I have been lurking for a long time, finally created an account a few months ago. I am 31 living with my husband (40) and our beautiful daughter who will turn one next month. I am looking forward to participating more in the forum, learning and holding myself more accountable for reaching my goals.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JSalazar on February 09, 2019, 08:30:31 PM
Hi, I'm JSalazar!

I originally heard of MMM in 2014, and have followed the blog on-and-off, since then.

I'm trained as a bioinformaticist, and I do freelance illustration, on the side. I've also tried my hand at writing, and my interests are somewhat broad (everything from game theory to meta cognition.) I've been saving my money since I was a teenager, and wasn't a big spender, even before I found MMM. I intend to FIRE, in part to be able to devote more time to my research, art, and writing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: marymurphy on February 13, 2019, 02:11:44 PM
Hi, I'm Mary and I just signed up for the forum. I came across the blog a few months ago and have been lurking but now I'd like to participate.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BDJay on February 13, 2019, 10:28:05 PM
Hello,

My wife and I have playing with the FI/RE idea for a few years. This year we have some really big life changes. School, both of our jobs, kids, area of the country we live in... Lots of moving parts. It feels like a good time to immerse myself in the community a bit to help with some fresh ideas to help build our lives in an optimized and intentional manner in the face of all of this radical change.

Nice to meet you, my name is Jay
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: PhilsTheOne on February 14, 2019, 06:11:14 AM
Hi All

My name is Phil and I'm thrilled to be part of this community :) I've been doing matched betting for the past few years and am now looking to branch out my money making independence as best I can.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Spawnycat on February 15, 2019, 09:10:32 AM
Hi.  I've been lurking on the forum for a few weeks, and thought I should introduce myself.  I've been on the FIRE path for a while, since I read Your Money or Your Life in my early 30's, and am planning to leave full-time paid work later this year (I'm 50 now).  Now that I'm actually in a position to walk away, though, I'm interested in seeking out more like-minded folks to share experiences with, so it's great to know about this site!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Uno LeCavalier on February 21, 2019, 11:32:55 AM
Hello. I'm David, 45 year old living in Denver with my wife and two boys. I'm here by way of a moment of clarity after my wife ran up $25,000 in credit card debt AFTER we had been gifted $15,000 to pay off our balances a year earlier. She handled our household finances and we never talked about things together, and she was scared to tell me what was going on. When I asked her what our CC balances were, I nearly had a heart attack when she told me. I expected we had run up another $7-9K. Hearing that we were at $25,000 just one year after being at $0 was a serious punch in the gut. But in all honesty, it was the best thing to happen to us in a long time. I knew our hair was on fire and that we were in the middle of a financial emergency. Things had to change immediately.

I've taken over our finances and we now have an eagle eye on our money (using Mint) and talk daily about our finances. In our first month alone we can already see the light at the end of tunnel. My wife is a gardener/landscaper and her work is pretty seasonal, and she picked up an extra job to get her total work up to full time during this slow season. We've identified and cut a ton of wasteful spending, and found lower rates for the spending items we need to keep. We're coming out ahead this month and quickly getting to a $5,000 emergency fund, and now have our sights set on that $25k in CC debt. We've been approved for a 6% HELOC which will go directly to our CC debt, and then we'll hammer away at the HELOC for the next 12-18 months. After that we plan to fully fund my 401K (already getting the employer match), and attack the $93k I have in student loan debt (3.125% federal loans). With lots of hard work and just a little luck, I believe we can be debt free except for our mortgage in 5 years - just in time for my 50th birthday.

I've been really motivated by everything I've read here, and I'm excited to be a part of the MMM community. I'm ready to get it done.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: focals on February 25, 2019, 10:18:35 PM
Hi,
This is Abhi (sounds like Bobby) from Portland, OR.
New member here but feeling old on a daily basis :)

Would love to meet up with some Moustacheans in or around Portland, OR.


Cheers.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kookaburra Risotto on February 27, 2019, 04:41:21 AM
Hi everyone. I've been reading on and off for a while and decided to finally take the plunge and start posting.

I'm in the UK and my husband and I are both academics. His job is permanent but mine isn't so that's an additional consideration for us when investing though we can survive quite comfortably on just one income. I'm 38 and have a chronic condition so while I do currently work full time I have no intention of working until the state retirement age of 68. We're late to the FIRE party but have great workplace pensions and a rental property so hopefully we can catch up eventually.

We're pretty frugal day to day but our one big weakness is travel. In all fairness, hot and humid climates are the only thing that give me any real sort of pain relief so I'm happy to own our decision to spend on travel and call it a necessity.

Nice to "meet" you all anyway, I don't know anyone mustachian in real life so I'm looking forward to talking to like-minded people.

Edit: Just to add that we have no debt other than mortgages (low rates) so there is no hair on fire emergency stopping us spending money on travel!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AMart123 on February 28, 2019, 04:24:54 PM
Hi - I'm Anna and I'm new and keen to start on this journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Research-Geek on March 01, 2019, 01:46:15 PM
I am Jeff.  I am married with 4 wonderful teenage kids.
 I have been on the FI path for several years and I am just finally getting on the boards here- looooong overdue!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SotI on March 02, 2019, 05:25:33 AM
Hello,

after lurking on the site for the past year or so, I have finally decided to register.
I don't like posting much on the internet but wanted to say “thank you” to all the active contributors here who have provided insightful information.

I am just a “Stranger on the Internet” (or SotI for short), and many things from the US do not quite fit my home country. I am also not one of the typical Mustachians, as I don't so much look for ER (I still have about 15 years to go until regular retirement age in my country),  but rather focus on FI, mostly.

The reason is that while I have a great life and work as it is, I don't quite trust the official political rhetoric in my country when it comes to retirement: on a linear trajectory, I would be able to count on a decent and comfortable state pension in 15 years. Unfortunately, political action speaks louder than words and I doubt the situation will be that rosey. So I rather want to tip the scale towards being able to retire independently, without any state funds. “Bail money”, so to speak.

My financial situation is not bad, but not good enough to be able to pull out yet. I tend to live well below my means, but not (yet) as frugal as many Mustachians here.
So, I am looking for ways to improve - or solidify - my situation (as fast as possible, but with certain limitations due to a couple of dependents I need to take care of and who account for the significant portion of 15-20% of my monthly net salary). I cannot discuss financials at home (which would induce anxiety attacks and depression to my DH), so being both the sole bread-winner and financial controller, I have to keep my own counsel.

This site and the forum is very much appreciate to help me find the areas that I can still improve in.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Joe Schmo on March 04, 2019, 09:49:04 AM
I'm Joe.
I've basically listened to Dave Ramsey until I'm blue in the face. We have our dream home and the two least expensive cars in the neighborhood...debt free except the house and looking to take the next step(s)!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JDKilo on March 04, 2019, 05:41:19 PM
Hi.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ellen Dempsey on March 07, 2019, 04:08:17 AM
Hello everyone! My name is Ellen. I am a professional coach specializing in Leadership and Professional Development and a private investor. I'm happy to join you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nowwhat? on March 07, 2019, 05:30:48 AM
Hi- been a lurker for a few years, newly FIRE'd looking for new ideas and FIRE talk!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Girlfriday17 on March 08, 2019, 05:04:05 PM
Hi My name is Leslie, live in Canada. Long time lurker. Finally figured it was time to join the conversation.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zero007 on March 09, 2019, 01:01:52 AM
Hi, I've been looking at some of MMM's post every once in and awhile in the past few months, but someone last year open my eyes up to financial independence. For the longest time I've been feeling rather aimless at what I want out of life until I was introduce to the idea. I didn't continue to be mentor by the guy as I'm not into the whole network marketing or MLM stuff. However, it gave me something to strive for as I'm someone who values his autonomy and freedom. I also want the best out of life too.

I'm a 31 years old bachelor who lives with his older sister. I have a bachelor and master's in business management but unfortunately I've been stuck doing a job like Wal-Mart for 3 years due to not having the necessary "experience". I've been applying for jobs but haven't had much success. Instead of giving up I decided to go back to school and work towards an Associate in IT. I fully intend on achieving FIRE but I also got to get a job that pays a lot better while I'm working towards that. I hope to learn a lot from the forum and MMM's website so I can somehow achieve FIRE by my 40s. I would prefer to get there by my late 30s though but I'm going to give my a 10-15 years target window. If I can get there before I turn 40 then all the better.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SilverBirch on March 09, 2019, 11:18:25 AM
Hi everyone, I've been lurking for awhile and I thought it might be time to join the board. I'm 30 and married. Our main battle these days is against lifestyle inflation creeping in as we get a bit more comfortable. FIRE is the best inspiration I've found to keep that under control. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Keith Maison on March 11, 2019, 09:15:29 AM
Hey! My name is Keith. I’m a private investor and house flipper. I invest in startup companies, real estate and stocks. I have fixed and flipped over 150 houses in the last 5 years. Also a big fan of winter sports and cinematography!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Keen Saver on March 12, 2019, 05:58:33 AM
Hi my name is Cian. I am a software developer who only recently graduated working and started working full-time.

I currently really enjoy what I am doing so don't see myself retiring early but I am particularly interested in financial security and eventually FI.

I have been reading the blog/forums for close to two years and finally decided to get involved.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ch@d on March 12, 2019, 07:35:11 AM
Hi Everyone!  I discovered MMM about 5-7 years ago when I was looking for a way to fix my cracked shower base and found his blog about making one out of concrete.  It worked great and I've been reading since.  I only noticed the forum about a year or so ago and finally decided to join the discussion. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OutFab on March 15, 2019, 01:21:24 PM
Hi everyone.  I'm Fab.  LGBTQ FIRE monster!  Started reading last year and haven't participated in the forum.  Looks like some friendly people here with lots of good ideas.  I'm well on my way to FIRE and figure another 8 - 10 years to hit my personal goals.  Looking forward to interacting with you wonderful peeps.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TheFIExplorer on March 15, 2019, 11:00:11 PM
Hi All

I am a 40 something guy (and blogger) living in Australia interested in sharing what I learn along the way, and connecting with people who are either on or considering the same journey.

I first discovered MMM only a couple of years ago and well into a long standing journey and interest in FI which really goes back over 15 years. Depending on how you measure it, I'm around 70-90% of the way there!

Look forward to exploring the journey and exchanging ideas with you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wrenchturner on March 16, 2019, 01:37:58 PM
Hello all, long time lurker and attempted Mustachian here.

I turn wrenches and other related tools.  Pretty new to investing and making decent income.

Looking forward to good conversation with like-minded people!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Retireatee1 on March 17, 2019, 03:29:37 PM
Former lurker turned member Larry here.

I'm a 40-something software engineer working in the medical devices industry.  I previously worked for a large company and had daydreams of FIRE.  During that time I spent a lot of time educating myself on the subject and working towards the dream.

Nowadays I'm focused on other goals but keep one foot in the FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: windsprite on March 18, 2019, 11:36:53 PM
Hi y'all. Yet another long-time lurker, first time caller ;). I'm an engineer getting used to having a high income and trying not to squander it, and hopefully I can use the forums as a place to find some personal motivation, as well as tips and tricks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: vindikated on March 22, 2019, 08:48:29 AM
Hi i'm cindy! New here. I think this is a fun forum! Hope to enjoy here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Suelavie on March 22, 2019, 01:19:28 PM
Hi !  I am Suelavie, from Canada (Québec), 

I am reading this Blog/Forum since more than a year and it changed my life....

I came to savings very late (really began last year at 48 years) after doing a retreat-simulation and seeing that my husband and I are (were) heading for a miserable-under-poverty-line life at 65.  FI is obviously too late for us (15 years to go for me and 10 years for him), but at least, we are now in control of our finances and contemplating the idea to finish to pay the mortgage sooner (which would be dumb, with a closed interest rate of 2.69%, so we will probably stick to maxing the RRSPs, since we have A LOT of available space)...

I never, ever had money to add to my RRSP at the end of the fiscal year before, and now, I put several thousands more...  I am even super excited to discover how much we will get in our tax return so we can add a super stash to our RRSPs...

I never, ever (neither) been excited about money in my life previously.  I just thought that I understood nothing and had left that to the "specialists".  I was finding myself "good" (sigh) to have no debt apart from the mortgage, and that was it. 

Thanks to the Mustache family, thank you all for your generous contributions

Suelavie

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: J.R. Ewing on March 22, 2019, 01:25:00 PM
Hi, I stumbled upon MMM about 2 months ago and blazed through it.  I'm 40 and have always been relatively thrifty, but this has inspired me to tighten it up and retire in a few.  I have a spouse that's mustache-curious.  I need to understand more about taxes.

Cheers,

JR in Houston, TX
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GreenToTheCore on March 22, 2019, 06:03:25 PM
Hello. I'm another long-time lurker.
The name has more to do with my ancestry than anything. Although, I suppose the monetary and environmental nuances aren't far off.

I'm in the 30's range but have never been a part of a forum, so please feel free to give me pointers along the way.
I'm a natural saver and get excited to optimize even further.
I appreciate the community that you've built here and hopefully I can contribute with some tidbits and learn/grow along with you all.



 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ForeverPoor on March 22, 2019, 06:15:19 PM
Hi all,

Glad to be here. Always good to read up on other perspectives and little tips/tricks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kartoshka on March 23, 2019, 06:35:45 PM
First post on this board. Welcome myself :-)

I'm Kartoshka, been living almost 4 years in Toronto, coming from Israel where i had seen sun light year round for almost 19 years before moving to Canada. I''m not Israeli though - i was born and grew up in Ukraine before moving out at my 16, all by myself.

Coming originally from one of the poorest countries in Europe, i feel like i have a somewhat different take on money than most people surrounding me in my North American daily life do.

Expect funny spelling and incorrect usage of words. It is what it is. English is my 3rd language!
Profession - wise, Im a self taught software engineer, doing server stuff at a game dev studio on a large scale.

Just starting out on my way to FI. Without realizing it, living frugal been subconsciously a part of my identity all along.
Nice to meet you all!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeaneallenn on March 27, 2019, 01:13:34 AM
Hi, This is Jeane. Single and part time cook. Managing my home crafting business. I love to read books in my spare times. Love Netflix 

Hi everyone,

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

I'll go first.

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

Who's next?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AlotToLearn on March 30, 2019, 06:24:17 AM
Hello All,

As my handle says, it appears I have AlotToLearn on my journey to financial freedom. I think I've done most (not everything haha) wrong, however I am excited to learn from and get support from those in this community as I tackle various areas of personal finance. 30 something single guy in sales who has tried to outspend my stupidity in my earlier years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Overfocused on March 30, 2019, 10:21:31 PM
Hi, I'm Bruce. I got sucked down a vortex of the 'stache forums and realized I am wholeheartedly a 'stache and I have found my people!

I have no debt since I'm good at making a buck stretch, but I'm here to learn advanced ways to grow my money better since I'm not so good at that side of 'staching. I couldn't stop reading forum after forum since this collective is how I've always thought about resource management and wealth.

Glad to 'stache with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: yash on April 02, 2019, 08:41:23 PM
Hi, I am Yash and live in New Zealand. I have been following Mr MM for quite some time, tried tested and approved that the things are working for me. Now, I am here to learn and give away (If I can) to all my fellow Mustashians.

Nice meeting you all.!

Be Frugal., Be free.

Cheers,

Yash
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: drsr on April 03, 2019, 01:30:17 AM
Hey all,

I've been a lurker here for a few months now and I finally decided to create an account. I am a 30 year old network engineer - married, no kids. I am also a dividend growth investor, plan to live on dividend income.

My goal is to be FI in about 15 years or less. I'm also looking forward to being debt free, the only debt that we have is our mortgage!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zinallan on April 03, 2019, 03:58:42 AM
Hi board, I'm Andy.
I live in San Marcos, CA.
I have 2 sons (Markus and Dave)
I enjoy traveling and hiking
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MyRecursion on April 04, 2019, 12:22:40 PM
Hi, I'm 53, happily married with kids and new to the FIRE life and this forum. I am hoping to continue my journey to FIRE and have fun while getting there!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr5150 on April 06, 2019, 07:08:49 PM
Hello Everyone

My name is Michael and I am the owner of a guitar school in Melbourne, Australia. I have goals of turning it into a 7 figure business and am well on my way. My partner works with me in the business and came across a video of MMM doing a ted talk about how much better things are when you don't need to worry about money. We watched it together a month ago and have been implementing moustachian ideas ever since.

in 2015 I began an online mentoring program for guitar teachers. The program is wonderful and helped me go from an average Joe with no money mindset earning $20k a year saying to myself "If I make enough to get by and I can do music in my spare time, I'll be happy type" into a multiple 6 figure earner hell bent on doing everything I needed to do in order to shape my own destiny.

This course was very useful and has made me much more successful in my musical & business ventures, but it also shaped me into caring way too much about money, having no time for myself or family and being a snobby elitist who has no friends and won't do anything outside of working.

I really value my financial independence and am working hardcore towards achieving my goals of early retirement and having a $100,000 in passive income generated by investments. This is a big number that I liked the sound of without every really considering what I actually needed. Since learning about the value of money (and reading millionaire next door) I became much more frugal and cut out a lot of unnecessary spending. Since reading a handful of MMM articles over the last month I've come to realise that I still have a lot of wastage that needs to be cut out as I work towards my goal.

I would also like to work on how selfish I am. If I reflect back to pre 2015 I was very giving and selfless (sometimes to the point of getting taken advantage of), post 2015 I have become very selfish and while I think this is a good thing, have taken on many negative aspects of selfishness almost as a reaction to my former self and situation. Also, If personality tests are also to be believed,  I register as an ENTJ, so I find myself very good at setting goals and taking action to achieve them while finding out that I often disregarding anyone but myself, have little emotional intelligence or regard for anyone that doesn't relate to my goals - all things I would like to improve.

I am very interested combining the frugality and simplistic living ideas of MMM with my own ambitions of earning big, being successful and wanting to retire early with financial freedom. I look forward to meeting many of you on here, hearing your stories and implementing the advice of MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CommonSense on April 07, 2019, 06:21:42 AM
Hi Folks:
Jace here from Wisconsin, I'm in STEM / Engineer Manager.  FI/RE community and information surrounding it was very intriguing when I came across it just a year ago doing typical financial / budget searches like everyone else does.

I always excelled at financial and always looked toward being FI, while not impacting typical yearly living with the spouse, spending moderately. 

Reading all the posts (yes all) from MMM app, gained me enough insight to realize I was working toward a goal and have more knowledge & (CommonSense) then ever before. 

Simple things, like looking at your vehicles as a vehicle fleet needing to get you around, vs hey I can afford this large new truck, insurance & gas that goes along with it for 1 or 2 people to get around.

And tips like that were all over the place to simply make you think smarter, in terms of living life, many coming from the comments section from people like this community, so looking forward to reading & engaging more on this forum to see what else can be discovered and learned.
- Jace
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: goodlivin23 on April 07, 2019, 10:01:24 PM
Hi,
In the past year, I became debt free (yay!!!) and am now saving/investing as much as I can....but know I can still do more. Looking forward to reading everything on this site!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: darknova306 on April 09, 2019, 09:25:51 AM
Howdy!

I'm Jeff. I've been lurking and reading this forum and site for a couple of years. I actually found out about it in a truck enthusiast forum! I brew beer for a living and only recently started getting serious about getting my finances back in order after years of poor choices.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: happy on April 12, 2019, 05:28:02 PM
Welcome everyone. Check out the stickies!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FIREstache on April 14, 2019, 12:54:20 PM
Early generation X poster here.  I've been reading and posting to various similar forums for years.  I've been reading from this forum from time to time over the last several years.  Finally, I've decided to register.

30+ year IT career and have been stashing / investing most of that time.  I had been pretty frugal all of my life with a high savings rate, so these blogs and forums haven't changed my life at all, but I still like to pick up a useful tidbit here and there.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Joesun2 on April 14, 2019, 07:19:23 PM
Hi everyone I am new to the Forum and I would like to do what everyone is doing making money.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Stretch67 on April 15, 2019, 09:20:39 AM
Hi All!

Own an industrial painting company here in the Midwest. Have worked a lot and studied all things financial since about 16 years old. Had my home paid for at 26, along with a wife and 3 kids.  Borrowed a little money a few years ago to put up a garage/shop. Looking forward to getting back to debt free and staching cash.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JTColton on April 16, 2019, 02:48:50 AM
Greetings all,

Great forum, been lurking for some time now. Retiring from the military next year and looking for ways to not have to work for the man anymore.

JT
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: datao on April 16, 2019, 05:56:10 PM
Finally joined the forum and want to say Hi.

I came across MMM website about 4 years ago. At that time all I had was $2000 credit card debt. The knowledge from this website was shocking to me and I have been following since then. Today I have had more than $400K sitting in index fund/saving account and half way to pay off my $500K home. Whenever I feel frustrated about saving, I start reading MMM's posts. They give me lots of encouragement. Thank you for bringing the wisdom, a sincere attitude to life, and all the changes to my life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: K-ice on April 17, 2019, 08:06:43 AM

I came across MMM website about 4 years ago. At that time all I had was $2000 credit card debt. The knowledge from this website was shocking to me and I have been following since then. Today I have had more than $400K sitting in index fund/saving account and half way to pay off my $500K home.

Welcome, that is amazing progress in 4 years. You should share a bit more of your story in Share your Badassady.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: datao on April 17, 2019, 03:57:32 PM

I came across MMM website about 4 years ago. At that time all I had was $2000 credit card debt. The knowledge from this website was shocking to me and I have been following since then. Today I have had more than $400K sitting in index fund/saving account and half way to pay off my $500K home.

Welcome, that is amazing progress in 4 years. You should share a bit more of your story in Share your Badassady.

Thank you for the suggestion. I started writing my story and will post once I finish. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: esmith2039 on April 18, 2019, 11:50:46 AM
Hello all. I've been reading through the articles for the last week and figured this was the next step. Only debt is the house, not sure we'll do the FIRE maybe just FI for now. Looking forward to all the tips/advice this forum can bring!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: InterfaceLeader on April 21, 2019, 03:03:56 AM
Hi, I am Suzie. I currently work as a project manager, but in the past have been in communications, PR, retail, events management, and web design.

I would very much like to quit working so I can go hiking in a bunch of beautiful places and stop staring at computers all day.

I love reading, writing, walking, and relaxing in the sun.

My parents are quite unconventional, which left me with a bit of skepticism towards mainstream life. None the less, I got married and now I seem to be in a typical situation of working to afford a lifestyle. Boo.

I paid off all my debt last year sometime and am now working diligently towards basic financial security prior to moving to the States, at which point I will start working towards FI.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sideHustler on April 23, 2019, 02:49:44 PM
Hi, I'm Curt. I'm currently a programmer analyst, but I'm working to try and make an online business blogging.

Sounds stupid, but I've been working on it for like 5+ years and I'm finally getting some coaching now. So hopefully things start to improve. P.S. my boss drives me crazy.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sinconjuror on April 24, 2019, 07:48:22 AM
Hi, my name is Luke. I'm new, I'm from London. I will be glad to receive new experience
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: softysoutherner on April 24, 2019, 05:01:45 PM
Hi all

Long time lurker here -finally joining in!

I'm Megan, mid 30s, from Manchester (UK version not US!).  I'm in a process of re-aligning my mindset to an 'I have enough' one - end result is that I've stopped spending more than I earn, very nearly paid off my debt, started saving properly and am generally a much happier person than I was 3 years ago. Oh, and about to buy my first home - something I thought would never be possible. Hurrah for stepping off the consumer carousel!

Though a new bike would be nice hahaha... ;)

Looking forward to learning from all of you
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DapperAndy on April 26, 2019, 02:17:53 PM
Hi, I'm Andy. I bike, hike, climb, travel, and polish a lot of shoes. Entrepreneur in Bend, Oregon. Learning from the troves of knowledge and amazing community here at MMM.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: justkeepswimming on May 01, 2019, 09:14:32 AM
Hello!  I've been on the path to FI for about 3 years, and I decided to finally stop lurking on the forum and join in on some conversations.  I'm in my mid-30s, married with 1 kid and another on the way.  We made some great progress in our first couple of years of tracking expenses and trying to align spending with our priorities.  Things have slowed down a bit since our kid arrived, but we are still working towards FI and seeing progress.  I have learned a lot - and been inspired - by others on the forum and look forward to interacting with you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: londonbanker on May 01, 2019, 02:42:06 PM
Hi, my name is Luke. I'm new, I'm from London. I will be glad to receive new experience
Welcome Luke. Another Londoner is always a nice addition to this mad house.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jonanonc on May 03, 2019, 12:02:57 AM
I'm Mason, I live in Clifton.
I'm java developer.
I enjoy diving and swimming
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2sk22 on May 05, 2019, 12:28:17 PM
I'm in my mid 50s, have a PhD in computer science and have been working for the last 28 years. I was completely unaware of FIRE until recently but, somehow, it appears that I have been following those principles almost exactly my entire working life. I think I'm definitely FI but need a little bit more time to get my thoughts in order before making the big leap into retirement.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MotherFier on May 07, 2019, 06:30:26 AM
MotherFier is here.
1. Found my tribe through MMM blog in fall 2018.
2. Paid off $148K in student loan debt a month ago.
3. Will get to FI in 7-10 years (lean to fat FI).

Super excited to find my people! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Valentine4469 on May 07, 2019, 02:00:08 PM
Hi there! I stumbled across this forum in my research towards financial wellness. I work in IT but my ultimate goal is to obtain self sustaining income and not necessarily be reliant on working for someone else. Awesome info in here thus far, cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bullets on May 10, 2019, 08:19:04 AM
Hello I'm Johnny Cash.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SHO on May 12, 2019, 02:36:13 PM
Hi there... I am a Mexican FIRE Mustachian, living in Mexico. Just joined the forum today, though have been reading MMM blog for the past couple of years or so. I am FI for the best part of a year or so, though have been strugling with the one more year and a bit more cash syndrome. Was happy to find the blog, was already implementing a lot from there for a long time. I am 37 yo, 13 years ago I made my plan - I wanted to retire in 10 years, had a number in mind, budget, savings goals, estimates for increase in income, and investment returns - it included three scenarios with different numbers. It was not very detailed but was good enough to keep me motivated. Life continued, my wife and I had kids, and our montly budget/expenses increased. It took me 12 years to achieve FI, though in retrospect it could have happened way earlier had I not made some questionable choices with regards to spend and risky investments. So finally decided to cut the cord, despite my attitude towards work had been very relaxed the past year it was not fun anymore. Have a long list of projects and things I want to do with the free time that it is getting difficult to prioritize - from a long list of books pending to read (though have always managed to read a book, or two a month in the past), to re-taking old hobbies and new ones, teaching, and above all spend time with my family. I might even start a small blog, I would be happy if I have two readers. I have an engineering background, started out with very manual and technical work right after university and managed to progress to management roles, we moved/relocated cities about six times, seven if you count going back now to our home city were our families live. Our budget spend is just above 2k a month (excluding house as we own that) and is projected to increase  more as our kids get older (we rely on private schools). We have never bought new cars, have done multiple DIY projects (and look forwar to more of those and to increase compmexity), always looked for options to increase my income (salary increase mostly), invested in real estate (comercial and residential), maxed investments with employeer to get their matching contributions, and took as well some risky investments that failed (others are still strugling), and stayed frugal (with some excemptions such as traveling wich is not included on the budget above). My parents retired from their jobs in their mid 40s, I learned a lot from them, specially discipline and hard work - my dad had always side gigs that would often bring in more cash than his job. After their retirement my mother worked part time sporadiclly in a  non-profit organization (maybe a couple of years in the past 15yrs) and my dad would continue with side gigs from time to time to fill a day or two of his week. I am gratefull for this learning, I can only hope my three kids can achieve the same, maybe even a decade earlier than myself. The financial independence road is great.. requires hard work and a lot of discipline, but you already know that.















Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: londonbanker on May 13, 2019, 02:56:48 PM
I heard people from Mexico are very hairy and grow stashes easily... is that true :-) ?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SHO on May 14, 2019, 07:51:46 PM
Very hairy indeed... though I am loosing my hair, i might have to grow a longer stash, go for a comb-over.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: londonbanker on May 15, 2019, 04:15:18 PM
Very hairy indeed... though I am loosing my hair, i might have to grow a longer stash, go for a comb-over.
LoL
Welcome to the mad house, I think you will fit right in
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: portablejim on May 18, 2019, 02:20:53 AM
Hi. I'm James,

I'm 27 and working as a software developer in Sydney Australia. The way I am (i.e. my personality etc.) puts me on the asperger side of the autism spectrum.

As I have grown up I have practiced the most important rules regarding money (i.e. almost all debt is bad), which when combined with upper-middle-class decently-frugal parents has meant that I never have had a credit card and have had a HISA for a while. University has meant I have a large HECS (student loan, inflation-rate + 0% interest, indexed/compounded yearly).

Up until a year ago I was a long-time welfare recipient. First an undergraduate degree, where I didn't really look for work until after graduation. Then a year of looking for work. Then I decided to go back to uni for increased chance at getting a job due to having more education on my CV. I then went back to job-searching.

Being on welfare I learnt ways to save money but the addition of a bit of supplemental income ($150-$200 a month) meant I treated myself to a coffee-shop coffee weekly. I had an amount in my savings account that I set as 'Paid' and regarded when I was over that as being able to buy something extra and when I was under that I was essentially borrowing from myself and so couldn't spend any as I had to pay off the 'debt'. Most of the savings I made went to maintaining a motorbike I bought with cash for $2k, so it actually meant that my savings never really got back to where it was.

The job I have had now for just over a year as a software developer is casual, but with mostly the ability to do full-time hours. It's nice because of the flexibility, but it has lead to some volatile income, exacerbated by personal issues. I also started buying take-away food more (including coffee).

I have never been hugely successful at budgeting. I did end up working out a system using a checking and savings account: Transfer all but what you estimate you can live on till next payment to the savings account and you only need to worry if you end up needing to transfer stuff back. This works well for regular costs but can hide the amount you are saving for infrequent costs (e.g. vehicle registration).

Having been employed for a few months, my self-imagined loan was paid off and I imagined that I could afford to purchase something. So I did, I bought a $2k IPad pro. However, I mis-estimated how much money I would earn in the next few months (i.e. over December and January) and the timing of my already planned additional spending (vehicle registration + a week-long conference totalling about $1k-$1.5k) and some not-so-expected spending (vehicle maintenance required for registration). So once again I was in 'debt' to myself.

As I have been saving to pay myself back, I found out about a $10k electric motorbike that I want to buy (Australian built, had estimated it saving about $1k a year of fuel/maintenance costs compared to my current bike + saving the cost of public transport) and worked out that it would take a year to save for. I decided to look at ways to cut costs and get better returns, including trying to find answers to things like 'Where did the rich put their money?' and 'What do super funds to to generate the returns they do and can I do what they are doing?'  That is what put me onto shares.

While I was still at Uni, I had done a little bit with bitcoin, bought low and sold lower (in hindsight I think I timed the bottom perfectly, just did the opposite of what I should have done) and so decided I was not the investing type (though now I know more about investing and speculating, I was speculating). My parents taught that the share market is just another form of gambling, where you are almost guarenteed to lose money. As I learnt more I realised that my parents' experience in shares was limited. Both mine and my parents' view of investors was to think of just the day-trade speculators and the high-frequency traders. I was taught that dividends were so irrelevant that nobody had shares just to get the dividends. I was taught that the share market had a massive cost of entry (in response to me questioning if I could buy a single share), where you would need to have at least $10k to even think about doing it. My first dip in was done mostly in ignorance when I started work deciding on an ethical fund with 2% fee (because 2% is low, right?). Made a similar decision with super (because everyone beat the market, they are all around the same. 2% seems to be a reasonable fee, right?).

So I was looking for ways to save money for a $10k bike. I started to look into shares again. I am not sure what I saw first, but it was related to returns of the share market. In the ensuing rabbit hole of research I landed on some info about FIRE (somewhere in coming across Bogle, Thornhill, ETFs including the indexed ones, and MMM) which has driven the rabbit hole even further. I discovered the implications of the maths behind saving $10-$30 a day (I think I have reduced my monthly spend down from $2k by a few hundred).

I also discovered that what I had known about shares was mostly wrong. I had never played the ASX stock market game, but I was curious about how to do well at it. As I now discovered, the game is only weeks long (plus other restrictions). The game was not rigged, it was just dumb. I now know that the proper way to play the stock market is not with waveform like daytrades, but with a much longer term view.

So, I now have a few thousand in shares, but still under $10k total. My self-imposed loan system is in an interesting state as the balance has been used to buy shares. I still want to buy the bike but the calculated savings compared to my current one have evaporated because: (a) I no longer have to appear at random places for interviews (b) my employer pays for my public transport costs and (c) Although I grew up riding a push-bike and have continued to do so, I was using my motorbike once a week and now has been reduced to less than once a week through increased pushbike riding.

I wasn't intending this to be that long, but it turned out that way.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lastdazeman on May 18, 2019, 03:34:34 PM
Dear Denizens of MMM Forums:

I am newly arrived here today.

I have recently started reading and listening to podcasts about financial independence and retiring early. I heard about Mister Money Mustache from the ChooseFI podcasts.

In spite of our mistakes, God has blessed my spouse and I financially. We should be able to retire soon in our early 60s. 

I look forward to learning from you all and I hope I can share things you all find useful and/or interesting.

Yours Truly,

Ldm
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BillyBob48 on May 20, 2019, 11:58:43 AM
Hi Moustachians:

BillyBob here. I'm about 5 years away from retiring, one kid going to college this year, another one heading out in 3 years. This forum is too cool, a place I wish I had found earlier. I'm a cheapskate in general, and sticking it to the "man" is my favorite hobby. So, I couldn't believe it when I read how cheap y'all are, I thought it was just me. I keep my thermostat at 62 degrees F, 55 degrees at night. People are cold in my house (throw on a sweater you wuss).

Anyway, why do I have to verify each posting? I wanna be efficient, what do I have to do to stop verifying?

BB48
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dutchhiker on May 21, 2019, 01:46:25 PM
Hi,

My name is Roel and I am living in the Netherlands. I am father of two girls and a software developer. Are there more people from NL here?

Roel
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MrGrossGoatee on May 22, 2019, 05:00:06 PM
Hi!  I currently live in Portland, OR, but grew up in Colorado, in a town right by MMM!  I've definitely considered the FIRE path before, but only recently have I ventured down the MMM rabbit hole.  Right now, I'm trying to become more disciplined in my frugality, and find other ways to earn/save money so I can leave the corporate machine and live life! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mathieu on May 24, 2019, 02:33:52 AM
Hi all,

First of all thanks for all this wealth of information, it really helped me.

I'm 41 from France, married, 2 young kids.

I just submitted my resignation and will walk out of corporate life in 45 days.

We'll relocate to Canada and enjoy life one day at a time. Life is good.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RQSouthFire on May 26, 2019, 12:44:28 AM
Hello!  Former lurker for several years.  Mid-40’s living in the western US in an M/HCOL city.  Worked in IT/software for several decades.  Currently in software management for an AlmostMegaCorp.

Close to FIRE and decided to post for the first time!


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Enough on May 26, 2019, 05:05:05 AM
Hello!  Former lurker for several years.  Mid-40’s living in the western US in an M/HCOL city.  Worked in IT/software for several decades.  Currently in software management for an AlmostMegaCorp.

Close to FIRE and decided to post for the first time!

Welcome and congrats on being close!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: affable on May 27, 2019, 03:14:07 PM
Hi everybody! I found out about Mr. Money Mustache by research and then it was mentioned several times on ChooseFI podcast. I have recently started a blog, www.affablewellness.com. I am so excited! I am a millennial definitely seeking FI and I am so excited to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tplg43 on May 29, 2019, 02:02:47 AM
Hi all,

John here from US.
Was once quite close to FIRE, but some shitty investment choices came across..

I am now in my mid-40s looking to grow a business and use that cash flow to seek for FIRE in the future..

Anyways here is my brand selling bracelets & backpacks: https://topologie.com

Nice to meet you all :D
Title: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rkamon511 on May 29, 2019, 03:01:45 PM
Hey all!

My name is Renee, and DH introduced me to this. He stumbled across the FIRE movement, and we have started down the path.

We don’t have a specific date for our retirement yet, but have been making changes to get to debt free!

We have two boxers, and live in the Pittsburgh area. Hoping to be in Florida by the end of the year.

For me, I have roughly $46k in debt right now. About $4k of that in a car loan (so close to payoff!!) and the rest in student loans. We are lucky to be mortgage free at this point.

I am looking forward to speaking with more of you and can’t wait to see what all I learn from the forum.

Have a good one!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cubby08 on June 01, 2019, 06:17:41 PM
Hi, Richard here. My wife and I live in the NY metro area. We're been following this forum for a year now and made a lot of positive adjustments but first time posting. Thinking of joining the 2029 FIRE thread or thereabouts!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: retiredvietnam on June 03, 2019, 04:04:19 AM
I'm William, and I am here to get advices to get retired earlier. I would like to live in SEA. Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bodrey on June 03, 2019, 06:45:38 PM
Hi Mr. and Mrs. MM,

My name's Mike. I'm new to MMM as of today. I'm a fellow Canadian like Peter. Hoping to find tips and inspiration from fellow readers about ways to save and invest smarter and build wealth.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ctuser1 on June 04, 2019, 11:08:09 AM
Hi all,

I’m ctuser1. New to mr money mustache. Joined a few weeks ago, and already got into some tiffs :-)..

I am a code-monkey, as is DW. So we got the earning side covered despite being in a VHCOL area of the US. I think I’m also good with investments.

I used to think we are good savers. But boy, was I wrong!!

The biggest eye opener for me has been the APowers grocery thread. I don’t expect to ever reach that level of frugality, but knowing what is possible gives me a lot of hope.

I also got to show that thread to my wife (who thinks she is very frugal) and tease her  about our $800/mo grocery bill for 4 people. Of course, she blamed me back saying I am the root cause of that because I demand to eat a lot of pricey seafood and stuff - blowing up her budget!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Peach on June 05, 2019, 11:51:53 AM
Hi all!

I'm Peach.  The username is short and sweet, but it is also an anagram.  I stopped working at age 40, which was more than a few years ago.

I've always been frugal, and it has served me well.  Husband and I spend next to nothing on stuff but will spend a little more if required on healthy food -- very little more because we buy on sale, of course. 

We'll never be rich, but we have more than enough to live very good lives and to have the things that are important to us.

Nice to meet everyone!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JohnnyBongo on June 06, 2019, 01:36:48 PM
Hi All,

My friends call me Johnny Bongo. I've been interested in living frugally and mindfully for a long time. Been a reader for a couple of years, but I finally felt I should put some skin in the game, so to speak, and start on the forum. I've spent the last couple years working part time as a bicycle mechanic, so throw your bike questions my way.

Best,

JB
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: techwiz on June 06, 2019, 04:05:14 PM
Hi all!

I'm Peach.  The username is short and sweet, but it is also an anagram.  I stopped working at age 40, which was more than a few years ago.

I've always been frugal, and it has served me well.  Husband and I spend next to nothing on stuff but will spend a little more if required on healthy food -- very little more because we buy on sale, of course. 

We'll never be rich, but we have more than enough to live very good lives and to have the things that are important to us.

Nice to meet everyone!

Welcome to the forum.  My guess on the anagram is "cheap"  ,but I prefer the term you used "frugal". 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Peach on June 07, 2019, 02:52:37 PM
Hi all!

I'm Peach.  The username is short and sweet, but it is also an anagram.  I stopped working at age 40, which was more than a few years ago.

I've always been frugal, and it has served me well.  Husband and I spend next to nothing on stuff but will spend a little more if required on healthy food -- very little more because we buy on sale, of course. 

We'll never be rich, but we have more than enough to live very good lives and to have the things that are important to us.

Nice to meet everyone!

Welcome to the forum.  My guess on the anagram is "cheap"  ,but I prefer the term you used "frugal".

Thanks for the welcome, techwiz.  You are correct, the anagram is "cheap".  I also prefer the term "frugal" to "cheap".  At least "cheap" doesn't sound bad when it's rearranged as "peach".

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jadzia37000 on June 08, 2019, 08:01:31 AM
Hi, I'm from France, hoping to find other people living here who are interested in FIRE.  It's not the dominant mindset here for sure.  I became a partner in my firm, well, today, and fortunately my (law) partner and I have the same timeline to retirement (aggressively shooting for five years), the same balance on our mortgages, and pretty much the same "number."  Now we just have to come up with a strategy. 

I don't know the first thing about investing in France except that "assurance vie" is not life insurance and because nobody here seems to seriously save, asking for guidance or a signpost from friends and family and even bankers has not been a fruitful approach.  What I want to do is find an index fund for the Bourse, if such a thing exists. What I'm getting frustrated enough to do is just say forget it and open the standard Charles Schwab account for furr'ners that would let me invest in an American index fund.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: londonbanker on June 09, 2019, 12:53:50 AM
Hi, I'm from France, hoping to find other people living here who are interested in FIRE.  It's not the dominant mindset here for sure.  I became a partner in my firm, well, today, and fortunately my (law) partner and I have the same timeline to retirement (aggressively shooting for five years), the same balance on our mortgages, and pretty much the same "number."  Now we just have to come up with a strategy. 

I don't know the first thing about investing in France except that "assurance vie" is not life insurance and because nobody here seems to seriously save, asking for guidance or a signpost from friends and family and even bankers has not been a fruitful approach.  What I want to do is find an index fund for the Bourse, if such a thing exists. What I'm getting frustrated enough to do is just say forget it and open the standard Charles Schwab account for furr'ners that would let me invest in an American index fund.
Bienvenue sur le forum.
I am French too and currently living in London. I am expecting to be FI in 3 years (2/22/2022) and likely to retire then. My plan as it stands is to retire in France (at least for now). The investment community there clearly isn’t as developed as it is in the UK/US, that’s for sure, but I am starting to do my research in preparation for that. Send me a private message to talk further if you want, hopefully we can share resources in finding out the best way to manage our assets in a tax efficient way and to protect it from the proverbial French tax system.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sillysassy on June 10, 2019, 12:31:45 AM
hi! love this website.
due to my work, i travel between USA and asia quite a lot.
as u can guess, i gave in to temptations early in my life and spend quite a lot, given that i travel so much.

now i am trying to reduce my expenses, save up more, get more passive income channels and slowly FIRE. :D
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: numbersgame on June 10, 2019, 07:17:42 AM
I've been reading the MMM blog for years but somehow only just discovered the forum! I've been posting on Bogleheads forum for years and feel like this is a lot more relevant, so thanks for having me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gsx1138 on June 10, 2019, 02:30:11 PM
Hello everyone.

I feel a little late to the part as I'm about to turn 50 and other than my State retirement and Roth IRA (that I just started) I have no investments and still pay a mortgage.  I'm hoping to find out whether to pay off my house or just start investing now.

My goal at this point, being all old and stuff, is to try and only work part time by the time I'm 60.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bethann88 on June 12, 2019, 03:45:16 PM
Definitely late to the party here. Mostly just overwhelmed at this point -- we don't spend much (could cut a little, but no TV, no vacations, cheap groceries, cheap old car, etc) but don't make enough either to pay off our crushing debt, not to mention starting to save in our late 30s. We've just realized how bad things are too late. I know we're supposed to be outrageously optimistic here, but if anyone can point me to Worst Case Scenario coping to-do lists, that'd be grand.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Treedream on June 15, 2019, 04:55:55 PM
Hello everyone!

My name here is Treedream, 27, F, and I'm from The Netherlands. I was raised by very common sense people who gave me quite a saver's mentality. It's really cool to see other people with big dreams and tight fists :)

I save and pay of debt at a rate of 40% of my median take-home income at the moment. I look forward to buying a house and am curious to start this mysterious thing called investing.

Cheerio!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: firestarter2018 on June 16, 2019, 09:12:10 PM
Been lurking on the forums for a few years now, so maybe it's time to introduce myself?  36, F, Pacific NW, married with two kids. Working on my 'stache with hopes of RE'ing in 5-10 years. YNAB 4EVA.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RainChild256 on June 17, 2019, 12:59:20 PM
Hi.

Varun here from India.

I haven't really gotten out from behind my mother's apron yet. I'm just about to start my coursework for my Bachelor's.

I found this place through Reddit's r/financialindependence.

Nice to meet you; please take care of me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TarHeelinTX on June 19, 2019, 09:03:09 AM
Hi Everyone!

Im 32, M, and recently moved to Austin from North Carolina for a new job (thus the name). I started with Dave Ramsey and just got rid of all my debt and am now aiming higher for FIRE.  Joining the forum for some newbie investing advice and community in general.  We (my wife and I) don't lead a lavish lifestyle but there is room for optimization for sure!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ananddrox on June 19, 2019, 03:35:23 PM
Hi,

My name is Anand, newbie here, following MMM for sometime now.

Best blog post I have read - Getting rich: from zero to hero in one blog post

Want to know more about the mustachian way of life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Crommm on June 24, 2019, 04:58:48 PM
Hi I'm Crommm and I live under a mountain and laugh at Subatai's four winds.

Age 44.  Former US military, DoD contractor, now state civil servant in one of the flyover states.  No debt other than mortgage, which is pretty high at $268k and $2130/mo.  Property taxes in this town are a bummer.  9 year old Ford F150 that I'm still not ready to trade in for a Prius (can you imagine Crommm driving around in a...Prius?).  I'll just have to start riding the (totally manly) bike to work.

Just getting around to opening up my Vanguard accounts and dropping my savings in there.  In the process of setting up regular paycheck transfers.  Also have a Thrift Savings Plan account and an IRA that I can't touch till retirement age.  Ditto the pension I invest in each month.  My goal is just to keep cutting costs and shoveling the savings into my Vanguard 60/40 spread.

Looking for a good side hustle that makes financial sense and isn't a lot of bullcrap minimum-wage gig-economy stuff.  I do cybersecurity for a living so could maybe consult on the side...

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: savedandsaving on June 29, 2019, 07:22:00 AM
Hey all! Copywriter age 24 here, married to a video editor/colorist age 27. Already posted a case study with our detailed situation, but wanted to do a formal introduction here as well :) Been casually browsing MMM for a few months now. We’re newly married and really want to go FIRE asap so we can parent our future kids well! It’s slow going right now but we’ve already made some great spending and living changes. Especially happy to chat with any other youngins or slightly lower earners—we gotta stick together 💪
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sonochoshi on June 29, 2019, 07:42:38 PM
Hi, I'm sitting at my computer at work right now, with a "Retirement  Countdown" clock displayed on my screen.  Right now it reads "5 days, 05 hours, 21 minutes" with a picture of a hammock on a tiny island with two palm trees.  So, I have 5 days left and I'm out of the working world!
My name is Shon, living in Seattle, but "living" to be outdoors and go backpacking.  In a few weeks I'll be hiking the Gallatin Crest Trail in Montana.  Life is grand.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LadyDarkKitten on June 29, 2019, 08:25:41 PM
Hi I'm Amanda,

I have been following MMM off and on for the last couple of years with no way to act on it. My shit is complicated lol.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ico on July 02, 2019, 07:04:21 AM
Hi all,

I'm new to this community, and wishing to join the FIRE'd someday. Currently I'm not able to see how it's possible for me, but I'm inspired by all the folks here.

I'm a 35 year old unmarried physician who just finished "training" (fellowship after residency) to become a pediatric oncologist. I graduated 2 days ago. I almost broke several times during training and realized along the way that all of the stress and pressure is not worth it, but am doing the same job for at least another year (but by a different name, "Instructorship" it's called, with a 40% increase in salary) for complicated reasons, while trying to work my way out of 6-figure student loan debt, and looking forward to a discharge from bankruptcy within a few months (long story). Would love to hear stories from former crash-and-burners for more inspiration!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DadzillaGorilla on July 02, 2019, 07:13:08 AM
(posted on FIRE 2020 before introduction....apologies :) )

Hi All,

First post on webpage so here goes...

Not sure if I will RE in 2020, but sure am going to be financially independent. I am an accountant in Financial Services, but have also run small enterprises outside of work for many years. I am currently 35, and have intended to retire at 40 for most of my life, but am making moves to bring this forward should I wish.

I worked 60 hours in McDonalds while doing my university degree and have always been considerate with my money. I have never been a big spender (grew up on a council estate and got used to be thrifty due to a poor upbringing), and as such I save around 70% of my salary putting into Pension/Share ISA/Property/Crypto/Antiques/Art etc while still never thinking "I would like something" but can't have it.

Some of my biggest savings are not buying clothes from a retail store, but everything comes from second hand/vintage stores, as well as driving a 96 Volkswagen that I own and would not spend on a car due to loss of depreciation and Tax instantly.

Anyway, enough of an intro, here is to FI in 2020 and RE whenever my boss annoys me too much to continue :)

Any questions give me a shout :)


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: beksonfire on July 03, 2019, 05:52:57 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forums, logging in from Adelaide South Australia. I'm fairly new to Mustachianism having only encountered it late last year but naturally frugal so this has been more about focusing on a tantalising goal for me. A fairly large mortgage (in my eyes) is pushing out my FIRE date for now so I'm getting creative with savings strategies to make the most of things.

Looking forward to interacting with you all on the forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sathera on July 04, 2019, 03:30:16 PM
Hello everyone!

I am Sathera, and I am new to FIRE. I have been going along for about 2 months now. I used to work in sales and got a bit burned out. So looking for an out I started studying economics. I have always been a spender at heart so the change is proving somewhat of a challenge for me.

However, I am slowly improving and stopped a few categories already. It has not been all bad spending as checking my 10 year income stream it has not been a high income. I have averaged out 320.000 NOK (32.000 USD) per year for the last 10 years. I am 30 years old so it was a bit higher the last 2 years.

My biggest spending outside of nessesities are eating out. By a solid margin. Other than that I actually don`t spend as much as I probably should on clothing and other stuff. (Mostly clothing.) I use a buss for transportation, and do not own a car.

So my monthly budget should look something like this. (In Norwegian kroners)

Rent:       5.000,-
Phone:       450,- (There us a interest free contract on a financed phone in there at 200,-)
Gym:       279,-
Food:       3.500,-
Entertainment: 1000,-
Other:       1000,-
Total:      11.229,-

Hoever, I have been way overspending on entertainment So my real spending is closer to 16.000,- per month. The two categories that kill my budget are eating out and food. I am a foodie and tend to buy some expensive ingredients from time to time. Nothing excessive like truffles. But a fine steak and the like.

As a way to combat my foodie eating out and overspending at home, I wanna try and do a 0 food waste month. Also I want to learn to prepare some cheaper foods that are still amazing. Therefore I have taker up a lot of Italian food lately. I also want to explore Indian and Asian foods more.
I am also currently a student and my total income fluctuates a bit but is averaged out 17.000,- (NOK) I am taking out a student loan, but in Norway where I live the government refunds 40% of it after a finished education. So it is actually a pretty good deal. I will finish in little over a year with 300.000,- in debt from my education. My hope is to have saved enough to be able to kill that loan in a year after finishing.
My goals:
1: Get an emergency fund of 50.000,-
2: Reach restaurant FI. (I made this term up, but it is where my investments can cover entertainment.)
3: Reach barista FI
4: FIRE!
I am hoping to get to all of them in 10 years, I think once I get to work I can leverage a greater income to save a lot more money. 

Anyways, I am looking forward to getting to know you all, and best wishes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AnxietyFly on July 07, 2019, 06:54:24 PM
Hello, I'm new to this Fire strategy. Looking forward to this new forum. I am almost forty and started following this movement this year. I've been around the block using other strategies on finance.  I enjoy reading what other people are saying. 

I'm a big follower on boglehead and dave ramsey. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nini01 on July 08, 2019, 04:10:16 PM
Hello all,

I am nini. 30 years old. Married with one child. We have a car loan and besides the usual phone, cable, etc no other debt. We have been saving to buy a home.
We live in the bay area in CA so that has become a bit harder in the last few years, but we are still saving.

I have a very small 401k from old job and would like to start saving more for college, home, and retirement just not sure which steps to take first.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mtnmills on July 10, 2019, 07:53:53 AM
Hello,

My family and I are finally FI after 13 years of investing and living low.  We ended up renting out our house (which we built ourselves) and selling everything before setting off on an 8 year trip around the world.  Sounds expensive but it is much cheaper than staying home in the US.  We are able to rent apartments or houses for 1/3 the cost of the US.  Food is more like 1/5 of the cost.  Healthcare is good and ridiculously cheap.  We are meeting so many people who retired down in Mexico.  None of them even remotely consider going back. It is nothing like we were told in the US. You could live comfortably on Social Security as long as you avoid the tourist spots.  Our next step is selling the house and moving into different investments, releasing the final anchor.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: freedomseeker254 on July 15, 2019, 08:20:58 AM
Hello!

Taking my life in a whole new direction with my FI goals. I grabbed the freedom part and left corporate america to pursue my small business. Unfortunately, the last two years of being full-time self-employed have come with a LOT of financial stress and going back to living paycheck to paycheck, despite conservative and organized accounting systems. Just not enough coming IN.

I jumped onto some calculators last night and OH BOY am I excited to ride this ride! I had been very sad about going back to a salaried position and losing my lifestyle of freedom and flexibility, but after seeing how close I potentially am with a high savings rate, I'm now excited (?) about going back. I'm viewing the job as a tool to get me to where I want to be. And that's a place with no money worry.

Then I can go back to doing work that I love and living a simple life, but without financial stress.

I currently have a net worth of 46k. I've been living on 2k/month and can potentially save even more. I'll be going to a job that pays 80k and does a 401k match. So the giant increase in available money to put away is very encouraging. I'll also keep my two businesses as side hustles and will conservatively bring in an additional 20k/year.

The questions I'm currently looking for answers to are around maxing out tax advantaged savings accounts. Doing research on the various FIRE blogs right now. I have a solo 401k that I just opened for my business.

Looking for camaraderie, understanding, community, and support from people who "get it."

Danielle
Minnesota
age 30
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Impatient Saver on July 17, 2019, 07:13:05 AM
Howdy folks! Impatient Saver here. Late-30s. Married with 4 young-uns. Single income family. Currently executing the plan...the maths tell me I'll have waaay more than I need once I shed the golden handcuffs that keep all us mid-career feds in line, but man it's tough sticking it out sometimes.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Custom Concern on July 18, 2019, 03:51:20 PM
Hi everyone. Thought it would be fun to bury my first post in this Introduce Yourself thread.

Shout out to myself fifteen years older and FIREing. I'm so proud of you future Custom Concern!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Logans on July 19, 2019, 01:15:23 PM
Hi everyone,

I am Logan, I retired in 2005 seven months before turning 30yo.  The same year I moved from California to Vancouver - Canada, a place I love.  In 2017 I inherited a house with a ¼ acre of land in Italy so I decided to move there and enjoy the big garden.

These days I am having fun learning how to grow my fruits and vegetables and preserving them. At the moment I am living off 1% of the income generated from my investments, which are mainly in real estates.  I am saving the remaining 3% to increase my real estate portfolio. I don’t own a car, the garden is cutting in half my grocery bill and it also provides the perfect daily workout. I like to create my own clothes so at the moment my expenses are really low.

Here where I live I don’t know anyone of my age who is retired so I was extremely happy to find a community of like-minded people.

If you have any questions on frugal healthy eating or life in Italy, send them my way I will be happy to answer.

Nice to meet you all!

- Logan
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bmjohnson35 on July 20, 2019, 11:09:38 AM
Hi Everyone,

I'm 49 and my spouse 59, we will be retiring early 2020 or early 2021.  We have been debt free for some time now and own our home. We are presently soaking up as much knowledge from the FI community as possible in preparation for the transition.  We will likely kick-off retirement with a road trip across America and then figure out from there how we want to structure our lives.

B&M
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JMarie on July 20, 2019, 10:59:28 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm Jessie, my husband is Casey. I'm 25, he's 30. We live in Texas with our cat and our 3yo daughter.

We suck at finances and are trying to turn that around. We both made mistakes before and during our relationship, but don't have a ton of debt compared to others. Our credit could definitely be improved, and most of all, we need to stick to a budget that involves saving, and get out of the paycheck to paycheck cycle we're in due to poor planning.

I have recently jumped into a business idea I've had for a few years, after being a SAHM and realizing that doesn't work for me, in the spiritual counseling/holistic healing field.

My ultimate goal is to help my husband retire early (in the next 10 years if possible) because he has been amazing taking care of me in so many ways while I haven't been working, and he's much better at homemaking than I am. If he chooses not to, that's fine too, of course, but I'd like the option to be there because he deserves it, plus all the mental stress that is gone if you don't have to worry about money.

I look forward to learning more from this forum, and gaining (and hopefully giving!) inspiration along the way!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Riikka on July 21, 2019, 02:58:53 AM
Dear Moustachians,

After reading the blog and peeking at the forum for years, I finally took the step to register.

I aim to live frugally not only to gain financial independence but also to share the limited resources of our only livable planet the best way possible, avoiding unnecessary consumption. I live in Finland where I've been provided with Master's level education without ending up in huge debts (except the ecological we all share), work remotely most of the time, own a house with a mortgage with a current <1% interest rate, don't own a car, etc. It seems that without FI specifically as a goal, the money-conscious lifestyle is little-by-little "buying" me more and more freedom to pursue things that are meaningful without needing to just "have a job". Well, even currently I feel blessed working in a position where I can contribute to something that I find meaningful.

Thank you for everyone keeping the community so alive!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: universick on July 22, 2019, 04:08:26 PM
I'm excited to formally join the community here after lurking on and off for about a year. I've learned a lot about personal finance, and am still figuring out what my priorities are. MMM provides some regular much-needed perspective in my life.

I come from YNAB, if you've never tried it, it's excellent.

I look forward to a future where regularly discussing personal finance with friends and family is completely normal and expected!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: januarian on July 22, 2019, 08:22:06 PM
Hi everyone!

I am excited to start participating in this community! I'm generally a lurker, but I've become so determined and excited about the concept of financial independence that I can't sit on the sidelines any longer :)

I'm a pretty high earner (~$150k/yr) in a super demanding field (I'm an aerospace engineer) and while I haven't made any egregious financial mistakes, I'm also definitely not where I could be with this salary and that makes me feel frustrated at my younger self (I'm sure many people here can relate to that sentiment). I'm looking forward to finding some new accountability partners on the journey to break free of the cycle of consumerism!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CastaMario on July 25, 2019, 08:47:19 AM
Hello,glad to be a part of this community
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JessVibes on July 26, 2019, 07:27:58 AM
Hi Everyone,

I'm Jess, I live in NJ and I work in an office in Philly and would like to get out of debt and be FI. I love the Grateful Dead and DMB and would love to one day visit every state!

I currently use YNAB and I'm learning my MMM style after being introduced to the site about a week ago.

I hope to get some guidance and hopefully one day be in a position to help others!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: slow hand slow plan on July 26, 2019, 11:27:00 AM
Hi,

I have been a member here for a while but i dont think i ever posted here. I am a musician and work in an office and am hoping to retire early and focus more on music.
34M colorado
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dotsolomon on July 27, 2019, 12:26:23 PM
Hi Everyone,
My name is Solomon, 24 starting out on a software engineering career. since coming across the FIRE movement on reddit i have been greatly motivated and i hope to fire in 15 to 20years. I'm happy to connect and interact with as many already gone FIREd or about to. thanks guys
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BenSherman on July 30, 2019, 05:38:15 AM
Hi everyone,

26-year-old software engineer here. Recently relocated to Boulder, Colorado from metro-Detroit, Michigan, and am in a whole heap of debt from living a typical ultra-consumer lifestyle. I've been reading MMM for 6 months or so, and am totally inspired to stop buying stuff and start buying our freedom. Bonus: I've got my girlfriend excited about early retirement as well!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Poiss on July 31, 2019, 02:18:29 PM
Hi

My name is Antoine and I've just joined the forum although I've followed the blog for a little while now.
I'm looking to drastically increase my % of savings in the coming months and looking to this forum for guidance.

I'm 33 and currently living in LA, although that could change soon.

Cheers
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: firebrand on August 01, 2019, 06:20:40 AM
Hello Everyone,

I've been learning so much from all the time I've spent reading topics of interest in this forum. At 59 I'm a little outside the age range of what most of you would consider early for retirement, but I'm happy to be where I am today. My plan is to take terminal leave sometime in December 2020 with my last official day as Dec 31st. If I get anxious then I might take my leave as a celebration of my 60th birthday in the spring of 2020.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cloudgirl on August 01, 2019, 09:01:08 PM
Hello!
I'm CloudGirl. I'm almost 28 and am a new comer to this blog, but have obsessively read 70% of all the posts in less than a week. I appreciate all the advice and insight I've gained from MMM and the mustachian lifestyle. I have zero debt and have needed a wake up call on what to do with my savings and mutual funds that total to $31k. Thankful for all that I've learnt and continue to learn from this community!

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: brunetteUK on August 02, 2019, 06:35:28 AM
Hello everyone!

I've been a member for years and even started a journal but never really introduced myself.

I live in London, UK and I'm 30 years old. I work in finance, live with my lovely flatmate and have close family living in 2 other continents.

Money wise all is good, trying to get the right balance between money and value, and also, defining my priorities so the money works to support that.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: monkeykoder on August 02, 2019, 02:55:33 PM
Hello.  Currently 33 and $17000 in credit card debt.  Finally realized the exponentially increasing emergency I've been in for the last 10 years. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mowine on August 02, 2019, 06:46:49 PM
Hi All,
I'm Sam and just retired this May. Last job was at a biotech firm, working as a research scientist. My handle refers to my old habit of collecting wine. I visit every so often when I have a question re medical/vision care and the like and to read the fun posts when someone FIREs or needs a facepunch :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JohnSmithK on August 08, 2019, 04:51:25 AM
Hi
I am John from Australia.
I am 31 years old and currently working as a stock market researcher and analyst. I have been into this field from the past 8 years as stock markets and its numbers attracted me. I am an investor too investing in various sectors of the stock market such as Lithium stocks, best asx penny stocks, asx gold stocks, asx tech stocks, etc.

I would love to help someone if they need any assistance on the same.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: toubabserer on August 08, 2019, 03:36:18 PM
Hi everyone.

New to this amazing world I just discovered :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Investment Viking on August 09, 2019, 09:04:17 AM
Hi!

I am a 29 year old viking from a small european country called Estonia. Working in the software development field and starting to think about FI more and more as i go forwarded.

As a single guy i have managed to live very frugally until now and am looking for ways to accelarate my road to FI and maybe eventually will add RE to it. The only debt i have ever had besides mortgage was a 2000€ student loan that i paid back years ago. After that i started raising money for an apartment.. Now i am in a position where i am looking for some wisdom from other people who are either in pursuit of FI or already FIREd up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sayonara on August 09, 2019, 03:18:14 PM
Hello Hello - Simon here, 28yo a longtime MMM reader in Los Angeles, just joining the party to say hello and connect with my fellow Mustachians. Am working on perfecting the mustachian lifestyle in LA - a sometimes vast and inhospitable place for special creatures like us - and am just a couple years out from FI from my time spent in real estate. Looking forward to connecting!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tensixmom on August 11, 2019, 05:38:53 PM
Hi- I found this site a couple weeks ago and find it fascinating.  I am too hold to RE but FI would be great so I look forward to reading along and getting advice!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Knightmagic on August 12, 2019, 12:15:12 PM
hey everyone I'm Travis Knight and i'm new to the Mustachian lifestyle and FI movement. I just finished reading through every article! Took me longer than most of you amazing people I'm sure (around 6 months). I've purchased a dolomite fat tire bike and a cruiser style trike for my wife. We love to take them to our local grocery store and I ride them to my gym. I've been trying to figure out a way to add a home gym to my apartment.  My wife isn't fully on board with this new lifestyle but she's starting to see the perks, our lower debt and a steady bank account balance that isn't usually empty. Bills are paid and life is better! We have a long way to go (i'm 34 and she's 29). We have a goal to be retired by the time I am 50. We have so far paid off our $7,000 in credit card debt and are now working on how to get out of our terrible auto-loan. Have a great day everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: seeyalater on August 12, 2019, 02:56:10 PM
Hi. I'm Seeylater.

I just discovered this awesome website and plan on starting each morning reading a few articles.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Wistea on August 14, 2019, 05:11:33 AM
Hi community, my name is Holand, I live in Clifton, NJ.
I enjoy riding and swimming
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Brianmcg321 on August 17, 2019, 03:13:59 PM
Hello.

46 years old. My wife and I have been debt free for over ten years and have been saving 20% of our income. I have decided that isn't enough, and have been contemplating early retirement, so I came across MMM somehow through some internet searches or YouTube videos.

We are now devising a plan of saving 40% for the next ten years. At that time our house will be paid off (we are doubling payments), and we will have enough saved in a gap fund to get us to 60 when we can access our retirement accounts.

Thanks
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Islander973 on August 19, 2019, 03:22:28 AM
Hello everyone!

It's a great pleasure to see all you great souls in one place!  My name is Adam and I live and work in a tiny desert island in the Middle East.

Im 38 years old, married, with a beautiful 1 year old daughter. I aim to retire by 45 and quit as soon as possible. I work as a Startup Counselor and Marketing Expert for an IGO (employed). I previously ran my own business, and dabbled in writing (published writer).  Most of the Middle East is tax free (indirect taxes and VAT - thats it) so I am completely illiterate and lost when I read about financial planning here!

I spend my time reading, hanging out with family, playing with my Jack Russell, and offroading in my jeep. I ride my Ducati during the winter. Yes, I have much to learn.

This is what I'm seeking: (in no specific order)

1. Less work, stress, and pain. More priority to family, travel, reading, being. I suffer from long term depression, anxiety, and chronic migraines. I also had 2 bouts with skin cancer. It changes you. May God keep you all safe!

2. Inner reconciliation between my spirituality and wage/money/materialism slavery. Taking the time to address subjects of personal fulfillment, purpose, and explore methods of positive contribution to humanity.. and pursue them in a way that is productive and enjoyable. (Work in progress)

3. Methods of building financial autonomy. I accept advice and wire transfers.

4. Connect with nature and live a more meaningful, empathic, and responsible life. This part includes minimalism/frugality/eco-living/immigration.

5. A MENTOR. Someone (online) who can offer direction, inspiration, or anything at all that would help. It's a tiny island.

Quick questions!
- Is there somewhere (or someone) on this forum who I can present my case to? Financial, life direction, relocation? anything!
- Are there are any "group initiatives" that put us together and accommodate our similar goals? Partnerships, collaborations, residential solutions etc?

My best,
Adam
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dollar Slice on August 19, 2019, 01:10:42 PM
Quick questions!
- Is there somewhere (or someone) on this forum who I can present my case to? Financial, life direction, relocation? anything!
- Are there are any "group initiatives" that put us together and accommodate our similar goals? Partnerships, collaborations, residential solutions etc?

There is a forum for case studies where you can write up a post describing your situation in detail and ask for help: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/case-studies/

The "Throw Down the Gauntlet" section (here: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/ ) is where people try to achieve goals in groups, e.g. saving a certain sum of money or exercising every day or not using a car. Not sure if that fits what you're looking for in your second question or if you were looking for something more concrete.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ecchastang on August 20, 2019, 11:15:37 AM
Hello from right in Mr. Money Mustache's backyard, Longmont CO.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dicey on August 21, 2019, 01:06:36 PM
Hello everyone!

I am Sathera, and I am new to FIRE. I have been going along for about 2 months now. I used to work in sales and got a bit burned out. So looking for an out I started studying economics. I have always been a spender at heart so the change is proving somewhat of a challenge for me.

However, I am slowly improving and stopped a few categories already. It has not been all bad spending as checking my 10 year income stream it has not been a high income. I have averaged out 320.000 NOK (32.000 USD) per year for the last 10 years. I am 30 years old so it was a bit higher the last 2 years.

My biggest spending outside of nessesities are eating out. By a solid margin. Other than that I actually don`t spend as much as I probably should on clothing and other stuff. (Mostly clothing.) I use a buss for transportation, and do not own a car.

So my monthly budget should look something like this. (In Norwegian kroners)

Rent:       5.000,-
Phone:       450,- (There us a interest free contract on a financed phone in there at 200,-)
Gym:       279,-
Food:       3.500,-
Entertainment: 1000,-
Other:       1000,-
Total:      11.229,-

Hoever, I have been way overspending on entertainment So my real spending is closer to 16.000,- per month. The two categories that kill my budget are eating out and food. I am a foodie and tend to buy some expensive ingredients from time to time. Nothing excessive like truffles. But a fine steak and the like.

As a way to combat my foodie eating out and overspending at home, I wanna try and do a 0 food waste month. Also I want to learn to prepare some cheaper foods that are still amazing. Therefore I have taker up a lot of Italian food lately. I also want to explore Indian and Asian foods more.
I am also currently a student and my total income fluctuates a bit but is averaged out 17.000,- (NOK) I am taking out a student loan, but in Norway where I live the government refunds 40% of it after a finished education. So it is actually a pretty good deal. I will finish in little over a year with 300.000,- in debt from my education. My hope is to have saved enough to be able to kill that loan in a year after finishing.
My goals:
1: Get an emergency fund of 50.000,-
2: Reach restaurant FI. (I made this term up, but it is where my investments can cover entertainment.)
3: Reach barista FI
4: FIRE!
I am hoping to get to all of them in 10 years, I think once I get to work I can leverage a greater income to save a lot more money. 

Anyways, I am looking forward to getting to know you all, and best wishes.
I see a birthday cake today! Happy birthday, @sathera
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Indulgency on August 28, 2019, 11:08:31 PM
Hi I'm Mark, a late 20 something guy living in the tri state area. While still relatively a newbie to my career in the financial industry, I've seen enough to know that the 'corporate-forever' lifestyle isn't for me. Having discovered MMM and the concept of FI about a year ago, I'm taking the necessary steps to secure a stable future and FI, devoid of compulsory 'busy' work and pointless meetings (I hate meetings). I'm here to learn and maybe even nudge a friend or two to this lifestyle.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MyAlterEgoIsTaller on August 30, 2019, 02:59:23 PM
Hi I'm Pat, from Vermont.  I'm new.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spam_sammich on September 02, 2019, 10:41:51 AM
Hi everyone, I'm Will.

Recently discovered MMM and am excited to start my path to FI!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: katcrews on September 07, 2019, 11:46:31 AM
Hi, I am Katie. I was lost in a sea of materialism. I have been rescued.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nancyfrank232 on September 07, 2019, 11:40:13 PM
Hello from Canada

I’m in my 40s, married with 1 child and I know that I can retire

Because I did retire. On a couple of occasions, and for 2 years each time, I retired and planned never to return to the workforce. But I was one of the unfortunate few who eventually became so bored in retirement that I went back to work

During these “Retire Early” trials I started going to bed later and later, until I found myself going to sleep when the sun came up. Personal grooming eventually fell off a cliff and I went out in my PJs (the pants at least, sometimes I wore a hoodie or jacket)

I also got lazy. With no schedule, I spent my time gaming, reading, eating and getting fat (Today I still game and read but I eat healthier and am no longer fat)

Travel became boring. The problem was that I was never a history or architecture buff. In yet another foreign city I commented to my DW that you could just replace all the street signs in whatever language you wanted and tell me that I was in whatever country - it all looked and felt the same. Same old churches, temples and buildings. Same restaurant feel - rustic or modern. Same materials/layout of hotels or bed and breakfast. Same airports and planes. Same tourist traps. All same. Beach vacations were worse. All same, but faster

I took up a couple hobbies, but none required 16 hours a day, every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, which is how much time I had

Friends suggested many things that I wouldn’t do even if somebody paid me - arts and crafts, clean the house, learn a language, learn an instrument, sit in a lecture hall, work around the home, gardening, hiking, etc. I would rather just go back to work if I had to do those things. I hate doing all those things

Another unforeseen problem was the lack of social interaction with co-workers and friends. And finding people in my 30s and 40s who weren’t busy with work, raising children or both was impossible. Nobody was able to meet with me during the free time that I had available - which was any time, all the time. They could only meet on weekends (maybe) or for lunch (infrequently)

The experience of retiring was priceless nonetheless. I now know what to expect

Financial Stuff

If there was a study to show that financial freedom is based on luck, I would be Exhibit A

My tax knowledge is low. My investing knowledge is slightly higher, but still low. I am carried 99% by my temperament and 1% by low-grade arithmetic

I typically work 20-24 hours a week at Fortune 500 MegaCorp. During a busy week I work 40.  I’m efficient and work from home. I’m not an executive and don’t manage people. I would hate that. I don’t work for the pay. In fact I don’t spend any of it. It all gets banked (I’ll get to that later).

I have a NW of a little over $5m with no debt

I have US index funds,  BRKb stock, US RE, my primary residence (CAN RE), and cash. Equity/RE/cash split is approximately 30%/60%/10%

I’m both a market timer and regular investor of low-fee US index funds via MegaCorp’s DCPP

I market timed a few things:

1. During the tech crash by buying BRBb pre-reverse-split from $2400 down to $1400

2. CAN RE during our real estate downturn in the 1990s

3. Low fee US index funds during the Great Recession (done in my Canadian Registered Retirement Savings Account and MegaCorp’s DCPP)

4. US rental real estate during the Great Recession. I achieved my goal of replacing my annual cashflow needs for my household with these rentals. That’s why I don’t really need to spend any of my pay from MegaCorp

I’ve tracked my annual spending for years and spend $6000/mo.

Retiring has given me a gift and that is a new found appreciation of working @MegaCorp. I’m a happier person now

I don’t plan to post much, I’m more of a lurker, but I’ll answer questions re: this topic or chat via PM

Best
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: adityasharma on September 09, 2019, 04:48:00 AM
Hello Everyone!

I'm Aditya , New to MrMoney forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ExExpress on September 11, 2019, 10:56:18 AM
I have been lurking for awhile while cleaning up my financially stupid ways.  I hit a twofer milestone today so opted to join.  Mortgage refinance was completed at the end of last month to remove PMI and lower rate, the overage at closing combined with the escrow refund from the old mortgage was a few hundred dollars short of my student loan balance.  Deposited the checks and made my last ever student loan payment today!  With PMI and student loans out of my life I have $140 per month to better purpose.

My next task is to stream line my finances.  I had a habit of chasing bank account bonuses and optimizing credit card rewards so my financial life is much more complicated than it needs to be. Goal is to close one account a month for the rest of the year while continuing to track every penny spent with an eye toward lowering spend every month.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: An Unassuming Moose on September 11, 2019, 03:55:08 PM
I've been an avid Mustachian for over two years now, but I'm just getting around to joining the forum now. I guess I'm looking for people who share the same mindset, and who don't think it's weird to discuss savings rate and whatnot. Most of my IRL friends are slowly coming around to the idea, but have a while to go yet. I have hope for them yet, but they're getting tired of hearing me rant, haha!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: firebrand on September 12, 2019, 01:00:51 PM
This website is amazing!

I am humbled by all of the success stories by so many people so much younger than I am, and especially by folks who are just getting started in the MMM philosophies. I wish this resource was available when I was in my 20's/30's (I'm 59).

My story is simple enough and very familiar with all of you, generally lived below my means, saved modestly, compound interest, time, etc..

I'm not a member of the double comma club but close enough that when combined with an expense profile that is much more than I have been accustomed to I simply cannot fail (meteors, zombie apocalypse, nuclear wars, etc notwithstanding), at least that's what all the retirement calculators say.

So, I have officially resigned ahead of schedule. My new life begins this December!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: antor on September 13, 2019, 04:55:17 AM
Hi all guys, i'm from Italy !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: An Unassuming Moose on September 13, 2019, 05:14:36 PM
...
So, I have officially resigned ahead of schedule. My new life begins this December!
Congrats firebrand!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Foseneril on September 17, 2019, 07:18:05 AM
Hi all, I'm Luige from Eugene, Oregon.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: worldwideox on September 17, 2019, 09:11:17 AM
Hi all! I’m in central Texas (near Austin), just turned 42. My husband is 41, and we have 3 kids ages 9-14. We’re both self-employed, and while we’ve had various investments and been mostly debt-free for over a decade now, we’ve kinda let the fire in us fizzle out… until recently.

So I’ve recently reignited my fire, and while the E in our FIRE won’t be super early, we’d love to retire in a decade. We’re both self-employed and love our work, so it’s more about the freedom and autonomy than it is about not working — I’d actually love to keep doing my work as long as I can.

We love to travel, have lived overseas in the past, and would love to do it again eventually. (We can mostly take our work with us wherever we go, and I’m so thankful for that.)

Feeling a bit overwhelmed at the cost of college for our kids, and are debating how much to fund that vs. our own retirement. Learning a lot at the moment — in fact, feeling a fit like I’m drinking from the firehose. SO. much. information.

Just discovered MMM, even though I heard of FIRE several years ago… loving what I’m learning so far! Glad to have found this space.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Peter G on September 22, 2019, 09:20:51 PM
Hey MMM forum Members - I just got back from Camp Mustache Toronto (CM*TO) 2019 - amazing experience.

I lurked the forums years ago but wanted to join to stay connected to the amazing people I met at Camp.

Regards,
Peter
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 50yearoldmillennial on September 25, 2019, 08:02:18 AM
Hi I'm Scott, the 50 (plus) year old Millennial.  I'm in the never ending search for FI and I truly appreciate the thoughts, mindsets and the "against the norm" wisdom shared here!  Thanks everyone for sharing!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: parkerk on September 26, 2019, 03:34:20 PM
Hi all, I'm Parker, mid-30s Canadian. I've been reading and lurking for a few years and finally decided to sign up and contribute to the conversations!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fire100xz on September 29, 2019, 10:46:11 AM
Hi everyone
I read MMM for years, but posting for the first time.

I am struggling with making progress... so I hope active participation in the Forum will help me!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Alchemisst on October 04, 2019, 08:23:07 PM
Hello from Canada

I’m in my 40s, married with 1 child and I know that I can retire

Because I did retire. On a couple of occasions, and for 2 years each time, I retired and planned never to return to the workforce. But I was one of the unfortunate few who eventually became so bored in retirement that I went back to work

During these “Retire Early” trials I started going to bed later and later, until I found myself going to sleep when the sun came up. Personal grooming eventually fell off a cliff and I went out in my PJs (the pants at least, sometimes I wore a hoodie or jacket)

I also got lazy. With no schedule, I spent my time gaming, reading, eating and getting fat (Today I still game and read but I eat healthier and am no longer fat)

Travel became boring. The problem was that I was never a history or architecture buff. In yet another foreign city I commented to my DW that you could just replace all the street signs in whatever language you wanted and tell me that I was in whatever country - it all looked and felt the same. Same old churches, temples and buildings. Same restaurant feel - rustic or modern. Same materials/layout of hotels or bed and breakfast. Same airports and planes. Same tourist traps. All same. Beach vacations were worse. All same, but faster

I took up a couple hobbies, but none required 16 hours a day, every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, which is how much time I had

Friends suggested many things that I wouldn’t do even if somebody paid me - arts and crafts, clean the house, learn a language, learn an instrument, sit in a lecture hall, work around the home, gardening, hiking, etc. I would rather just go back to work if I had to do those things. I hate doing all those things

Another unforeseen problem was the lack of social interaction with co-workers and friends. And finding people in my 30s and 40s who weren’t busy with work, raising children or both was impossible. Nobody was able to meet with me during the free time that I had available - which was any time, all the time. They could only meet on weekends (maybe) or for lunch (infrequently)

The experience of retiring was priceless nonetheless. I now know what to expect

Financial Stuff

If there was a study to show that financial freedom is based on luck, I would be Exhibit A

My tax knowledge is low. My investing knowledge is slightly higher, but still low. I am carried 99% by my temperament and 1% by low-grade arithmetic

I typically work 20-24 hours a week at Fortune 500 MegaCorp. During a busy week I work 40.  I’m efficient and work from home. I’m not an executive and don’t manage people. I would hate that. I don’t work for the pay. In fact I don’t spend any of it. It all gets banked (I’ll get to that later).

I have a NW of a little over $5m with no debt

I have US index funds,  BRKb stock, US RE, my primary residence (CAN RE), and cash. Equity/RE/cash split is approximately 30%/60%/10%

I’m both a market timer and regular investor of low-fee US index funds via MegaCorp’s DCPP

I market timed a few things:

1. During the tech crash by buying BRBb pre-reverse-split from $2400 down to $1400

2. CAN RE during our real estate downturn in the 1990s

3. Low fee US index funds during the Great Recession (done in my Canadian Registered Retirement Savings Account and MegaCorp’s DCPP)

4. US rental real estate during the Great Recession. I achieved my goal of replacing my annual cashflow needs for my household with these rentals. That’s why I don’t really need to spend any of my pay from MegaCorp

I’ve tracked my annual spending for years and spend $6000/mo.

Retiring has given me a gift and that is a new found appreciation of working @MegaCorp. I’m a happier person now

I don’t plan to post much, I’m more of a lurker, but I’ll answer questions re: this topic or chat via PM

Best

Hi Nancy very interesting/ encouraging story. Interesting to see that you did a fair bit of market timing, in hindsight it makes sense but it must have been pretty hard at the time? e.g buying in the recession, hopefully I'm able to do the same. Can I ask what type of work you do/ did?
Title: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nancyfrank232 on October 04, 2019, 10:02:12 PM
Hello from Canada

I’m in my 40s, married with 1 child and I know that I can retire

Because I did retire. On a couple of occasions, and for 2 years each time, I retired and planned never to return to the workforce. But I was one of the unfortunate few who eventually became so bored in retirement that I went back to work

During these “Retire Early” trials I started going to bed later and later, until I found myself going to sleep when the sun came up. Personal grooming eventually fell off a cliff and I went out in my PJs (the pants at least, sometimes I wore a hoodie or jacket)

I also got lazy. With no schedule, I spent my time gaming, reading, eating and getting fat (Today I still game and read but I eat healthier and am no longer fat)

Travel became boring. The problem was that I was never a history or architecture buff. In yet another foreign city I commented to my DW that you could just replace all the street signs in whatever language you wanted and tell me that I was in whatever country - it all looked and felt the same. Same old churches, temples and buildings. Same restaurant feel - rustic or modern. Same materials/layout of hotels or bed and breakfast. Same airports and planes. Same tourist traps. All same. Beach vacations were worse. All same, but faster

I took up a couple hobbies, but none required 16 hours a day, every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, which is how much time I had

Friends suggested many things that I wouldn’t do even if somebody paid me - arts and crafts, clean the house, learn a language, learn an instrument, sit in a lecture hall, work around the home, gardening, hiking, etc. I would rather just go back to work if I had to do those things. I hate doing all those things

Another unforeseen problem was the lack of social interaction with co-workers and friends. And finding people in my 30s and 40s who weren’t busy with work, raising children or both was impossible. Nobody was able to meet with me during the free time that I had available - which was any time, all the time. They could only meet on weekends (maybe) or for lunch (infrequently)

The experience of retiring was priceless nonetheless. I now know what to expect

Financial Stuff

If there was a study to show that financial freedom is based on luck, I would be Exhibit A

My tax knowledge is low. My investing knowledge is slightly higher, but still low. I am carried 99% by my temperament and 1% by low-grade arithmetic

I typically work 20-24 hours a week at Fortune 500 MegaCorp. During a busy week I work 40.  I’m efficient and work from home. I’m not an executive and don’t manage people. I would hate that. I don’t work for the pay. In fact I don’t spend any of it. It all gets banked (I’ll get to that later).

I have a NW of a little over $5m with no debt

I have US index funds,  BRKb stock, US RE, my primary residence (CAN RE), and cash. Equity/RE/cash split is approximately 30%/60%/10%

I’m both a market timer and regular investor of low-fee US index funds via MegaCorp’s DCPP

I market timed a few things:

1. During the tech crash by buying BRBb pre-reverse-split from $2400 down to $1400

2. CAN RE during our real estate downturn in the 1990s

3. Low fee US index funds during the Great Recession (done in my Canadian Registered Retirement Savings Account and MegaCorp’s DCPP)

4. US rental real estate during the Great Recession. I achieved my goal of replacing my annual cashflow needs for my household with these rentals. That’s why I don’t really need to spend any of my pay from MegaCorp

I’ve tracked my annual spending for years and spend $6000/mo.

Retiring has given me a gift and that is a new found appreciation of working @MegaCorp. I’m a happier person now

I don’t plan to post much, I’m more of a lurker, but I’ll answer questions re: this topic or chat via PM

Best

Hi Nancy very interesting/ encouraging story. Interesting to see that you did a fair bit of market timing, in hindsight it makes sense but it must have been pretty hard at the time? e.g buying in the recession, hopefully I'm able to do the same. Can I ask what type of work you do/ did?

Hi Alch,

I was asked similar questions about the definition of “market timing” and what I do for work in the following thread:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f26/hello-from-canada-99808.html

You ask an interesting question about market timing and fear

I mentioned in the linked thread that most of my results are due to my temperament and not my investment knowledge. I only have broad and very general investment knowledge

The short version is that, due to early indoctrination during my teens, I don’t get scared during market downturns

Long before experiencing my first downturn, I had already brainwashed myself with Buffett, Munger, and Bogle. These titans assured me that 1) the US markets always fall, 2) the US markets always recover to higher highs

Blindly trusting this to be true, I mindlessly buy during price declines

And each boom/bust cycle has continued to reinforce this to be true

What I had to learn from experience is that boom periods last significantly longer than bust periods. So I spend an uncomfortably long time doing nothing except watching appreciation and storing cash. So long that, at times, I have to continually remind myself that there’s no reason to deploy capital

“Money is like having a full bladder, people can’t help but piss it away”

By the time the next inevitable bust occurs, I am so very happy to be able to relieve myself lol

PS: why I decided to read Bogle, Munger, and Buffett stuff at the age of 14 is another story haha
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: HiPoodle on October 06, 2019, 06:04:27 PM
Hi Everyone - I'm new to the blog and like it. Not sure if it's perfect for me so if you know of something else for my situation, please let me know.

I've been frugal my whole life and a big saver. Now I'm looking at actually how (and when) to use my investments to live. I'll be 60 this year and am not working, just traveling off some savings (not my nest egg). I'm not sure if my FI number is sufficient (500K without social security). What's your number? I'm single and female.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mako52 on October 07, 2019, 06:16:47 AM
We are a married couple in our 40s looking to hang it up in our 50s after our youngest is out of college.  The main conundrum right now is what to do with our 3.38% mortgage on reduced income.  Will be posting about that in another sub-forum. 

Looking forward to learning from everyone. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sanitary Stache on October 09, 2019, 11:46:03 AM
Hi,
I have been lurking and posting and keeping a journal for a few months, but am just finding this thread.
I am a Sanitary Engineer trying to make it through a long transition at a new job and then the full time day care years.  The idea that I can retire ever is encouraging.
I am at the point where FIRE means Financial Independence Retire Ever.  But its a much better place than I was in before.
I have also learned about long term total stock market index fund investing from JLCollinsNH stock series and started reading Malkiel and Bogle, so I feel a little more in control of investments, as far as that goes.

Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: EscapedApe on October 10, 2019, 11:18:37 AM
Hi, my name is Grayson.

Early thirties, no kids, starting at absolute zero NW, and aiming for FIRE by my early forties. Had a rough road up until now, but ready to buckle down and get it done.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: snorr on October 11, 2019, 01:06:22 PM
Hello there!

Fresh meat from the Netherlands, was a long time lurker but have to motivate myself into action.

Living in Waterland, life is pretty comfortable, but compared to the US, it seems a lot harder to get poor or wealthy (FI) quickly over here. I've been saving 50%+ for the last couple of years, now 'need' to start investing, although the tax climate for that is horrendous.

On a more personal note, I want to work less, learn more, enjoy life beyond the 9-5 shackles my office job bestows on me.

Good luck with the journey everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: VancouverSaver on October 11, 2019, 05:05:41 PM
Hi everyone. I'm 38 and live in Vancouver, BC with my partner. No kids. We bought our condo a couple of years ago. I'm a self-employed copywriter (low paid), my partner works in movie visual effects (high paid). I'm new to Mustachian-ism. We're just looking to get out of this rat race and off this treadmill ASAP!
Have read through all the blogposts, but the forums might take a good while :)
Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: johnwood543 on October 14, 2019, 09:38:44 AM
Hi I'm John, 31. Looking forward to interacting with you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BradHanks on October 15, 2019, 09:17:10 PM
Hi! I'm Brad Hanks. I'm a licensed real estate broker in Washington state and in Colorado. Just checking out the forum. Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Auburn73 on October 16, 2019, 08:11:53 AM
Hi, I'm Christina. Recently discovered MMM, and am very excited to learn about FIRE. I'm 46, married, with 3 children and one grandchild.

Looking forward to learning from your stories and ideas!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fuzzstache55 on October 17, 2019, 11:49:36 AM
Hi all!

New here to posting, lurking for a bit. 

Went through the challenge section and read every last MMM post and thought writing goals/thoughts would help progress.

Married to a non-MMMer and looking to work on that a little bit.  Definitely need to up my effort to lead not nag.

Recently Refi'd house (removed PMI is process), Car (DW) and used some stuff here to negotiate a 4.5k raise all in the last 60 days  (lowered payments $367 and raise net pay $380).  Feel like I'm going in the right direction, but it always takes time.  Sometimes I have to remind myself it's definitely not an overnight task.

Joined a NW group and hope to continue adding bigger numbers to that list. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Anoushka on October 20, 2019, 09:16:40 PM
Hi, I'm a 41-year-old home schooling mom to three daughters. My husband is in an IT government job. He's 44. We are both fun people with lots of friends and like to host our friends and their kids and our kids' friends. Neither of us has historically been good with money, but we read a Dave Ramsey book a few years ago and got out of CC debt and paid off my student loans. He makes a pretty high salary in our low COL small city, so we've been kind of coasting since then and spending too much time patting ourselves on the back for getting out of debt. Now we're realizing that we need to do more if he ever wants to retire. We have Roth IRAs and he has a Roth 401k, and I think we're maxing out the 401k. We have about 215,000 in retirement savings, so we're looking to make changes in our lifestyle to save and invest more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jeffy on October 26, 2019, 11:21:24 PM
Hey! I’m new to this forum, but also from Vancouver. Good to see that there is at least one other person in Vancouver pursuing fire ;) I don’t think there are many of us.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mikedenver on October 28, 2019, 06:00:19 AM
Hello everyone!

I've been devouring content on FIRE for the last month or so and am really excited to be making progress. My wife and I are 33 and hope to retire by the time we are 40. No kids yet, but we want them to grow up with some cultural experiences abroad if we have them down the road.

Looking forward to getting to know you all a little better!

Michael
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Brodysan on October 29, 2019, 07:44:15 PM
Hey all - I'm Brody.  38.  Kentucky.

After trying to find a retirement calculator that would actually believe that I was saving as much as I was... I somehow ended up here.

Wait.  There are other people who believe you can retire early if you don't spend every dollar you make?  Ya'll are crazy.  ;)






Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: erniemcbirdie on November 01, 2019, 08:54:18 AM
Hello from Erin in South Dakota.  I've been reading here for a while and it is a wonderful feeling to read and be inspired by the many great posts in this community.  I'm late to the game at 49, but really interested in FI and molding my life to do work I am satisfied by.  Looking forward to lots more great ideas and tips from you all.  Would love to meet others in my geographic area.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Canadian FIRE on November 02, 2019, 09:14:19 PM
Hey everyone, my name is Ryan Myricks and I'm glad to be joining this group.

Found Mustachianism quite a while ago and didn't take it all that much seriously until my daughter came into the world. I suddenly realised how badly I wanted to stay-at-home and raise her. Like most people, I don't have enough money in the bank to make this possible, so I went back to work with a new resolve: to take Mustachianism much more seriously. I believe I owe it to myself and my child (or children.. eventually!) to reduce my expenses and adopt a much more modest lifestyle even though I had already achieved a 50% SR before my kid.

I've checked a few Mustachian boxes already - one small car as needed, no cable, haircuts via the UMGD, 300kwh hydro bill to name a few. I fail miserably at others: I don't own a bike, I drive 25km to and from work and I don't lift weights. By joining this community I'm hoping to work on my faults and provide advice to others (especially Canadians).

I'll take this time to plug my own content, I'm a blogger at Canadian FIRE and podcaster at Explore FI Canada (links are below). I've read the site rules so don't worry I won't be spamming my links everywhere, I'll use my freebie on this thread to identify myself as a content creator and perhaps post some of my links to others if I really think it will add value (retyping my blog posts as replies would be silly but I still want to be mindful of everybody's eyeballs and sanity).

Anyways, that's me. Feel free to say hi and I look forward to participating in this community. Hopefully I fit in around here!

My blog: www.canadianfire.ca
My podcast: www.exploreficanada.ca
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Baliuluci on November 04, 2019, 03:46:28 AM
Hi from New Your.
My name is Gabriel, I'm python developer.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: suncloud on November 05, 2019, 08:15:46 AM
Hi everyone,

I'm from Spain, my English sucks. Sorry. :)

I am 40.5 years old. I will try to early retirement in 3.5 years (i.e., age of 45). I am married and a little girl of 2 years old.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Billy D on November 05, 2019, 11:17:03 AM
Hi I'm a mid-30's dude FIRE'd from an inheritance after a few deaths in the family.

I use to work as an instructor and web developer, but at this point it almost seems like a former life.

I spend my days as a frugal man of leisure reading in cafes and tending to basic household chores. I usually spend my evenings at various meetups. I also travel frequently between here and Mexico, where I keep an apartment and do pretty much the same thing.

My situation feels bizarre to say the least. It's a mostly satisfying though somewhat isolating lifestyle.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tjelvar on November 11, 2019, 02:04:26 PM
Hi, I am a guy in my thirties with the plan to retire in Sweden. I have quite a few years left, but hey, planning is everything!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: zachj on November 13, 2019, 03:25:19 AM
Hi Everyone! My name is Zach and I am 22 years old, my brother actually sent me a article from mrmoneymustache about a year ago and ever since then I have been reading all the posts trying to be more disciplined with my money. My wife and I are currently traveling through Europe and I have the ability to work from my computer. So I am always looking for way to have more financial freedom I look forward from learning from everybody and participating in the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Soufiane on November 13, 2019, 07:09:31 PM
Hi I'm Soufiane
i want to be FIREd
estimated arrival time 2029
current savings 200k Let's goooooooo
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AtlasNL on November 14, 2019, 02:55:41 AM
Hi All,

My name is Lennart, 34yrs old, married, 2 kids.
I've ran into MMM's blog a couple of weeks ago and am reading it all from the start. I'm currently somewhere in May 2012, so a lot of reading to be done yet.
I am from the Netherlands, which changes a lot of things in terms of FIRE. We have 1 car (brand new, received it last month), and I have a company car. The company car actually generates income (It's electric and I sell the electricity against a higher price than my costs). We have a relatively high income (5x average Dutch income), both have a pension fund in which my boss pays 4x as much as I do and my wife's employer pays here pension fund 50/50. Our take-home pay is much lower than in USA due to high taxes: my monthly income is 8.000 EUR, of which 4525 EUR is net income. My wife makes about 2800EUR a month, net 2073 EUR per month. Our savings rate is approx. 43%, which includes pension contributions of 1300 EUR per month. Under Dutch law, there is NO way to use this before age 67 - so I don't count it in the 'stash.
Home equity is about 90,000 EUR net (value of the house is 500k EUR, mortgage 410,000 @2.17% interest). Savings 27,000 EUR (excl. pension). 'Stash is growing with 23k EUR per year at the moment (excl. pension again) and without appreciation of the house.

We have student loans of in total 11,000 EUR which we are repaying as slowly as we legally can - the interest rate is 0.00%. Total net worth is 106k EUR - we used to spend way too much, slowly changing to "too much", changing rapidly now towards "not so much".

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Shedir on November 16, 2019, 11:17:53 AM
H i guys !
Dayum, i've never seen question as hard as these to register to a forum ahah. I just known about his existence 30min ago, but i think i was pretty fast to find the answer.
I'm 20 years old and I define myself as a solution finder. I'm working on my FI since age 18 and invested in crypto currencies before the boom in august 2017, because i was so annoyed at my work ( it was my first job in a real enterprise ), every thing was too slow and i had a free time during my work time, so i was randomly checking internet, until i find Crypto currencies.

Anyway, i've been interested about money since then. And it was the first time i had a real world objective ( before it was only video games ).
I've eared Mr.Money Mustache is a highly respected blogger, so i'm super super happy to be part of this forum, as i'm highly ambitious, and always excited about meeting new people and hearing new ideas and ways of thinking. Moreover i've eared he is a bad ass guy ;), so i'm curious about his way of living, as i'm in the processus to live a kind of badass too, always trying new experiences, and in the process to achieving social freedom as long as financial freedom.

So, to make it not too long, i'm so happy to be part of this, and hurry to share my unique view of life, as i've had the time to see, it's not only about money here right ?

See you on the forum !

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Purplecow on November 16, 2019, 09:10:40 PM
Hello everyone....

I stumbled upon this site while searching for some insight on some inheritance stuff.  The posts/questions/answers are very helpful.  I'm enjoying exploring the site.  I have been married for 30 years and have 1 adult son.  We own our home and pride ourselves on our lack of debt.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: raincoast on November 17, 2019, 10:11:30 PM
Hello everyone!

I'm 29 and a lawyer in Vancouver, Canada. Single, no kids. I discovered MMM about six months ago. At the time, I already had a high savings rate but I was starting to notice some "lifestyle creep" happening as a result of mindless spending.

My background: I graduated from law school debt-free in 2015, thanks in part to cheap Canadian tuition (around $6,500 per year - yes, even for law school!), generous scholarships, and part-time/summer work. A big part of that is owed to my parents - not just their money, but also their example. They wouldn't call themselves Mustachians, but they emphasized frugality, focus and hard work, and FI'd (without the RE) long before this blog existed.

So I already had quite a few frugal traits when I found the blog: I don't own a car, or even ride the bus much; I live in a small apartment with below-average rent; and I cook regularly. Most of my mindless spending was on the small things that can add up fast: clothing, dining out, lunches at work. So I'm working on slaying the bad habits - I haven't bought any clothing in five months, and I bring my lunch to work 4 days a week.

I'm still searching for the right balance, but I'm back on track. Now my goal is to own a condo mortgage free by 35, and to FI by 38.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aloevera on November 18, 2019, 12:20:16 PM
Hi,

Longtime freelancer, relatively recent empty nester looking at finances post-divorce and preparing for retirement (the actual one that often takes place in one's 60s). Spent 18 months as a digital nomad and may return to it in the next few months.

I have near zero debt but not a lot of savings either, got there during nomad time (lowered expenses house sitting and traveling in lower cost countries). Long time frugal spender, I'm that one who makes food ahead based o nsales, switches internet every year to keep the new-sub deal, etc.

I mess around with CC and bank bonuses and a little investing. I am early 50's, I hope it's not too late to apply the methods.

I'll stick around, enjoying some discussions so far.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: midwestprof on November 20, 2019, 02:06:32 PM
Hi everyone, I wanted to introduce myself to the MMM Community after a few weeks of reading as many blog posts as possible. I am 32 years old and in my second year as a college professor. Already, I have been able to drastically cut my grocery bill (we never go to restaurants anyway), DIY some home repairs rather than outsource right away, and make some dents into what I now understand as a debt emergency.

I make around $60k pre-tax as a base salary. I also frequently visit other colleges and universities as a guest speaker and these are turning into well-paying gigs. I feel optimistic about this as a nice source of side income, and am in a position now where I can feel comfortable turning down what would have seemed to me even a two years ago as well paying gigs, to save my energy for ones that are even better paying.

Last summer, I bought a home because rents are so high in this town. I have a 15-year mortgage on it (13.5 years left unless I pay it off early) and around $45k in equity in the house.

I have around $14.5k in credit card debt: That's already about $3k less than it was a few days ago because a few checks I was waiting on came in the mail. And that's the plan: swiftly get out of the debt emergency, by directing all windfalls toward it (speaker fees, tax refunds, etc.).

I have an $8k balance on a car loan. The vehicle is a 2016 Subaru my parents sold me last year for 10k (blue book value was about 18k at the time). It gets good mileage. I drive to campus (2.5 miles one way) around 3 times a week. Housing near the college is very expensive (big fancy professor homes that are historic and expensive to upkeep)- I opted for a low maintenance ranch but it's further away. Am on the lookout for a used mountain bike.

As for retirement, currently I'm investing 15% of my salary, and only 5% of that is coming from me- the other 10% is from my employer. Right now it's going into a 2050 target fund, which is what I selected when I started this job last year.

Goals right now include: finish paying off the credit card debt to improve credit score, then refinance mortgage with higher credit score, to take advantage of current lower rates. Keep skilling up on small home projects to save money, improve energy efficiency and build sweat equity. Set up a home gym for strength training. Focus on my hobbies of writing and reading.

And to keep getting my partner on board. She is a freelancing artist/healer and she is working to get her online business up and going. She has a slowly growing number of paying clients and is able to work remotely. She is very domestically gifted and cooks a lot, is crafty with home repairs, etc. She does have a large amount of student loans. We are not officially married.

Longer term, I'd like to continue to decrease our cost of living, investing annual raises as opposed to increasing COL along with them. I also want to get into real estate locally with another property.

I was a big spender before this (Amazon etc.) and have settled in to the invigorating mindset shift from consumption to creation.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Looking forward to learning more from and about you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kayla on November 21, 2019, 06:30:23 PM
Hi, I've just been lurking on the forum and reading blog posts. I feel like I'm a little late to the game, starting this in my forties, but better late than never. I've mostly been focused on paying off debts the past few years that my spouse and I have accumulated and never put much thought into finances or investing. I'm really happy to have discovered Mr. Money Mustache and am excited to put some of the principles that I learned here to use.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sabanist on November 23, 2019, 05:15:02 PM
First post here, learned about the blog on a podcast.  I am always looking at ways to save more, spend less, invest better.  I do ok.  41 years old, make a good living.  Got about 500k net worth, not counting the equity in my home.  Not really sure how much I have there. 

Max out 401k for me, IRA for me and IRA for wife. About to switch to a HDHP and HSA.  Not maxing her 401k yet but thinking about bumping that up too.   Got two kids who's colleges are paid for from 529's we bought into years ago. 

Currently moving IRA's to vanguard from betterment.  Got about another 70k with betterment in taxable accounts.  Considering the move.  Want to put all the taxable accounts in VTI.  But unsure of triggering capital gains. 

Interested in learning more about the tax strategies, and investment vehicles

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Yohev on November 25, 2019, 04:20:37 AM
Hi community, I'm Timothi.
I'm 20 and in uni and I've got some money saved up (around $2500) and I was thinking about investing some of my money somewhere. I don't know how to get started and have no clue on what to do and what is smart. I want to build up my money somehow. Anyone got any advice or useful info????
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sabanist on November 25, 2019, 07:13:49 AM
Hi Timothi.  At your age I would think you still live with your parents.  If so, then take your 2500, leave 500 in your checking, then take the other 2k and open an account with a discount brokerage, or maybe betterment/wealthfront.  Something low cost.  Or you might be able to do it with your bank.  Bottom line is take your 2k and get it invested into something aggressive but diversified like the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index ETF.  VTI.  Betterment and wealthfront will invest you in accordance with your risk tolerance which should be very high at this point in your life.  The account you establish can be a Roth IRA,.  There is a diversity of opinion but most people will benefit most from a Roth IRA.  You put taxed earnings in the account and when you retire, those withdrawals will be tax free. 

Honestly, I don't think betterment or wealthfront are aggressive enough for some young investors.  Returns are lower than the S&P because of it. Still a good place to start though.

Not sure what you do or how much you earn, but once you have your account, put an automatic withdrawal from your checking account of about 20% of your net pay.    This is a good way to start, once you have some assets you can go from there. 

This is free advice so take it for what its worth. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dcarroll on December 05, 2019, 07:05:45 PM
Hi! I'm so thankful for the robust FIRE community online and decided to stop lurking 100% of the time. I'm excited to be about two-thirds of the way through our journey to FI. Each year for the last five years my husband and I have doubled our investments.

My weakness/passion is to slow travel (we traveled for one year in 2014 in US/Europe), and am looking forward to optimizing for that lifestyle in 2024 or 2025 when we'll hopefully be FIRE'd.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CANStache on December 06, 2019, 09:57:56 AM
Whoops, not my first post, but hello anyway.

Mid 40's Canadian with 3 teen/uni aged kids and a semi-RE wife living near Toronto.

Have enjoyed a few years of reading the blog/forum, finally started chatting with you fine folk.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Painful Fart on December 10, 2019, 03:14:55 PM
Hi! I'm Aaron,

I'm currently a grad student studying biomedical engineering. Always wanted to get into finance but never had the material or push to do so.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: chris_avery on December 10, 2019, 11:17:24 PM
Recently found various FIRE sites whilst researching for an article and was recommended to have a look here by Doug from the-military-guide.com
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tinsoldier on December 14, 2019, 03:01:37 PM
Hi, I'm Jared! Sometimes life goes very fast, and sometimes I want to be myself
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wraith20 on December 16, 2019, 08:16:58 PM
Hey guys, my name is Sa and I am the co-founder of an online insurance agency.  We educate people about all types of insurance from homeowners, renters, disability, life, concealed carry, and more.

I hope I can help people answer their personal insurance questions.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SailingOnASmallSailboat on December 17, 2019, 06:43:52 PM
Hi! I'm a 50 year old mom of 2 college kids, and we plan to FIRE later this year to move onto our small sailboat. Hopefully I'm not too old to participate here. It's great to find a community of people who are not buying (no pun intended) into the whole "work to buy it all to work more to buy it all" mentality. We've done a couple of extended sailing jaunts already, one with the kids and one before kids. Thanks for all the advice and support!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BigIslandGuy on December 19, 2019, 10:59:44 AM
HI, I'm Ryan and I am discovering fire late in life, at 48. I have made every financial mistake in the book and took a lot of risk to make my dreasms come true., no regrets there but it left me in financial tatters and deeply in debt to the IRS (with dreams unrealized) so now I went back to my safe job/career and will stay with that until i'm FIRE.

I'm happy to report I've paid off 55k in IRS debt over the last 4 years and by building and living in a tiny house, I am on a solid footing again with very low living expenses and a frugal lifestyle. 

I admit, you folks with 100's of thousands in your 401ks make me envious, but at least I have a good income, very little debt now, super low expenses, and therefore a greater than 50% savings rate. Happy to say I am now for the first time in my life contributing 15% per month to my 401k plus a 6% employer match.

But I have zero faith in passive index funds or the stock market. Yes, I'm a gold and silver bug because I think our modern financial system and USA fiat currency will eventually collapse and a "reset". An extreme view? Yes.

Anyway, those are posts for another day. Glad to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pamplemusique on December 20, 2019, 12:49:03 PM
Hi Everyone!

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I’m 32 and the burnout from a high stress / high pay career is getting to me far more these days than it did in my 20s. I’m rededicating myself to being a more serious saver so I can stash my way out of the M-F wageslave grind! Made a plan and downshifting to part time looks possible in ~5 years.

Thanks to everyone for setting the badass tone around here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: QooVie on December 23, 2019, 12:56:15 AM
30 year old Systems Engineer here. I just completed reading the entire list of posts starting at #1 and figured it was time to venture in to the forums now that I've exhausted my reading.

I'm happy to be a part of the group, now to flex my frugality muscles and get it going!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: superd on December 23, 2019, 07:30:49 PM
Hi, superd here from Portland OR, 46, considering fire’ing now. Have 25x annual spend and am pretty much done with corporate servitude.

Dreams are to get some land and build a tiny house coop or move to resort town and be Airbnb host and do all the nature things.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bererera on December 26, 2019, 05:02:56 AM
hi, I'm Joseph from Mensfield, Texas. I am very much interested in buy some bitcoins but don't know it will be worth investment. What is your take on bitcoin 2020 investment?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MoMoneyFewerProblems on January 02, 2020, 09:08:09 AM
Hi, I'm Brian. I am a recent college graduate and work as a Software Developer. I am working on starting my professional life right so as to maximize my investments and make my money work for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SanDiegoFIhopeful on January 02, 2020, 12:55:49 PM
First post! Been lurking on here for a couple of years and when I was reviewing my 2019 this morning I decided I needed to start sharing this information somewhere to keep myself more honest going forward.

I am a married 32 yo with a beautiful 30 yo wife, and we are expecting our first baby in just a few months. We have both been gainfully employed with good jobs since college and have always been decent savers (by societal standards, not MMM standards) but have become enlightened to the MMM ways over the last couple of years as life has gotten real and we attempt to save money in the amazing yet expensive San Diego. We've been extremely lucky so far, and we're determined to not waste that luck by trapping ourselves in our spending.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nikity on January 02, 2020, 05:24:22 PM
hey I am Nick, 34, just joined and hopefully to make some new friends here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kryzhovnick on January 04, 2020, 07:43:08 PM
Hi!

My name is Katya, I'm a 30yo in the beginning of the FIRE adventure. I have a 34yo husband and a 2yo daughter. My husband and I discovered FIRE about a year ago and started experimenting with it, but all my set plans got interrupted by a dream job offer 4 months ago (seriously, wanted it for solid 5 years) that required us to move to a very HCOL area (SF Bay Area) from the East Coast. Still shocked at the prices, but that's a separate topic of discussion. :)

Now I'm working on readjusting goals and strategies to achieve FIRE (or rather FI now, since I absolutely love my job so far) while working in SF area. My husband still wants to FIRE though. Neither me or my husband are in Tech, so we are not bringing home $200k+ paychecks, but I'm positive we can figure it out.

Very excited to be a part of this community and looking forward to meeting new friends. It does get lonely in a new location.



Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LWYRUP on January 04, 2020, 08:32:45 PM
Our savings rate is approx. 43%, which includes pension contributions of 1300 EUR per month. Under Dutch law, there is NO way to use this before age 67 - so I don't count it in the 'stash. 

Hi Atlas NL:

I would make sure to still "account" for your pension even if you can't access it.  You may not want to factor it in to your initial FIRE plans because you can't access it, but you could potentially use a lower withdraw rate if you knew you had a big chunk of money coming at 67 that would supplement your reserves.  Some of the more complex calculators (https://www.firecalc.com/) probably has options that would allow you to model this money coming in down the line and you could see how those models impact your plans. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LazyAtoms on January 05, 2020, 09:20:05 PM
Hello all-
I'm Amanda, 48, living in Denver, Colorado.  My lovely husband is 46.   We are WAYYYYY late to the FIRE party, but are working hard to catch up.  Currently our goal is to pay off our mortgage in 8 years.   Working to radically cut wasteful spending to do so.   Looking forward to learning more!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moneypitfeeder on January 06, 2020, 05:38:03 PM
Hi! I'm in the 12 month count-down until I permanently resign and enjoy a retirement with my hubs. Hope to get good info and advice here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BurbManDano on January 09, 2020, 11:10:12 AM
Greetings,

I'm Dan from Denver, originally from Boulder, and a life-long Colorado native.  I've been sort-of frugal all my life, in a fairly undisciplined way, which is why I'm now 48 yrs old and trying to make up ground to leave mandatory work by 53.  However, I've had a fun (and sometimes painful) journey that included 10 years of self-employment ;)  I have two witty, intelligent, super-smart daughters who are both college students, and a witty, intelligent, super-smart wife who has shared almost 30 years of my journey.  My parents, who are SWAMI's but don't know it or make a study of it, have been very supportive.  However, they are very traditional, and don't understand why anyone would not have a traditional every-day job or self-employment.  They are both 80 years old, and I've gently suggested that they might want to begin giving some thought to what they would like to do in retirement, if they ever decide to give it a try.

I've been a bicyclist as long as I can remember, and not the fancy lycra kind of leisure cyclist.  Rather, the commute for school/work/errands/fitness/freedom, "down-with-cars" kind of biker.  Unfamiliar with MMM, I strayed onto the Android app after I started binge listening to The Mad FIentist, and had drunk enough of the coolaid that the rest of the family is convinced I've joined a cult and is sick of hearing about FI.  I about pop-ed a blood vessel in my head when I read MMM's post about making money from biking.  I ran around the house shouting and hooting, and proclaimed "see - biking is just plain common-sense, and an even greater money savings than I'd ever figured!  I'm not INSANE".  Truth be told, I might be a little insane, because my commute for the last year, since I moved super "close" to work, is about 10mi each way, and I do this every day almost without fail, regardless of weather.  For the prior 5 years, my commute was 36mi each way, which required me to buy an e-bike so I could ride every day, regardless of weather.

Glad to meet you,
-dan
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JamesinATL on January 14, 2020, 04:56:53 PM
Hi, I'm James (42) living in Atlanta with 3 kids and I'm engaged to be married this year. My home and vehicles are paid for and I'm positioned well to retire at a decent age, but I do need some help figuring how best to allocate and invest income.

I've been a on again off again lurker, and just recently last year got serious about doubling down on retirement.

Nice to meet everyone!

-James
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BenVella on January 15, 2020, 08:03:43 AM
Hi all!

I'm Ben - European (from Malta) and I'm about to walk off a cliff into an ocean of debt.  Or a quarry with sharp, jagged rocks.  Whichever analogy you like best.

Cheers and glad I found this resource of information.

Also - man that registration process is challenging.  I felt pretty damn stupid when I googled "financial freedom through..." and got frugality instead.

Hope to learn a ton more while I'm here
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Want2BFIandRE on January 15, 2020, 08:18:24 AM
Hey there!  Long time lurker (years) who realized it was time to create a login and get some facepunches/advice.  I also just learned (the hard way) to either copy my post, or request another verification image BEFORE typing out a whole post.  Am I a computer or something?  These things are always so hard for me to read, lol. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: whereareweallgoing? on January 15, 2020, 11:19:49 AM
Just wanted to drop in here and say hi to everyone and introduce myself.  I found MMM via minimalism, The Frugalwoods, and JL Collins.  I've always been frugal and good spending less than I earn.  I'm 44, married, my degree is in electrical/mechanical engineering, been self employed for over 16 years now in ecommerce, now a handyman and always looking for what fun project might come up next.  I have never invested in the stock market/bonds/etc before.  Just sold my house (the only investment instrument I've used so far, purchased in 2010 at the very bottom of the drop) and now pondering how to invest the proceeds.  I love reading non fiction, top of my list read so far have been books by Yuval Noah Harari, Jared Diamond, Jonathan Haidt, Power and Privilege by Gerhard Lenski.  My favorite reading topics are sociology, science, psychology, social stratification and inequality, understanding humanity, where we have come from, and where might we be going?
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ReadyOrNot on January 16, 2020, 04:44:27 AM
Hello, I'm an avid reader of finance independence and feel that we need far more education in this area than what is officially offered.  I am 48 and have a partner who is also 48 with a 16 year old child.  We live in a low to MCOL western US city and have been very happy parenting our child who has grown up so fast.

I am into fitness and wish I had more time to go to the gym, but life demands sometimes get in the way and I don't have as much time at the gym as I wish.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SunnyYellow on January 21, 2020, 08:15:00 AM
Hi all! I'm actually F.I. but have crushing financial insecurity, which means I scour ways to 1) increase the money I do have, and 2) save money through various spending means. I've really enjoyed being a lurker in this community, so am officially joining. Not that I have much to offer other than outrageous optimism.

My husband is 10 years younger than me and he wants to retire in a few years, so I'm upping my game, investing his/our money conservatively, yet with some growth. My/our money is in stocks. Yes, I have loved the stock market for 40 years, so I know the ups and downs, and have done well by them. It's just... well, I'm not 20, or even 40, anymore. It's time to scale the stash toward retirement. I think MMM can help, and I'll throw in a few cents of sage advice if any pop up.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: koziknight on January 22, 2020, 09:34:46 AM
Hi everyone! I'm a longtime MMM Blog reader and Forum follower, but just created an account.

We're mostly into FIRE, but still like to travel and drink wine, which kind of sets the whole RE part back a little. We've taken a lot of cues from MMM himself, and also by reading many of the great forum posts from you all.

We're 39 and 41, live in Jacksonville (FL), no kids, and have an array of savings vehicles for various goals.

Happy to finally be an "official" member of the community.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dmadill001 on January 29, 2020, 07:47:06 AM
Hi, I'm David.

New to MMM, about a year since I got into the FIRE subreddit. Currently living the thrifty college life, set to finish my dual degree (BS in Mechanical Engineering, MBA) May '21. DW and I think if we leave our spending alone even once I'm employed full time we should hit 25x annual spend around 2035 at the age of 37, so that's the stretch goal. Realistic goal: FIRE at 40 in 2038.

Hobbies: Disc golf, woodworking, car repair (very mustachian, I know).

Looking forward to starting and finishing this journey with y'all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: russelhn on January 29, 2020, 08:17:15 PM
Hey, I'm Hunter

I'm a 19 year-old from the middle-of-nowhere Virginia who likes to hit things with drumsticks and pinch every penny I get!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SugarMagnolia77 on January 30, 2020, 02:55:15 PM
Hi all,

Regular reader, first time poster here. I'm 42 years old and I've been saving since I got out of school at 22. I didn't realize there was any other option but working until 67 years old. I have practices frugality and invested in a way that people in this community do...I just didn't have anyone to talk about it with and I didn't know that it could let me retire early.

I have a lot of money tucked away in a 401k, Roth, and IRA, but I'm excited to see grow faster and get me to FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LaserLemon on January 31, 2020, 11:48:57 AM
Hi Everyone,

I’m a 31 yo Coloradan who was excited to find the MMM site a few years ago. I’ve always been fascinated by optimization of resources (time, money, material things) and after reading many blog posts realized I’d optimized my life too much, with no regard for the future (retirement). I’ve been self-employed but recently accepted a salaried position doing my dream job. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to investments and have been lurking around the forum for a while now. Finally time to come out of the shadows :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gingersnaps on February 01, 2020, 03:45:03 PM
Hello! 31 and from the UK here, been wanting to invest money for a bit and discovered FIRE through my research. Always been good with money, no consumer debt or clown cars, paid myself first etc but definitely had lifestyle creep.
Would love to RE in 15 years, let's see if I can!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: American_Redcoat on February 04, 2020, 05:17:36 AM
Hello Everyone,

First steps into FI and I must say I'm rather overwhelmed. Having said that - it's most likely because I'm British (hence the name) and moving to the USA soon to be with my wife and keep mixing up Roths, IRAs, TSPs and traditionals - I'm sure I'll get over it soon!

Anyway I hope to be making a couple of interested posts aimed more at the military and expat community soon.

AR
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: goat_music_generator on February 04, 2020, 10:10:00 AM
Hello! Class of 2022 (expected) here. I'm about 5 years out of college; discovered MMM my junior year, and my spouse and I have been working towards FI in a HCOL area since. Planning to move to a lower cost of living area once we're FI, which, since we live in San Francisco, could be basically anywhere; but we want to be close to relatives in DC, so we're mostly considering cities within a few-hour drive of there.

Everything's mostly been on autopilot financially the past few years, but I've been reading FI blogs and whatnot again since the date is approaching now, and figured I would pop in here.

Nice to e-meet you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coolnuhfi on February 04, 2020, 07:30:29 PM
Hi! My name is Matthew. Excited to be here and learn more.  Looking forward to moving into positive net worth soon. I learned about FI from the millennial revolution blog. I recently started listening to the mad fientists podcast on my commute to work.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: semperjeffe on February 05, 2020, 11:22:56 AM
Hey all, Jeff here. I'm a 25 year old male from Indianapolis Indiana. I just transitioned from a 5 year stint as a bicycle messenger to an office job, with a regular income and schedule. I've been a reader of the blog for a couple of years now but always put off actually *applying* the concepts. After quitting several bad habits this new year I've been eager to build a new lifestyle for myself.

See ya around the board, folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kanathunder on February 06, 2020, 01:59:35 PM
Hello!

I'm a 25 year old rock climber, financial analyst, and recent graduate. I'm a big fan of mustachianism and am happy to join this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rothayato on February 08, 2020, 09:03:09 AM
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.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SeaG1ant on February 13, 2020, 06:24:40 AM
Hey guys,

I found this site a year or two ago.  Read through a few of the articles and posts, thought it was an excellent resource for people wanting to break the cycle.

I'm now back for the 3rd or 4th time and figured I better register.

I'm 31 with a kid, have a career that pays very well.  It's also very stressful and I don't enjoy it very much.   A mortgage, couple of auto loans, that's it.  No student loans (didn't go to college, but considering it all of a sudden0.  Wife is a stay at home mom.  We have $50k in 401k, $10k in savings.  Not exactly frugal last few years.  Here to learn!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: grobinski on February 18, 2020, 08:35:10 PM
Hey there, I'm Grobinski and I just realized that I never introduced myself!

Now I'm trying to get to 100 posts so I can go off topic, hence the late introduction.

DW and I FIREd in December and February. I haven't had to go to work for nearly 2 months and the planet has not stopped spinning!

Picking up some unexpected pocket $ projects which was not really expected but they're fun so far.

A month in Costa Rica and Panama are around the corner, trip one of 3 or 4 or more a year.

Cheers, maybe I'll see ya around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bettersafe on February 19, 2020, 02:22:26 AM
Hi,

surfing the web looking for tips to retire early i found this very nice forum. Lot of work to do before we can but having it planned feels great.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aMac on February 19, 2020, 05:05:46 PM
I am Aaron.  I have been ingesting FIRE stuff for I guess about a year now.  For most of it I had a hard time figuring out how to add "freedom" to our lives.  I think i recently found an different (granted not totally FU/ full FIRE money) way live a more free life.  My Spouse and I are 39 and 41, kids are 5 and 7.  Currently we both work, only income is from work and is about $220K/ year.  The short of it is my wife is a business owner and is burned out of working.  My work flexibility is great, but I am worn out from juggling home and work.  Again, I do much of the juggling due to working from home and employment flexibility. 
Our plan in the next year is to reduce expenses so we can live on my income alone.  I know I know, "working your current job is not FIRE".  Well a few things 1) I have freedom and independence in my job.  2) One of my passions is meeting people and off the wall experiences, and this job sort of provides or requires both.  3) We want to travel and work travel subsidize's that.  They pay my hotel, and car mileage, so family can join on those trips with zero transportation or lodging costs.  Granted I will not have all day with them, but my schedule is flexible, expect 6 waking hours or more with them each day of a trip.  Additionally I can keep my travel points to apply to our own trips.  Potentially get Southwest's companion pass where my wife can fly for free anywhere I go.  4) I really like my job and think what my work day is like, and the experiences it provides make it fit a day in the life of a Mustachian. 
The one "flaw" with this plan is that I will technically "need" to work.  Need is in quotes because we currently have 8 months of cash savings, I started a little late with my 401k (30 yo) but have and will continue to max it out, and will add 10% of my take home pay to a brokerage account.  That level of cash and cushion makes me feel comfortable about my employment options and weathering storms.  We have just started making our plan for this lifestyle, and I expect alot of learning and some changes. 
Several years ago I realized marketing/ finance firms had teams of Ivy League graduates working 60-80 hour weeks trying to get every bit of our money.  And after working 40 hours plus, most people little thought or energy to resist the marketing.  It isn't really a fair fight.   
My big take away from the Mustache or FIRE life is stepping back, thinking about happiness and making your own choices about spending money.   
Wish me luck, let me know what I should consider, and I hope to keep you updated.     
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bettersafe on February 20, 2020, 02:45:23 AM
Hi Aaron,

good luck!!

Maybe your wife might consider working part-time when the kids are a bit older. Everything she brings in can be added to your FIRE plans.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TillyFloss on February 20, 2020, 08:03:43 AM
Hi all,

London, UK based, Very late to the party (late 50's) but hoping all is not lost! Say hi if in London or have any tips on maximising at this late stage!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Staunch Aim on March 05, 2020, 08:18:49 PM
Hello!

I've read MMM for 5-6 years and lurked the forums for just as long. 

The blog and forums both helped me change my life my life for the better, it's really been a complete turnaround.  I bought into Pete's message 100% and the forum gave me invaluable insight to how successful folks think and make decisions.  Maybe someday I'll start a journal and talk about that more, but for now I'll just poke my head in wherever it seems interesting.

As far as my FI journey - I'm in the accumulation phase and things are pretty much on rails.  I'm mainly just biding my time, trying to get the most out of life.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: camwoodsum on March 18, 2020, 07:50:23 PM
Hey Everybody!

I'm a nomad and an internet entrepreneur who is about to reach FI. I've been reading MMM on and off for the past few years but I've been going much deeper on the content lately and I recently started writing about financial independence and early retirement on my website (link in my profile if you're curious).

Good to meet some other financial independence-minded folks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stronk on March 21, 2020, 06:35:12 PM
Hello all!

I'm a 30 year old who discovered MMM in December of last year. Since then I've managed to rid myself of around $5k of credit card debt, and excited to see where the next 15 years takes me ^^
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: gistvic on March 22, 2020, 07:32:44 AM
Hello, My Name is Victor am a blogger at https://gistvic.com
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mariah_M on March 26, 2020, 02:34:39 AM
Hi, I am Mariah, married with 2 kids
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: carbonfiber on March 26, 2020, 04:36:56 PM
Hey everyone.. Just checking this place out. Looks like there is a lot of useful information on here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jiann on March 27, 2020, 07:50:15 AM
Hi there!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GodHimself on March 27, 2020, 09:40:30 PM
Hi. I'm C.

I live in Michigan, am a grad student, and work a six figure tech job.

Nice to meet you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Frugalchicos on March 29, 2020, 09:45:29 AM
Hi There,

Veteran in the ERE forum. Originally from The Basque Country, moved to different cities over the years, lived in the USA for almost the last decade. Managed to saved almost 500K, showed the middle finger to my boss and moved back to my hometown with wife and bnwt baby.

Wish you the best during these rough days guys and thanks for welcoming me to this amazing community!

Chico
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SouthAmericanHusky on April 03, 2020, 12:53:30 AM
Hi Everybody!

I'm a 32 year old product designer from Argentina. I've discovered MMM a couple of months ago an then found the forum link. I like getting involved into blogs and forums to learn and share experiences

I'm kind of a nomad since last year. Been travelling through south america. Currently staying in Colombia with my gf. I work remotely and she's a freelancer. Getting to know a bit of the world while saving some money. I'd like to have more free time and invest what I can in the meantime. Don't wanna feel too attached to a job (even tough I mostly work remotely or freelance) so I'm looking forward to experience even more frugality and minimalism in the future (covid-19 is being an excuse for that). I'd say: Working less, spending less

See you there!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xokopixo on April 04, 2020, 11:19:59 PM
Hi All, I'm Beatriz Cost a 29 year old newly converted Mustachian living in Yellowknife, NWT Canada. Nowadays very need some new knowledge
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pollyjoty on April 06, 2020, 05:30:27 AM
Hi,
We are an Indian couple. Basically from North India. We are 44 and 49 years old. I Paul am retiring early from the military this year in Jul and she has been a homemaker, looking to venture out into baking from home. We have two children. Elder daughter completes her undergrad in Data Sciences from the US, and the younger one is in grade VIII.
We have been reading the blog for a long time and relate with lot of things on it. Seems like India is moving towards what the US was in the 60s or 70s. Soon our country will be also like any other consumer-driven economy surviving on consumption. Indians too are consuming lot of natural resources and use money as a status symbol, which in fact is totally opposite to the Hindu culture where it was only important to value the means not the ends.
We have travelled to the US and do try and understand our elder daughters thoughts having read the blog. We are also going into a retirement now, which is motivated by the thinking on these blogs.
Thanks a lot, MMM
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: George the Pet Goose on April 06, 2020, 06:59:27 PM
Hi Everyone

I hope everyone is healthy and happy during this shut down. And especially COVID free. Appreciate being allowed to join this website.
I'm a middle aged married female living in Northern Calif who was recently laid off. Each day is spent learning how to trade online within my IRA & Roth IRA thru Fidelity.
Earned $891 last month with investment of $9100k invested. Hoping to do this for a livin, or at least a side gig, now along with selling online. We cycle 3x a week for about an hour and a half up to the summit. Sometimes longer. Hike occasionally.

Dislaimer- Not affiliated at all with George the Pet Goose. Nothing better came to mind when registering. Below i am getting a verification again to post this, not sure why. Blessings to you all, Michelle
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bikeboise on April 18, 2020, 01:23:13 PM
Hi everybody!

I've been meaning to join the forums for a long time, I started reading MMM before my freshman year of college, nearly six years ago now. I'm 24, living in Boise working a tech job, and engaged to an interior designer, and the only children we plan to have for the foreseeable future is our four year old dog. We don't have strict plans to FIRE yet, just working on building up enough money for a down payment.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sarah102 on April 20, 2020, 02:43:03 AM
Hi, I'm Sarah. I tested negative in everything except the "Being Broke" test.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kamalesam on April 22, 2020, 06:56:58 AM
Hi guys , new here! My name is Rick .
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shamilton on April 23, 2020, 07:58:13 AM
Hello. I'm a big fan of MMM. I lived under the poverty line for the first three decades of my life so I'm naturally very good at not spending money. I read MMM to keep myself from turning into a consumer now that I have a few extra dollars.

I joined the forum because there are some home repairs I can't seem to figure out on my own and I think MMM people will give good advice.

I live in Ohio.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MudPuppy on April 24, 2020, 12:26:20 PM
Since I de-lurked to comment on some garden stuff, here's an introduction


I'm early 30s and living in the southeastern US. I used to read the blog when it was more active and it took quarantine to make me remember there was an associated forum so I started reading several weeks ago.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Peaksandvalleys on April 24, 2020, 08:21:42 PM
Also recently de-lurked! Living in the western US, slowly working out of education debt while starting a career and enjoying the outdoors. Motivated by you all!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: firefoxes on April 27, 2020, 10:22:38 AM
Hi all - hope you are keeping well!

We are new to the team-FIRE couple living in the PNW. We started our journey slowly, eliminating hubs' student loan debt before we got married in 2018 with aggressive payments. Ever since we've been learning a bit at a time and really got some momentum at the start of the year, setting a budget and opening a Vanguard account. He focuses on earning more (software engineer) and I focus on spending less (grocer and budgeter extraordinaire).

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: laurapalmer89 on April 28, 2020, 06:49:17 AM
Washington based! Greeting everyone
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: myobjectivism on April 29, 2020, 06:08:02 AM
Hi.. Couple of days back I found a post related to FIRE in this forum while searching in google. And immediately liked this site and registered. We are 43 years and 38 years old couple from India with two hyperactive kids 8 and 5 years old.

Planned to move to India next month and retire :). And plans are still ON and thats why I was searching for similar mindsets over internet and found this site.

Reason behind retiring early is to spend valuable time with family, friends and do what I like to do in life.

Looking forward to discuss with like minded people who are planning for FIRE or already started their journey.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: emma20 on April 30, 2020, 10:45:13 PM
Hey everyone,

Emma here from Australia.

Looking forward to learning how to retire early from this fabulous community, have started reached into ETFs (particularly Vanguard VAS, VGS & VTI)

Also looking forward to building long term relationships
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: phunky_monk on May 04, 2020, 05:17:02 PM
Hi all,

phunky_monk checking in here from southern california. I am 28 years young. Still employed but hours drastically reduced (2 shifts in last 3 weeks) along with a pay cut as my company braced for the recession. I've spent the time off cooking, cleaning, working out, learning to handstand, but most importantly: learning about the various types of investing. It was about a week ago I started reading MMM and am so glad I discovered it. I am super excited to start cutting my spending, saving hard (once the hours roll back in) and investing.

I am looking forward to getting to know y'all and hopefully receiving some input on the moves I have made in the past few weeks.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: nessa on May 05, 2020, 11:02:34 AM
Hey there everybody!

I'm 47, planning to FI/Recreational Employment in 2027/2028, and live in the high desert of Southern California. I've been lurking in the forums for a few months, and am happy to jump in and share my journey alongside you all.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Gotosleep on May 08, 2020, 10:10:06 AM
Hi! I finally decided to join in and stop my lurking status.  I am 31, married with 2 young kids in the southern US.  I am grateful for finding this community a few years ago.  I was able to curb the lifestyle inflation that happens post grad school in my profession and now I can stay at home most of the time with my littles!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: advRN on May 08, 2020, 10:55:11 PM
Hey everyone!

27 year old travel murse here. I just found out about FI/RE a few months ago and have been obsessed ever since. I can see it as the light at the end of the tunnel for my career in healthcare. Lots of other passion projects I intend to pursue post FI. Excited to be here and connect with everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 15, 2020, 03:40:51 PM
Hi all - hope you are keeping well!

We are new to the team-FIRE couple living in the PNW. We started our journey slowly, eliminating hubs' student loan debt before we got married in 2018 with aggressive payments. Ever since we've been learning a bit at a time and really got some momentum at the start of the year, setting a budget and opening a Vanguard account. He focuses on earning more (software engineer) and I focus on spending less (grocer and budgeter extraordinaire).

Welcome to the forums, @firefoxes   Glad you're here.  Its a good group, and we have some really brilliant people. I think you'll enjoy some of the threads.  Paying off hubs student debt is reminiscent of what we did many years ago as a wedding gift to each other: paid off her student debt in full.  Never regretted it for a second. 

Feel free to dive in. Most people here are very nice and supportive.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 15, 2020, 03:42:49 PM
Washington based! Greeting everyone

Welcome @laurapalmer89 !!  We're glad you're here.  Now by Washington do you mean the state or the city?

In any case, welcome. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 15, 2020, 05:21:31 PM
Also recently de-lurked! Living in the western US, slowly working out of education debt while starting a career and enjoying the outdoors. Motivated by you all!

Welcome to the forums, @Peaksandvalleys  !!  Glad you're here.  So tell me, is the username hiking related?  Hopefully we can motivate you some more. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 15, 2020, 05:25:34 PM
Since I de-lurked to comment on some garden stuff, here's an introduction


I'm early 30s and living in the southeastern US. I used to read the blog when it was more active and it took quarantine to make me remember there was an associated forum so I started reading several weeks ago.

Hi @MudPuppy !! I was going to welcome you to the forums but it looks like you dove right in.  An overdue welcome anyways.  BTW I appreciated your comments about the incarcerated.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 15, 2020, 05:28:40 PM
Hello. I'm a big fan of MMM. I lived under the poverty line for the first three decades of my life so I'm naturally very good at not spending money. I read MMM to keep myself from turning into a consumer now that I have a few extra dollars.

I joined the forum because there are some home repairs I can't seem to figure out on my own and I think MMM people will give good advice.

I live in Ohio.

Hi @shamilton and an overdue welcome to the forums.  Interesting reason for joining the forums.  I like it.  Hope you were able to get the info you were looking for.  The folks here can be super nice and helpful.  Welcome aboard!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 15, 2020, 05:31:24 PM
Hi guys , new here! My name is Rick .

Hi Rick  @kamalesam and a late welcome to the forums!  I see that you're interested in real estate.  Lots of folks here are RE buffs.  Not to my tastes in all candor, but I'm glad to have more folks to expand my too narrow horizons.  Glad that you're here. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 15, 2020, 05:36:19 PM
Hi, I'm Sarah. I tested negative in everything except the "Being Broke" test.

Hi @sarah102 and an overdue welcome to the forums!  I'm buffaloski Boris, part of the local color.  Broke, eh?  I assume/hope you're looking to change that?  We've got some really super bright people who are well placed to provide advice.  You might want to check out the case studies and see if any of it reverberates.   

In any case, welcome.  Glad you're here.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MudPuppy on May 15, 2020, 11:07:35 PM
Since I de-lurked to comment on some garden stuff, here's an introduction


I'm early 30s and living in the southeastern US. I used to read the blog when it was more active and it took quarantine to make me remember there was an associated forum so I started reading several weeks ago.

Hi @MudPuppy !! I was going to welcome you to the forums but it looks like you dove right in.  An overdue welcome anyways.  BTW I appreciated your comments about the incarcerated.

Thank you for welcoming me so warmly!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: canadianrose on May 16, 2020, 12:58:14 AM
Howdy. I'm 39, Canadian, a second-year RV Service Technician Apprentice. Single again after a long rocky relationship. Crossing my fingers that I can go back to school in the fall. Thanks to CERB and a government grant, I have the money set aside. Currently living with my mom in exchange for work on the family property, so I feel fortunate. I'm glad I found this place.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 16, 2020, 10:15:32 AM
Since I de-lurked to comment on some garden stuff, here's an introduction


I'm early 30s and living in the southeastern US. I used to read the blog when it was more active and it took quarantine to make me remember there was an associated forum so I started reading several weeks ago.

Hi @MudPuppy !! I was going to welcome you to the forums but it looks like you dove right in.  An overdue welcome anyways.  BTW I appreciated your comments about the incarcerated.

Thank you for welcoming me so warmly!

You're very welcome.  I wish more of our posters would do the same.  (Not-so-subtle hint).  Most of the folks here are quite nice and I learn a lot from folks who are new.  Yeah, sometimes they ask repetitive questions, but it forces you me rethink and re-examine. A good thing in my view.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 16, 2020, 10:20:09 AM
Howdy. I'm 39, Canadian, a second-year RV Service Technician Apprentice. Single again after a long rocky relationship. Crossing my fingers that I can go back to school in the fall. Thanks to CERB and a government grant, I have the money set aside. Currently living with my mom in exchange for work on the family property, so I feel fortunate. I'm glad I found this place.

Hey, welcome to the forums @canadianrose !!  It's a good group and I think you'll enjoy it here.  Feel free to dive in.  The only place you can't post yet is in "off topic" until you get 100 posts under your belt, but that's no major loss*.  I do like the fact that you're at the beginning of the journey.  We have a lot of fairly wealthy folks here who are great for advice, but it's nice to have a mix. 

*(Obi-wan's comment on Mos Eisley applies).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 16, 2020, 10:33:35 AM
Hi everybody!

I've been meaning to join the forums for a long time, I started reading MMM before my freshman year of college, nearly six years ago now. I'm 24, living in Boise working a tech job, and engaged to an interior designer, and the only children we plan to have for the foreseeable future is our four year old dog. We don't have strict plans to FIRE yet, just working on building up enough money for a down payment.

Hi @bikeboise and a belated welcome to the forums!!  Looks like I've become the one person welcome-wagon (??) In any case, glad you're here.  The site name indicates that you're a biker.  You're in good company.  Lemme ask...how is the biking in Idaho?  We've been thinking about heading out west for a long time but haven't visited ID yet. 

Feel free to ask questions, there are a lot of really bright people here who love to give advice.  Solicited or not. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 16, 2020, 10:40:18 AM
Hey, 24 male living in Huntsville, AL. Married to wonderful 24 year old woman.

Both engineers and currently ~84k networth with no debt.

Hi  @bloodaxe  and a late welcome to the forums. No debt?  I like it. Be forewarned though: there is an ongoing, never ending argument here as to whether you should have a mortgage or not.  This has got to be about the only place on the internet where we actually debate that. Passionately.  Get ready for weird.  Feel free to dive in and ask questions.  It's a pretty nice bunch.   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 16, 2020, 10:46:09 AM
Hi Everyone

I hope everyone is healthy and happy during this shut down. And especially COVID free. Appreciate being allowed to join this website.
I'm a middle aged married female living in Northern Calif who was recently laid off. Each day is spent learning how to trade online within my IRA & Roth IRA thru Fidelity.
Earned $891 last month with investment of $9100k invested. Hoping to do this for a livin, or at least a side gig, now along with selling online. We cycle 3x a week for about an hour and a half up to the summit. Sometimes longer. Hike occasionally.

Dislaimer- Not affiliated at all with George the Pet Goose. Nothing better came to mind when registering. Below i am getting a verification again to post this, not sure why. Blessings to you all, Michelle

Hi @George the Pet Goose and a late welcome to the forums.  Sorry about the layoff.  That sucks.  I'm curious; do you mean day trading? 

What part of Cali are you biking in?  I used to do the Sonoma coast back in the day.  Coughed a lung or two but had a great time. 

Welcome to the forums and we're glad you're here. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 16, 2020, 10:50:01 AM
Hi,
We are an Indian couple. Basically from North India. We are 44 and 49 years old. I Paul am retiring early from the military this year in Jul and she has been a homemaker, looking to venture out into baking from home. We have two children. Elder daughter completes her undergrad in Data Sciences from the US, and the younger one is in grade VIII.
We have been reading the blog for a long time and relate with lot of things on it. Seems like India is moving towards what the US was in the 60s or 70s. Soon our country will be also like any other consumer-driven economy surviving on consumption. Indians too are consuming lot of natural resources and use money as a status symbol, which in fact is totally opposite to the Hindu culture where it was only important to value the means not the ends.
We have travelled to the US and do try and understand our elder daughters thoughts having read the blog. We are also going into a retirement now, which is motivated by the thinking on these blogs.
Thanks a lot, MMM

Very cool @pollyjoty .  A late welcome to the forums.  You've got me curious about Hindu culture (I'm already bonkers for the food).  How would you say that Hindi culture is opposed to consumerism? 

Glad you're here and I really hope you'll dive in.  We don't have a lot of folks from that area and it would be fascinating to get a different perspective.  Again, welcome and hope to see you around! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: travel2020 on May 17, 2020, 12:17:04 PM
Hi all,

Hope everyone is staying safe.

I’m KZ, a long time lurker at MMM. Since I’ve been spending more and more time perusing the forums and getting more serious about FIRE as we become empty nesters, figured it’s time to formally join the club :)

Thank you to all those who share their insights on the forums, it’s immensely helpful.

KZ
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on May 17, 2020, 12:59:38 PM
Hi all,

Hope everyone is staying safe.

I’m KZ, a long time lurker at MMM. Since I’ve been spending more and more time perusing the forums and getting more serious about FIRE as we become empty nesters, figured it’s time to formally join the club :)

Thank you to all those who share their insights on the forums, it’s immensely helpful.

KZ

Hi KZ and welcome to the forums!  Now that you've joined us, there's no turning back :-)

"Abandon all hope all ye who enter here."

Glad to have you aboard! 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bloodaxe on May 23, 2020, 03:22:46 PM
Hey, 24 male living in Huntsville, AL. Married to wonderful 24 year old woman.

Both engineers and currently ~84k networth with no debt.

Hi  @bloodaxe  and a late welcome to the forums. No debt?  I like it. Be forewarned though: there is an ongoing, never ending argument here as to whether you should have a mortgage or not.  This has got to be about the only place on the internet where we actually debate that. Passionately.  Get ready for weird.  Feel free to dive in and ask questions.  It's a pretty nice bunch.   

Thanks. We might buy a house in the future. No plans right now though.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: late_savings_bloomer on June 04, 2020, 09:21:15 AM
Howdy. I'm 39, Canadian, a second-year RV Service Technician Apprentice. Single again after a long rocky relationship. Crossing my fingers that I can go back to school in the fall. Thanks to CERB and a government grant, I have the money set aside. Currently living with my mom in exchange for work on the family property, so I feel fortunate. I'm glad I found this place.


Hi, I'm new too, and Canadian too! And recently finished a 'back to school' stage of my life. Now it's time for some big saving and investing for me and I signed up to seek some help after getting some particularly useful replies within the comments under MMM blog posts.

Being in my late 30s with no stable job or great savings, I am a late moustache-bloomer (hence the nickname), and (it seems to me) a bit of a case study that challenges most of the calculator-based assumptions of fixed income, fixed spending etc over 15 years that determine your years to FI. I think reality is much more nuanced and complex than those calculators make it look. But on the bright side, I have no debt and no big spendings or addictions (anymore!!!) either, and I am healthy.
all the best,
late bloomer...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on June 20, 2020, 07:44:04 PM
Howdy. I'm 39, Canadian, a second-year RV Service Technician Apprentice. Single again after a long rocky relationship. Crossing my fingers that I can go back to school in the fall. Thanks to CERB and a government grant, I have the money set aside. Currently living with my mom in exchange for work on the family property, so I feel fortunate. I'm glad I found this place.


Hi, I'm new too, and Canadian too! And recently finished a 'back to school' stage of my life. Now it's time for some big saving and investing for me and I signed up to seek some help after getting some particularly useful replies within the comments under MMM blog posts.

Being in my late 30s with no stable job or great savings, I am a late moustache-bloomer (hence the nickname), and (it seems to me) a bit of a case study that challenges most of the calculator-based assumptions of fixed income, fixed spending etc over 15 years that determine your years to FI. I think reality is much more nuanced and complex than those calculators make it look. But on the bright side, I have no debt and no big spendings or addictions (anymore!!!) either, and I am healthy.
all the best,
late bloomer...

Welcome to the forums, @late_savings_bloomer!!

The calculators only take you so far.  The basics are pretty simple. The problem is the assumptions are based on some perhaps unrealistic assumptions like the returns on stocks remaining at their historic norms.  Speaking for myself, I think that savings are going to become more important than investment return for those looking to be FI. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sleepy Gary on June 23, 2020, 07:45:03 AM
Howdy Y'all. I've lurked for the past 5 years and would like to get more involved now. Late 20s with a wife (engineer) and newborn (current supervisor while working from home). We are 25% of the way to FI, 50% SR and a fairly cushy lifestyle. Still trying to figure out if RE is right for us. I feel pretty good about the math and tactics but  need more self exploration to figure out what life looks like after FI. Slow travel, volunteering & parenting are all on the mind but it is difficult to visualize that lifestyle without tangible examples.

We're in Houston and I'm an Oil & Gas engineer so I just hope that I can hold a job for the next 10 years until we hit FI.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: late_savings_bloomer on June 25, 2020, 12:26:54 PM
Howdy. I'm 39, Canadian, a second-year RV Service Technician Apprentice. Single again after a long rocky relationship. Crossing my fingers that I can go back to school in the fall. Thanks to CERB and a government grant, I have the money set aside. Currently living with my mom in exchange for work on the family property, so I feel fortunate. I'm glad I found this place.


Hi, I'm new too, and Canadian too! And recently finished a 'back to school' stage of my life. Now it's time for some big saving and investing for me and I signed up to seek some help after getting some particularly useful replies within the comments under MMM blog posts.

Being in my late 30s with no stable job or great savings, I am a late moustache-bloomer (hence the nickname), and (it seems to me) a bit of a case study that challenges most of the calculator-based assumptions of fixed income, fixed spending etc over 15 years that determine your years to FI. I think reality is much more nuanced and complex than those calculators make it look. But on the bright side, I have no debt and no big spendings or addictions (anymore!!!) either, and I am healthy.
all the best,
late bloomer...

Welcome to the forums, @late_savings_bloomer!!

The calculators only take you so far.  The basics are pretty simple. The problem is the assumptions are based on some perhaps unrealistic assumptions like the returns on stocks remaining at their historic norms.  Speaking for myself, I think that savings are going to become more important than investment return for those looking to be FI.

Thanks BB. My issue with savings is inflation. What's the point of keeping money that only depreciates over time?! I have been a saver all my life and to look at the diminished value of my savings now is really demotivating. So I don't quite get the 'saving is the most important part of the equation'. I think what you do with the savings (i.e. investing) is equally important, and for me investing was the missing piece of the puzzle of how to sort out my financials. Still learning on how to *actually* do it and I'm pretty overwhelmed by the various indices and possibilities. Total newbie!! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on June 26, 2020, 09:11:12 PM
Howdy. I'm 39, Canadian, a second-year RV Service Technician Apprentice. Single again after a long rocky relationship. Crossing my fingers that I can go back to school in the fall. Thanks to CERB and a government grant, I have the money set aside. Currently living with my mom in exchange for work on the family property, so I feel fortunate. I'm glad I found this place.


Hi, I'm new too, and Canadian too! And recently finished a 'back to school' stage of my life. Now it's time for some big saving and investing for me and I signed up to seek some help after getting some particularly useful replies within the comments under MMM blog posts.

Being in my late 30s with no stable job or great savings, I am a late moustache-bloomer (hence the nickname), and (it seems to me) a bit of a case study that challenges most of the calculator-based assumptions of fixed income, fixed spending etc over 15 years that determine your years to FI. I think reality is much more nuanced and complex than those calculators make it look. But on the bright side, I have no debt and no big spendings or addictions (anymore!!!) either, and I am healthy.
all the best,
late bloomer...

Welcome to the forums, @late_savings_bloomer!!

The calculators only take you so far.  The basics are pretty simple. The problem is the assumptions are based on some perhaps unrealistic assumptions like the returns on stocks remaining at their historic norms.  Speaking for myself, I think that savings are going to become more important than investment return for those looking to be FI.

Thanks BB. My issue with savings is inflation. What's the point of keeping money that only depreciates over time?! I have been a saver all my life and to look at the diminished value of my savings now is really demotivating. So I don't quite get the 'saving is the most important part of the equation'. I think what you do with the savings (i.e. investing) is equally important, and for me investing was the missing piece of the puzzle of how to sort out my financials. Still learning on how to *actually* do it and I'm pretty overwhelmed by the various indices and possibilities. Total newbie!! :)

 By savings I mean the amount you put aside, not a savings account. I shoulda made that clear. For the past several decades investors have made around 7% on their stock investments. No one has a crystal ball, but a lot of economists don’t think that’s going to hold up going forward. 4-5% is probably more like it. If you’re looking to get to a specific number and your investment returns going forward are lower, that means you either have to save more or invest for a longer time or both to get that same amount as a stache.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RobERE on July 05, 2020, 05:40:18 AM
Hi, I'm Rob in the UK. I came across MMM last August and have been absorbing the principles of FIRE ever since. The blog has prompted me to stop outsourcing home repairs and I'm now on a massive DIY project to refresh our house before we relocate and downsize. (Lockdown/wfh has been a massive help). I have followed Pete's advice and invested in some decent quality cordless power tools (I'd never taken myself seriously as a DIYer previously so had always bought the cheapest tools – not any more!).

Otherwise, I'd like to think I'm fairly mustachian – no debt, home mortgage paid off, modest cars (Nissan LEAF) and we mostly cook at home from real ingredients. I do make an exception though buying extreme markdown foods from the supermarkets when they do their final markdown around 6.00 pm - 6.30 pm.

I'm using the summer weather to get external works done: repainting the soffits and facias, replacing guttering and downpipes and relaying a stone terrace are all lined up for the coming weeks. Then it will be on to upgrading a half-bathroom and a bathroom, designed to appeal to potential buyers (not necessarily what we would choose!). Following that, we'll paint the outside walls (rendered finish) and work through redecorating internally). I'm thinking about hiring a boom lift (cherry picker) for the outside work, which will save time and be safer than ladders.

In parallel, I'm will be listing my vinyl collection (maybe 1000 albums – I have lost count), and several hundred books for sale. I'm taking advantage of the seasonal weather and current boom in exercise to sell some old bikes on ebay and I have a long list of clutter which will be listed or gifted over the coming weeks. Plus my hi-fi system is going to go.

My biggest learning so far is that it takes a lot more work to get rid of 'stuff' than it does to acquire it. That's sufficient to slam the brakes on my consumer habit.

Any helpful hints and tips from forum members who have been there and got the t-shirt would be appreciated.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: lemanfan on July 05, 2020, 05:57:03 AM
My biggest learning so far is that it takes a lot more work to get rid of 'stuff' than it does to acquire it. That's sufficient to slam the brakes on my consumer habit.

Important lesson.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pecunia on July 05, 2020, 05:09:51 PM
My biggest learning so far is that it takes a lot more work to get rid of 'stuff' than it does to acquire it. That's sufficient to slam the brakes on my consumer habit.

Important lesson.

I've learned a lot of stuff depreciates quite quickly after it is no longer new.  Quite often you may find what you need in a second hand store for a great deal less than what is paid new.  People throw stuff away when there is a lot of utility left.  Good Luck RobERE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RobERE on July 06, 2020, 01:00:19 AM
That is so true. For our bathroom renovation, I will be buying second hand sanitary ware. I picked up a Vileroy & Boch basin and pedestal for £19 from a well-know auction site. When installed and fitted with a new tap it will look indistinguishable from new! :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on July 06, 2020, 05:17:21 PM
Hi, I'm Rob in the UK. I came across MMM last August and have been absorbing the principles of FIRE ever since. The blog has prompted me to stop outsourcing home repairs and I'm now on a massive DIY project to refresh our house before we relocate and downsize. (Lockdown/wfh has been a massive help). I have followed Pete's advice and invested in some decent quality cordless power tools (I'd never taken myself seriously as a DIYer previously so had always bought the cheapest tools – not any more!).

Otherwise, I'd like to think I'm fairly mustachian – no debt, home mortgage paid off, modest cars (Nissan LEAF) and we mostly cook at home from real ingredients. I do make an exception though buying extreme markdown foods from the supermarkets when they do their final markdown around 6.00 pm - 6.30 pm.

I'm using the summer weather to get external works done: repainting the soffits and facias, replacing guttering and downpipes and relaying a stone terrace are all lined up for the coming weeks. Then it will be on to upgrading a half-bathroom and a bathroom, designed to appeal to potential buyers (not necessarily what we would choose!). Following that, we'll paint the outside walls (rendered finish) and work through redecorating internally). I'm thinking about hiring a boom lift (cherry picker) for the outside work, which will save time and be safer than ladders.

In parallel, I'm will be listing my vinyl collection (maybe 1000 albums – I have lost count), and several hundred books for sale. I'm taking advantage of the seasonal weather and current boom in exercise to sell some old bikes on ebay and I have a long list of clutter which will be listed or gifted over the coming weeks. Plus my hi-fi system is going to go.

My biggest learning so far is that it takes a lot more work to get rid of 'stuff' than it does to acquire it. That's sufficient to slam the brakes on my consumer habit.

Any helpful hints and tips from forum members who have been there and got the t-shirt would be appreciated.
welcome to the forum @RobERE! We're glad to have you!  I'm not so much a DIY guy but we do have a section for that if you want to dig in.  As for getting rid of stuff, I'm a big fan of the dumpster and the charity shop.  Boot sales are OK so long as I don't have to do them. :-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RobERE on July 07, 2020, 12:16:12 AM

welcome to the forum @RobERE! We're glad to have you!  I'm not so much a DIY guy but we do have a section for that if you want to dig in.  As for getting rid of stuff, I'm a big fan of the dumpster and the charity shop.  Boot sales are OK so long as I don't have to do them. :-)

Thanks for your welcome and comments. I listed two old bikes on eBay which completed on Sunday. I have had no end of grief from one buyer who changed their mind but didn't accept that aI would have to make an unpaid item claim to get the final fee credited. With the time I put in power-washing the bike, taking photos and then dealing with the buyer and eBay support, for the value of the transaction my time must have worked out less than minimum wage!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GrahamCracker on July 13, 2020, 03:06:39 PM
Hi, I’m GrahamCracker. I joined this community so I could read my friend’s journal and perhaps start one of my own one day. At 95, I’m probably the oldest member of this community. I grew up in Alaska, when hard-core frugality was a way of life. I left Alaska for collage at UW. After graduation a friend invited me to visit her in Berkeley. I liked the milder CA climate and never left.

I’ve been widowed for about five years, after nearly sixty six years of marriage. My husband and I started with very little and gradually worked our way to financial freedom. He retired at 59, which was pretty early in those days. I got my real estate license once the kids were up and out and had fun with that for about a decade. Together, we bought six rental properties. We maintained and managed them ourselves, eventually selling them off one by one.

My friend and I enjoy being frugal pals. We speak the same language, so to speak.

I look forward to spending a little time here and getting to know you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LWYRUP on July 13, 2020, 03:16:33 PM
Hi, I’m GrahamCracker. I joined this community so I could read my friend’s journal and perhaps start one of my own one day. At 95, I’m probably the oldest member of this community. I grew up in Alaska, when hard-core frugality was a way of life. I left Alaska for collage at UW. After graduation a friend invited me to visit her in Berkeley. I liked the milder CA climate and never left.

I’ve been widowed for about five years, after nearly sixty six years of marriage. My husband and I started with very little and gradually worked our way to financial freedom. He retired at 59, which was pretty early in those days. I got my real estate license once the kids were up and out and had fun with that for about a decade. Together, we bought six rental properties. We maintained and managed them ourselves, eventually selling them off one by one.

My friend and I enjoy being frugal pals. We speak the same language, so to speak.

I look forward to spending a little time here and getting to know you.

That's great!  You must have some fascinating stories from your childhood in Alaska in the 30s.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: catlady on July 25, 2020, 11:56:19 AM
Hey all,
I am just starting my FI journey and currently fighting with our budget... Unfortunately I am 33 with nothing to show besides a mortgage, car load and fortunately an emmergency fund. Still trying to get my SO on board with stop bying crap. I'm so glad that I found this forum
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on July 26, 2020, 08:18:01 AM
Hey all,
I am just starting my FI journey and currently fighting with our budget... Unfortunately I am 33 with nothing to show besides a mortgage, car load and fortunately an emmergency fund. Still trying to get my SO on board with stop bying crap. I'm so glad that I found this forum

Welcome @catlady !  Great to have you aboard.  33?  Beats the heck out of being 53 and being in the same situation. The first step to fixing something is acknowledging that that there is a problem and might be a better way. 

As for the SO, people who have gone before you have put together a great thread on persuading SO's.

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/how-to-convert-your-so-to-mmm-in-50-awesome-steps/
   
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spaghetti1awk on July 27, 2020, 07:00:27 AM
Hi All-

Happy to be here and for the opportunity to learn from you all. I'm a single mom of three, trying to make wise financial decisions and help my kids learn to do the same. Starting this FI journey a little late in the game, at 39. Hoping to find more resources and information to help continue the progress I've been making recently.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LWYRUP on July 27, 2020, 07:08:13 AM
Hi All-

Happy to be here and for the opportunity to learn from you all. I'm a single mom of three, trying to make wise financial decisions and help my kids learn to do the same. Starting this FI journey a little late in the game, at 39. Hoping to find more resources and information to help continue the progress I've been making recently.

Glad to have you on board.  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dicey on July 30, 2020, 08:38:46 AM
Hi, I’m GrahamCracker. I joined this community so I could read my friend’s journal and perhaps start one of my own one day. At 95, I’m probably the oldest member of this community. I grew up in Alaska, when hard-core frugality was a way of life. I left Alaska for collage at UW. After graduation a friend invited me to visit her in Berkeley. I liked the milder CA climate and never left.

I’ve been widowed for about five years, after nearly sixty six years of marriage. My husband and I started with very little and gradually worked our way to financial freedom. He retired at 59, which was pretty early in those days. I got my real estate license once the kids were up and out and had fun with that for about a decade. Together, we bought six rental properties. We maintained and managed them ourselves, eventually selling them off one by one.

My friend and I enjoy being frugal pals. We speak the same language, so to speak.

I look forward to spending a little time here and getting to know you.

That's great!  You must have some fascinating stories from your childhood in Alaska in the 30s.
Indeed, she does ;-)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: englishteacheralex on July 30, 2020, 09:53:24 AM
Hi, I’m GrahamCracker. I joined this community so I could read my friend’s journal and perhaps start one of my own one day. At 95, I’m probably the oldest member of this community. I grew up in Alaska, when hard-core frugality was a way of life. I left Alaska for collage at UW. After graduation a friend invited me to visit her in Berkeley. I liked the milder CA climate and never left.

I’ve been widowed for about five years, after nearly sixty six years of marriage. My husband and I started with very little and gradually worked our way to financial freedom. He retired at 59, which was pretty early in those days. I got my real estate license once the kids were up and out and had fun with that for about a decade. Together, we bought six rental properties. We maintained and managed them ourselves, eventually selling them off one by one.

My friend and I enjoy being frugal pals. We speak the same language, so to speak.

I look forward to spending a little time here and getting to know you.

That's great!  You must have some fascinating stories from your childhood in Alaska in the 30s.
Indeed, she does ;-)

Dicey's friend! We welcome you!!! You sound really neat; maybe you should start your own journal!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: felirod on August 08, 2020, 09:34:28 AM
Hello all from SoCal!
I’ve come here to get back on track. My wife and I are 50 y/o educators and have an 11 year old son. I’ve learned a lot so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on August 13, 2020, 05:28:05 PM
Hello all from SoCal!
I’ve come here to get back on track. My wife and I are 50 y/o educators and have an 11 year old son. I’ve learned a lot so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi @felirod and welcome to the forums! We’re glad to have you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: BoatSnack on August 14, 2020, 11:15:08 AM
Hi everyone! Long time listener, first time caller. (How many times is that written in this thread?)

My name is Matthew, my wife and I are in our early 30s DINKs in Washington State. Reading about the 4% rule and the direct link between savings rate and time to retirement changed my financial life. Best I can tell, we're now in the FI Class of 2025.

I'm really interested in credit card/bank account churning, among various other spare-time side hustles, real-estate (we'd like to invest in multifamilies starting next year), and optimizing our taxes (limited tricks in W2 world).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FrugalPole on August 20, 2020, 01:31:22 AM
Good morning fellow mustachians!

I am a long time reader of MMM's blog and it has completely reshaped my financial life.

Few years ago I had a lot of debt and it was the worst kind of debt because I borrowed money to buy some stupid things. MMM made me move to a frickin' cheap and ugly place that allowed me and my future wife pay off all of our debt and start getting that money! We progressed just fine until we got married and decided to buy a house in the suburbs. Man... I can't describe how much money it consumed. We got back to the place where we had nothing but this time it wasn't just me and Mrs. It was me, Mrs and this other guy... Mortgage.

Since we were back to square one, for some reason we decided that it's a good idea to go back to the old habits. We maxed out our credit cards to get the furniture we wanted, we bought a huge (for european standards) 18MPG car to accompany our previous car and we made a lot of other questionable financial choices.

I can only thank God that this episode lasted only for more than a year and somehow we've slapped out of it and got rid of most of the debt except mortgage and no-interest loan on some electronics and we are saving like crazy.

My name is Matt, I live in Poland (any eastern europeans here, huh?) and as you can see - this is my second approach to becoming financially independent. I plan to be on FIRE in 2030 on my 40th birthday.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mindfulrun on August 29, 2020, 08:54:54 AM
Hi all!
My name is Dan and I'm 43.  I stumbled across this blog about a year ago and it really changed my perspective on everything.  Since then, I've been reading/researching everything I can get my hands on.  I've been planning on retiring around age 45, but seeing that Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther actor) just passed away at the age of 43 is making me rethink that - I may just have to pull the plug on my 9-5 in months, not years.  Life is too short!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: verntc on September 10, 2020, 02:40:28 PM
Hi there, glad to have found this forum! My husband and I quite our biotech jobs last Oct to take some much needed time to recuperate and figure out next steps. Very glad we did so before the pandemic. We are currently in the PHX area but wanting to relocate to CO next year to be closer to family/friends and nature (of course!). We have a 2 yr old boy and a dog. Nice to meet everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jakestersquat on September 20, 2020, 08:15:57 PM
Jakestersquat here. I’m married with 4 kids. I am a lineman by trade. Been a lurker for a few years but decided to actually join.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jesse W on September 21, 2020, 11:14:22 PM
Hi Everyone,

My name is Jesse. Its interesting, I've been advocating moustachism for a while now, but never really participated with others till now. Maybe it is the shared values, but I certainly feel part of the community and look forward to being more active rather than reading from the sidelines!

I've always been a saver and was lucky that my parents always taught me that you can't rely on the government to look after you when you retire. I discovered MMM a few years ago and it really resonated with me. While I was some way on track, the blog really opened my eyes and has helped me take things to the next level! I've still got plenty more to learn and very much look forward to doing that on the forum.

I reached FI at ~35 (Currently 37) but have not yet bitten the bullet to leave my job. I certainly made a few mistakes on the journey which I like to think I have learned from. MMM has also done a lot to help clarify and verbalise things which I felt but could never really articulate. Thank you!

I am very lucky in that my wife has come on board as this was a big change for her. (There are still few diehard habits/views that are tough to shake though. We now have happy healthy 7 month old. I look forward to spending lots of time with my family and being able to prioritise them.

My current job allows me to work form home at hours that suite me which is one of the reasons I haven't left. While I have reached FI, I have decided to keep working a few more years so that I can build up a bit more of a safety buffer and have some more passive income to play with. I also haven't quite yet worked out what I want to do when I finish. I would like to start a charity, and am starting to spend some time thinking about the vision and purpose of the charity.

 I look forward to speaking with more people, especially anyone in Sydney Australia or Cambridge U.K!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bwichner on September 30, 2020, 11:07:22 AM
Noob here, located in Cincinnati and been reading this page off and on for a few years.  Just read Your Money of Your Life and now energized more than before. 

Looking forward to learning from others!

Ben
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniwelder on October 02, 2020, 11:21:56 AM
Hello, New to the forums but started following this site 4 years ago when my wife and I started to really begin saving money and began wondering at what point we could quit working (at least full time).  We have three rental houses and a reasonable chunk in savings/retirement funds.  I just cut my hours from full time to about 10-15/week to fade away from my current job and spend more time doing house projects.  We've never been big spenders, but this site has brought up an enormous amount of information I didn't think about before and I really appreciate all the intelligent people that post on the forums.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Highlandfool on October 19, 2020, 09:19:58 AM
Hi! I'm Hal and I FIRED three years ago. I was introduced to the concept of FIRE through "Your Money or Your Life" and have been a longtime lurker here on this site. I am based out of Virginia, but have a GF in Latvia (currently visiting) and I'm contemplating making the big move (a topic for another thread). I appreciate all the information and support this community shares and I look forward to participating.

Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mjolnir on October 25, 2020, 02:11:48 AM
Hi,

Long time reader (wanted to say"lurker", but that makes me sound creepy), first time poster.

I've always been responsible with money. I buy whatever i want, but i don't seem to want a lot of stuff... Give me a good book and a pot of tea and i'm ready for a lovely evening.

The classic financial advice always seemed a bit odd to me. So when I discovered MMM, I quickly went through the entire blog post by post. Now i'm doing a good job trying to devour the whole forum.

MMM succeeded in making me question some of my pre-conceived notions about how to live. I always assumed having a car was a basic necessity. However shortly after discovering MMM, we managed to transition from 2 cars to 1 car for our family. Haven't missed it at all! The simpler my life becomes, the less stress it gives. I truly feel like i have everything I need. Not to mention that one less car impacts my wallet and the environment.

I intend to contribute from the perspective of a western European  high tax country. I believe some of the tenets of MMM could be tweaked a bit in order to create a more efficient path to FI within the European context. Hoping I can contribute something to the discussion from my European perspective.

Happy to be here.
& Greetings from across the pond.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Segare on October 28, 2020, 06:56:59 AM
Hello, just getting on board.
Hoping to save and invest more.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Sunder on November 09, 2020, 10:01:31 PM
Hi All,

First post, after hearing about this forum years ago, reading articles, but never engaging (not even reading) with the forum.

It's time. I am starting to feel I have squandered the last 23 years of working, but as the old Chinese proverb goes, "The best time to plant a tree was 23 years ago. The second best time is now".

So, I'm 42, male, Australian, married, 2 kids. Smallish mortgage, but no other debt, decent superannuation (retirement fund). I'm on a stupidly high income, but my wife is about to finish up a 2 day a week contract. While we have savings and investments, compared to what we earn, it's not really that much.

We've had an interesting financial journey together. We met when my wife was a povo student doing her masters while doing a couple shifts as a waitress. Literally she had to decide between enough food and making rent many weeks when bills became due, while I was already earning >100k. So when we got married, she pressured me into being more careful with money, and I had to teach her that it was okay to spend somewhat... Was aware of FIRE at the time, but no desire to do give up all of life's luxuries. Anyway, I kind of feel like the tables have turned, and now she's working, she buys a lot of "conveniences", and I feel we're not saving enough for our future, especially compared to what we're earning.

I think my two greatest assets right now, are:

1) My earning ability.
2) I'm content. I had sports cars in my 20s. Traveled the world in my 30s. My house is as big and as fancy as I want. There's nothing I really want to plough money into.

I think my two greatest liabilities are:
A) I like eating out. A LOT.
B) My wife still isn't done traveling. Pre-Covid, we'd spend upwards of $10k a year holidaying. Thank Covid that's going to slow down expenditure for a while.

Let's see where the journey takes us from here. Despite what MMM says about being "too extreme" being a cop out, my wife is a psychologist, and says that change introduced suddenly is unlikely to be long term. If you want change to be lasting, making one change at a time until it's habit and it requires no more willpower to do, then pick up another habit to change, and the habits become permanent.

So that's my goal. Find where the money is going, and find just one thing to change every month. And hopefully, over time, we won't miss those things, but will appreciate the growing investments.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Segare on November 10, 2020, 07:28:42 AM
Hi All,

 my wife is a psychologist, and says that change introduced suddenly is unlikely to be long term. If you want change to be lasting, making one change at a time until it's habit and it requires no more willpower to do, then pick up another habit to change, and the habits become permanent.


Welcome, you mention something that I thought just the other day for the first time in a while. 
The Kaizen Way
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DarkWoods on November 11, 2020, 01:34:11 PM
Hi everyone.

I just discovered this forum a few minutes ago while searching for advices about becoming financial independent.

So who I am?

I'm a canadian in his forties. I lost my job about six weeks ago after working in the same place for more than twenty years. I take this opportunity to learn how to work for me instead of always working for others.

My goal is to learn more about finances, investing in the stock market and create an online business. I know that's a lot but if I can just earn 1000$ of passive income per month, I would become financially independent. I just need to find a way to do that.

Have a great day :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Segare on November 19, 2020, 05:20:06 AM
Hello all! Janet from Florida here. Been reading MMM's blog for a couple years and I think I discovered the Forum about a year ago.

I actually started on my FI journey 25 years ago when I started reading stuff about what was then called "Voluntary Simplicity". That led me to Joe Dominguez/Vicki Robin's book "Your Money or your Life", Amy Dacyzyn's "Tightwad Gazette", "Affluenza" and that ilk. I attacked with a vengeance and actually thought I'd be retired fairly quickly. But things changed, I went back to school, bought a house, yada yada yada, and I finally got around to retiring officially 4 years ago. One of the reasons it took so long was that I found myself employed by one of the last remaining unicorns, a company with a defined benefit pension plan...so I limped along for a few extra years for that carrot.

Glad to be part of the group, although I'm guessing I'll still be more of a lurker than an active poster...but who knows?
Welcome, new myself, still working.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: spaghetti1awk on November 19, 2020, 09:42:37 AM
Hi everyone! Long time listener, first time caller. (How many times is that written in this thread?)

My name is Matthew, my wife and I are in our early 30s DINKs in Washington State. Reading about the 4% rule and the direct link between savings rate and time to retirement changed my financial life. Best I can tell, we're now in the FI Class of 2025.

I'm really interested in credit card/bank account churning, among various other spare-time side hustles, real-estate (we'd like to invest in multifamilies starting next year), and optimizing our taxes (limited tricks in W2 world).

Welcome! I'm pretty new here myself, joining from Washington St as well. (late 30s, single income 3 kids, more like FI Class of 2035 here :) )
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: soslo92fo on December 05, 2020, 11:02:12 PM
Hi, I'm Carson (24m).

I have been married for 4 months now and been incredibly blessed financially, despite the havoc covid has caused. While we are both very frugal people, but we have a lot of room to tighten up our spending and lifestyle.

I found this forum a while ago, while trying to figure out how to afford a mansion. By the time I left the forum, my concept of wealth and its purpose was drastically changed. I realized I was falling into the trap of consumerism, the old "guy buys car to get to work, goes to work to afford car" problem. After reading a bit more, I realized time (and what you do with it) is more valuable than money. Less time at work, means more time doing things, and really experiencing life.

Tldr, I want to learn how to stretch my money, enjoy my life, and be financially independent before 40.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: hal on December 13, 2020, 07:54:13 AM
Hello all! Janet from Florida here. Been reading MMM's blog for a couple years and I think I discovered the Forum about a year ago.

I actually started on my FI journey 25 years ago when I started reading stuff about what was then called "Voluntary Simplicity". That led me to Joe Dominguez/Vicki Robin's book "Your Money or your Life", Amy Dacyzyn's "Tightwad Gazette", "Affluenza" and that ilk. I attacked with a vengeance and actually thought I'd be retired fairly quickly. But things changed, I went back to school, bought a house, yada yada yada, and I finally got around to retiring officially 4 years ago. One of the reasons it took so long was that I found myself employed by one of the last remaining unicorns, a company with a defined benefit pension plan...so I limped along for a few extra years for that carrot.

Glad to be part of the group, although I'm guessing I'll still be more of a lurker than an active poster...but who knows?

Welcome! Are you me, but from the past?? I started this journey about 4-5 years ago by reading Duane Elgin's "Voluntary Simplicity." I came at FIRE early on from a perspective of wanting to live a more eco-friendly, less consumptive lifestyle rooted in the sort of practices of that lifestance. I devoured all the Tightwad Gazette interviews on YouTube during this phase... Later on I read "Your Money or Your Life" and so far it has been the most impactful non-fiction book of my life...
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: baconschteam on December 17, 2020, 03:28:53 PM
Hello world, allow me to introduce myself. I am 32 years old, an artist, just beginning my FIRE journey. I say just beginning because 2018-2019 were spent paying off my $70k of student debt and I finally have a net worth above $0! This year my fiance and I were able to save around $50k thanks to the teachings of MMM. Thank you MMM!

Our plan is to become parents in 5 years and to be able to semi-retire at that point, both taking part time jobs to cover expenses, parenting, focusing more on art and activism. We will invest mostly in index funds (Vanguard ESGV), but for a little diversification I also plan on trying out a 3-4 family rental property to see how I take to it.

I'm very glad to be a part of this community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Ben B on December 26, 2020, 09:50:19 PM
Hello,


I am 31 and just recently discovered the FI movement. launched a new business this year after years of being an employee, so the timing seems perfect.


Looking forward to learning how to gain financial freedom for my family from others with experience.


"The knowledge is out there, will you consume it?"
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Morning Glory on January 01, 2021, 04:53:57 AM
Hello,
I have reinvented myself again. I was MrsWolfeRN, then Aunt Petunia. Neither of those fit me any more. Now I am Morning Glory, ready to greet the new day. I wish for happiness and peace for all of you in 2021.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on January 01, 2021, 08:06:29 AM
Hello,
I have reinvented myself again. I was MrsWolfeRN, then Aunt Petunia. Neither of those fit me any more. Now I am Morning Glory, ready to greet the new day. I wish for happiness and peace for all of you in 2021.

Good day for reinvention!  Happy New Year!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Leroy_tabane on January 04, 2021, 10:16:07 PM
I thought I was special but hey, a whole website dedicated to different thinkers. At last, I found home. FI has been my goal for quite some times now. Here's a ballpark view of my situation: I'm 39 and I have worked full-time since the age of 16. I have very good manual skills, but I'm also "smart enough" to have a decent salary working behind a desk now. I have no kids but I am living with my girlfriend in a house (that is a lie...) I bought some 10 years ago. We actually live in the garage for the time being, ask me about that for an interesting story. We are practitioners of this kind of stuff me and her, I mean living simply and logically. We have been living a really basic lifestyle based on saving money, the environment and our well-being while working towards freedom from the system, which for me is the really annoying time = money equation. I am also learning to trade Stocks and FX with my personal trading account, for the same reasons. Even if I'm new here, I feel that I was already on my way to what you guys are all about and I am very excited to read and share on this forum. I have many experiences ...and mistakes to share and help others here but I also have a lot to learn and I want to retire SOON! I'm almost 40 damn it!

Thank you all, I'll see you around.

Leroy
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on January 05, 2021, 03:41:32 AM
Welcome Leroy!  After you get settled, it might be interesting to hear more of your story in the Journal's section.   I'd be interested to know about how you ended up in a garage, what's it like, and how much does it cost you. 

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CuboCube on January 06, 2021, 07:19:14 AM
Hey, I'm a thirty-something European, and was compelled to join this forum when I read this on the Wikipedia page:
Quote
He has described the typical middle-class lifestyle as "an exploding volcano of wastefulness," particularly citing the overuse of and overspending on new cars as an example.
It describes my thoughts exactly.

I'm already successful at minimalism, but I need to get myself together regarding investments. I could've had €180 000 in profit if I hadn't sold my TSLA shares (which were going nowhere at the time) due to being greedy for bitcoin. Then Covid-19 happened, couldn't bear the anxiety, and sold everything, with only €6000 in profit. Yeah, I'm kicking myself at the moment while experiencing massive FOMO and anxiety for basically throwing away two winning lottery tickets.

I realize it's all relative, and that health trumps every other thing in life, but still, it stings. So there's my introduction, now ya'll know how dumb I can be.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on January 06, 2021, 07:35:03 AM
Hey, I'm a thirty-something European, and was compelled to join this forum when I read this on the Wikipedia page:
Quote
He has described the typical middle-class lifestyle as "an exploding volcano of wastefulness," particularly citing the overuse of and overspending on new cars as an example.
It describes my thoughts exactly.

I'm already successful at minimalism, but I need to get myself together regarding investments. I could've had €180 000 in profit if I hadn't sold my TSLA shares (which were going nowhere at the time) due to being greedy for bitcoin. Then Covid-19 happened, couldn't bear the anxiety, and sold everything, with only €6000 in profit. Yeah, I'm kicking myself at the moment while experiencing massive FOMO and anxiety for basically throwing away two winning lottery tickets.

I realize it's all relative, and that health trumps every other thing in life, but still, it stings. So there's my introduction, now ya'll know how dumb I can be.

The exploding volcano of wastefulness was one of the expressions that lured me in many years ago!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on January 06, 2021, 07:37:37 AM
Hey, I'm a thirty-something European, and was compelled to join this forum when I read this on the Wikipedia page:
Quote
He has described the typical middle-class lifestyle as "an exploding volcano of wastefulness," particularly citing the overuse of and overspending on new cars as an example.
It describes my thoughts exactly.

I'm already successful at minimalism, but I need to get myself together regarding investments. I could've had €180 000 in profit if I hadn't sold my TSLA shares (which were going nowhere at the time) due to being greedy for bitcoin. Then Covid-19 happened, couldn't bear the anxiety, and sold everything, with only €6000 in profit. Yeah, I'm kicking myself at the moment while experiencing massive FOMO and anxiety for basically throwing away two winning lottery tickets.

I realize it's all relative, and that health trumps every other thing in life, but still, it stings. So there's my introduction, now ya'll know how dumb I can be.

We've all done dumb things at some point in our lives.  Learn from it and move on.

You might consider developing a strategy for the long term and building out an investing statement that describes how you will handle your investments.  Then, you follow the plan.  No panic selling, no lottery tickets - buying good companies and investments for the long term.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Leroy_tabane on January 06, 2021, 08:11:03 AM
Hi @CuboCube , welcome, I'm new as well. Regarding your stock trades: Yo got to learn to loose well. Learn as much as you can from your mistakes and then let go, don't dwell on it. I'm saying this because if you trade stocks you are likely to loose on more than 50% of your trades so if you bash your head against the wall each time you loose, you will abandon sooner or later, or die from repeated concussions. "Could've" and "hadn't"  are among your worst enemies as a traders. You have to become a samurai if you want to succeed in this business and it's incredibly hard, unless you go the MMM way with indexes and such, which is a lot easier for most.
For example, at the time you were feeling the most anxious during the covid and closed your positions, which is a normal "reflex" to have. The thing is that these reflexes will keep you from making money. I felt the same thing and I was already flat because I was just starting to trade seriously. But then, I recognized that when everybody is feeling the same thing, a trader can make money. And when the market just crashed, you buy, and when nobody is talking about buying stocks because they are so worried that the end of the world is near, you buy, so I bought, because I knew a little bit about crashes and how they recover. If I knew nothing, I would never have put positions at this time. The trades I made in March-April were very easy, I can't wait for another opportunity like that. I could've made much more of course, but what I said about this word? See how I'm looking forward for the next opportunity instead of dwelling on the past!

Good luck man and have a great day!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CuboCube on January 06, 2021, 10:32:11 AM
@Leroy_tabane @RWTL @stoaX
Wow at the amount of replies. It's probably been ten years since I've used an actually populated and active "niche" forum. Glad I'm here, cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Log on January 06, 2021, 10:42:18 AM
Hi all, I'm Log. Currently a classical music graduate student in New York with almost $40,000 in student loan debt and minimal income. In selecting a career path I opted for the "choose work you love" path over maximizing income, and have been learning the lesson throughout school that even the most enjoyable career paths are still work for as long as they are mandatory. Hopeful for a long and lovely career in music, just want it to be not-mandatory sooner rather than later.

Found MMM through Tim Ferriss' podcast. I've been into minimalism for a while, so now I'm just pointing my minimalist instincts towards the $$$. January 1st I calculated my net worth and started a spreadsheet to track all my spending for the year, and went back through bank statements to log all my spending of 2019 and 2020.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: crimp on January 06, 2021, 11:13:47 AM
Hello! I'm crimp. 26M, cryptographer in the New England area. I'm in the boring middle, watching balances go up and staying the course. I think I may be less interested in continuous financial tracking than some on this forum, and am pretty happy with a boring index fund allocation and a comfortable glide path towards FI. I like to spend as many evenings and weekends as possible hanging off of rocks. I look forward to the day when I transition to part-time/fully-remote work and start to wander around finding new pebbles to wrestle.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on January 06, 2021, 02:47:24 PM
I've been into minimalism for a while, so now I'm just pointing my minimalist instincts towards the $$$. January 1st I calculated my net worth and started a spreadsheet to track all my spending for the year, and went back through bank statements to log all my spending of 2019 and 2020.

Knowing what's going on with your money is first and most essential step. Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on January 06, 2021, 02:49:45 PM
Hello! I'm crimp. 26M, cryptographer in the New England area. I'm in the boring middle, watching balances go up and staying the course. I think I may be less interested in continuous financial tracking than some on this forum, and am pretty happy with a boring index fund allocation and a comfortable glide path towards FI. I like to spend as many evenings and weekends as possible hanging off of rocks. I look forward to the day when I transition to part-time/fully-remote work and start to wander around finding new pebbles to wrestle.

Boring index funds worked for me in my journey to FIRE.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Lomonossov on January 12, 2021, 01:19:58 AM
Hi all!

I've been reading MMM and other FI websites for a while now, when I faced the challenge of what to do with my personal finance. 33 yo Spanish living in Poland for the last 4 years. Although some of the content of the blog and forums may be focused on US and not that helpful for europeans sometimes (it's pretty common to bike to work where I live), it has still been a great inspiration to make some decisions.

So far, I'd say I'm on track: the only debt I have is the mortgage of a flat I bought just before COVID hit, emergency fund is there ready in case of emergency and I'm slowly starting to build a broad index-fund portfolio. I'm also marrying a bargain-hunter and responsible with money person that shares the dream of FIRE in the Spanish Mediterranean coast a few years from now. Let's see if we're able to make it work.

Nice to meet you all, guys! I hope I can contribute to the forum content.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JimJammer on January 14, 2021, 03:48:08 PM
Hi I'm Jim,

32 y/o recovering spendaholic slowly becoming more frugal.

Nice to meet y'all
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Morning Glory on January 15, 2021, 06:47:51 AM
Welcome @Lomonossov and congratulations on your impending marriage. The Spanish Mediterranean coast sounds like a great place to retire!!!

Welcome @JimJammer . The journals are a great place to track your frugal progress!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: The Frugal Expat on January 17, 2021, 11:51:03 PM
Hi Everyone,

My name is Steve. I am an 34 year old American Expat living in Taiwan as an English Teacher. My wife and I are working hard on achieving Financial Independence. In the process, I am learning about finances, teaching finances to friends and family, and living an enjoyable life in Taiwan.

It is to be a part of this forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on January 29, 2021, 03:23:50 AM
Welcome The Frugal Expat!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jsb321 on February 02, 2021, 07:04:16 PM
Hey everyone.

My wife and I got married in 2020 and have really been diving into our finances.  I have always had a longing for retiring early, and recently got her hooked through reading "Playing with FIRE".  Since then we have been going through YouTube videos, books, blogs, and the MMM community.

We are both roughly 30 (29 & 31) and have steady jobs that together total around $88,000.  She is working into an education pension, while I have been utilizing a 401k.  Currently my 401k has $46,000, my Roth IRA has $35,000, and her Roth has $2,700.  We have $8,000 of a car loan (3.5%), and around $12,000 in federal student loans that are comparable in interest and currently a non-issue with the current pandemic relief efforts.

While we roughly have set a barely informed goal of me retiring at 45, we are also in the process of trying to find a home.  We currently rent a 1 bedroom apartment we are happy with in a city we love, and are not having children.  Currently we have $10,000 set aside specifically for a down payment, as well as $4,500 set aside to either fill her 2020 Roth IRA or something else (pay down car, save for down payment, something else that's likely smart).  Recently we were pre-approved for upwards of $320,000 at 3% interest and 3% down, although we're realistically looking at the $200,000 range.

With all that being said, we are glad to join in on the community!  We are already thrilled with all the information we have found and are looking forward to continued collaboration.  Thanks in advance for any pointers on what direction we may want to turn towards.  We're currently taking a long look into the Order of Investments post.  Take care everyone!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: AMStache on February 02, 2021, 07:57:09 PM
Hello,

I am a long time lurker.  My husband and I are mid 50’s with a 20 year old son in college and a developmentally disabled 18 year old daughter at home.  My husband has stayed home for the past 17 years to care for our daughter.  We have around $4M saved for retirement and for our daughter’s care as she ages.

Her medical care runs around $200k per year and we are extremely fortunate that my employer completely covers it.  They self insure health care for their employees.  So I suppose I will be employed as long as possible so that my daughter can go as long as possible before relying on Medicaid.  I am pretty frugal and have had a tough time getting my husband on board.  I suppose we balance each other out. 😊. 

I am interested in investing topics, and anything related to food!  I look forward to getting to know you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GremlinBrawler on February 08, 2021, 02:43:55 PM
Hey everyone!

Just wanted to say hi. I discovered the MMM blog today and I'm blown away already. Something about the positive way it is written really affected me. I started to get emotional (a very rare occurrence for me) at the end of the post about not ordering pizza.

I downloaded the app right away so I could sign up for the forums. I feel so blessed to have discovered this blog and forum and I can't wait to get to know this community.

-GremlinBrawler
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SterlingArcher on February 10, 2021, 02:28:41 PM
I am Sterling Archer, the world's greatest secret agent. My missions have taken me to many dangerous places, but my latest mission is the most dangerous of all. In the course of this mission, I will risk retirement. Permanently.

While I normally work best alone (reports of my teamwork are greatly exaggerated), I look forward to exchange ideas, tales and successes with all of you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bearcat1 on February 17, 2021, 07:42:25 AM
Hi all,
Longtime lurker on the forums, decided it's time I create an account and maybe even post a few questions if I'm brave. I've learned a lot just from reading but am not nearly as advanced as many. No FIRE date or anything! I just come from a frugal family, have continued to be frugal as an adult, and stumbled on this blog a few years ago and thought it might actually work for me.
I'm a 38yo female, no dependents yet, but I know my currently-low expenses would go up quite a bit if I had kids and whenever I someday buy a house. So that's more in my nearer-term planning.
Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: fraylock on February 17, 2021, 02:21:19 PM
Hello Mustachians!

34yo primary care physician here, and it's a pleasure to join.  Like others, I am inspired by the path to FI(RE?).  There are so many fascinating things to see and do in the world and FI would seem to open the door to many of them.  Glad to become a part of this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: WesternAugust on February 21, 2021, 03:02:04 PM
Hello everyone!

DW and I are early/mid 40’s and have been making plans for early retirement since our early 30’s. We are at a point where we are comfortable with our plan and think we are within 5 years of pulling the plug. We are actually starting to make some semi-major life decisions in preparation for the transition which is very exciting for us.

Our biggest single consideration is our daughter, who was born with a rare genetic disease.
Due to her health issues she will always require round-the-clock care so our FIRE plans include being her long-term caregivers. This has caused us to revise our FIRE numbers a few times, adding a few years and increased savings goals. We feel pretty comfortable when we retire we will have the resources to make sure her health and financial needs can be met which has been our biggest hurdle in our FIRE journey.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Antonia_Caenis on March 06, 2021, 02:44:14 PM
I'm 18 and learned about FI a few months ago. My passion is writing and I'm immensely relieved that I no longer have to face any tradeoffs between commercializability and artistic integrity. But the insights and impulses I've gained through this community go far beyond that. Huge thanks to everyone who makes this possible, you are awesome and I admire you all.

I have a quick question, but I'm not sure if this is the right place to post it, so, uh:
I made an account called AntoniaCaenis with a web.de email, but couldn't receive the activation mail. I've tried "Need another activation mail?" but it's still not working.
Now I've made an account with an _ in it and a gmail address, which works, but I'd rather have the first one and having two accounts seems like a waste of server storage space and probably also messes up forum stats (the member count at least). I am so sorry for this mess! If fixing this is a hassle for anyone other than me, please leave it.

Looking forward to participating here (this isn't an omen, right?? :) ) and have a wonderful day!

Toni
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Morning Glory on March 06, 2021, 06:32:21 PM
I'm 18 and learned about FI a few months ago. My passion is writing and I'm immensely relieved that I no longer have to face any tradeoffs between commercializability and artistic integrity. But the insights and impulses I've gained through this community go far beyond that. Huge thanks to everyone who makes this possible, you are awesome and I admire you all.

I have a quick question, but I'm not sure if this is the right place to post it, so, uh:
I made an account called AntoniaCaenis with a web.de email, but couldn't receive the activation mail. I've tried "Need another activation mail?" but it's still not working.
Now I've made an account with an _ in it and a gmail address, which works, but I'd rather have the first one and having two accounts seems like a waste of server storage space and probably also messes up forum stats (the member count at least). I am so sorry for this mess! If fixing this is a hassle for anyone other than me, please leave it.

Looking forward to participating here (this isn't an omen, right?? :) ) and have a wonderful day!

Toni

Hi!! I like your user name. I read a book about your namesake once, The Course of Honour by Lindsey Davis. Quite an interesting story!! So nice that you are starting this journey at 18. I like writing too. I don't really understand your question though. Your post showed up so that must mean your account worked.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Antonia_Caenis on March 07, 2021, 06:10:45 AM
Hi, thank you so much for your answer! I learned about her from the Vespasian Series by Robert Fabbri, but The Course of Honour is also on my reading list. I plan to either minor or major in history :)

The account Antonia_Caenis works, the account AntoniaCaenis doesn't. The activation mail should have gone to antoniacaenis@web.de, but didn't arrive. I activated the account I'm using right now with a gmail address. Like I said, it's no big problem, and I'm sorry for not phrasing it clearly the first time!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kimura on March 08, 2021, 11:37:11 AM
Hello from the PNW! Glad I found this place. What a wealth of knowledge!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Morning Glory on March 08, 2021, 06:31:29 PM
Hi, thank you so much for your answer! I learned about her from the Vespasian Series by Robert Fabbri, but The Course of Honour is also on my reading list. I plan to either minor or major in history :)

The account Antonia_Caenis works, the account AntoniaCaenis doesn't. The activation mail should have gone to antoniacaenis@web.de, but didn't arrive. I activated the account I'm using right now with a gmail address. Like I said, it's no big problem, and I'm sorry for not phrasing it clearly the first time!

Ooh, I will put that series on my summer reading list. I was a classics major once but didn't finish that degree.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Morning Glory on March 08, 2021, 06:31:59 PM
Hello from the PNW! Glad I found this place. What a wealth of knowledge!

Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kimura on March 08, 2021, 09:20:07 PM
Thanks!!!!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: 2KidFIRE on March 10, 2021, 02:21:33 PM
Hi everyone,

I've been reading MMM since 2014/2015 (can't recall exactly) and have been lurking in the forums for the same amount of time.  I've read tons of good advice over the years and appreciate hearing everyone's feedback and life experiences!

My wife and I are in our late 30's / early 40's and have two boys, both under the age of 7.  We live in California in the house we own (with mortgage!) and are looking to retire at the end of 2021.  I figured it was time to come out of the shadows as we're really getting close to FIRE, so I wanted to say hi!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: creativemonster on March 15, 2021, 06:47:43 PM
Hi all -
Been lurking for a couple of years...I'll probably crawl back into my dark corner and continue along my lurker ways but have to say how much I love reading (almost) everyone's posts. If I could figure out how to make money from daydreaming about my eventual, one day in the future, super fabulous, not really early if we are being completely honest, retirement, then I would be rich.  For now I am rich in my technicolor, multi-layered, day dream abilities, and not close to that wealth in money.  Ah well.  I am also not in any debt outside what I owe for the let's-hope-it-stays-standing-long-enough-house.  So, that's a positive, right? Ok, back to my dark corner!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coopsdaddy on March 16, 2021, 05:53:42 AM
New couple from Oklahoma,mid 40s with 3 kids and really interested in fire.Look forward to learning and sharing!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dragoncar on March 31, 2021, 07:24:17 PM
Hi everyone I’m new here.  Looking forward to finding out if I should pay off my mortgage and whether black boxes are actually red
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Monocle Money Mouth on April 01, 2021, 07:56:50 AM
Hi everyone I’m new here.  Looking forward to finding out if I should pay off my mortgage and whether black boxes are actually red

dragoncar's odometer finally flipped.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mslladyfire on April 06, 2021, 09:51:18 AM
Hi there, I'm new to the forums but have been following MMM and other FI bloggers for many years. While I was vaguely following broad advice (mostly related to high saving and investing in real estate), I've decided it's time to get more serious about striving for FI (and possibly some form of retirement or "work optional" status). I look forward to learning more from you all and being more involved in the process and the community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Segare on April 07, 2021, 04:59:38 AM
Welcome
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Malee55 on April 08, 2021, 05:21:14 PM
Hi. I'm Edwina. I am a nurse and after 30 yrs of it I am very ready to stop work, or reduce to casual work and do it when I feel like it. Reading MMM for years has made me realize I don't need to work until 60, that it is possible to leave early (sort of, I'm 55).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Tigerpine on April 08, 2021, 05:59:06 PM
Welcome aboard, @Malee55!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: boardCertifried on April 10, 2021, 06:40:37 PM
Hi, like a lot of you I've read the MMM blog over the years. Florida based myself. I hope I can learn from others' experiences here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Josiecat22222 on April 13, 2021, 05:31:58 AM
Hi everyone,

Just a quick post to introduce myself.  DH and I are mid-forties long time followers and readers of MMM, but have only recently begun to post.  We are now both FIRE'd and excited to participate in this amazing community. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: mcdonv03 on May 14, 2021, 11:57:29 AM
Hi everyone,

I am new to this blog as of March 2021. I am 61-years-old and just lost my job.  I am nervous, to say the least. To use an expression I've read here -- my hair is on fire. I will keep reading my way through the blog posts, cutting back on my expenses and assessing what to do next.  I am glad I found this blog, better later than never :)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: blackbear on May 16, 2021, 10:36:58 PM
I've been reading MMM's blog for a few years now. Glad to have found this place. Nice to meet all of you!
Title: Ahoy!
Post by: CJ on May 18, 2021, 12:16:47 AM
I'm CJ, a former Navy officer, strength coach and aspiring FI-er out of Southern California. DIY and money management have been interests of mine  ("Yeah, I need to get around to learning that" kind of thing), so now that my biggest professional project is finally out of the 'sprint' stage, I'm looking forward to learning.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: genericname55 on May 26, 2021, 05:19:08 PM
Hi everyone. I’ve lurked here for probably 6 or 7 years, but I’ve been a cheap ass all my life. I learned hard work, saving habits, and frugality from my father. Hoping to retire in the next few years.  I could probably do it now, but I’m extremely pessimistic, conservative, and noncommittal.  I’m hoping I won’t have one-more-year syndrome forever.  I’m in an industry that has thrived post-COVID and my primarily remote-work schedule has lessened the irritation of work (for now).

Hope everyone has a great rest of their week!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CowboyAndIndian on May 29, 2021, 06:58:39 AM
Hi everyone,

I am new to this blog as of March 2021. I am 61-years-old and just lost my job.  I am nervous, to say the least. To use an expression I've read here -- my hair is on fire. I will keep reading my way through the blog posts, cutting back on my expenses and assessing what to do next.  I am glad I found this blog, better later than never :)

@mcdonv03 , please post a case study on the forum (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/case-studies/).

Directions on how to post a case study are here https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/case-studies/how-to-write-a-'case-study'-topic/.

Your hair may be on fire, but there are always options and actions that you can take to put out the fire. Let the wisdom of the forum help you.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: muffin sangria on June 01, 2021, 02:19:51 PM
Hi everyone - Long time lurker, first time poster. Hoping to reach FIRE in the next 5-7 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: thriftyc on June 01, 2021, 04:26:51 PM
Hey all:
Been on here a while, just doing a reintroduce. Live in Hamilton Ontario Canada, and will be retiring soon....within 2 years.
Into biking, outdoors, coffee, beers etc.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: noisyninja on June 17, 2021, 02:32:29 PM
I'm re-introducing myself. I joined here 7 years ago, posted a few times, disappeared. Life has been insane since then, and the stash I had at the time was destroyed. My wife and I are now rebuilding. So here goes:

I'm 41, my wife, three children and I live in the northern suburbs of Austin, TX. We moved here right before the pandemic began, and got a great deal on a house before the house price insanity began. I'm a video game developer, my wife's a medical assistant. We're kind of restarting from nothing here on our FIRE adventure, but excited to do so, and confident that we can get there in 10 years or so if we push hard.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bateaux on June 23, 2021, 11:02:04 AM
@SwordGuy

Let's go back to my very first post in 2014.  Lot's of lifestyle creep and life education since then.  We're rapidly approaching the 3M without real estate level.  That's probably going to be enough.  Now it's more about healthcare and having to be 55 to qualify.  We use a lot health care now.  A catastrophic plan just won't be enough.  I so appreciate the concerns.  I didn't know the person that died, it was an outside company employee.  Luckily we were  in Florida at the time.  It is a hazardous business, but I'm not working directly with the process anymore.  I get to run away from and not to the problems now. 


Hey I'm new to MMM but not new to the quest to retire early.  I'm 45, married and have two boys in college. 
We have our mortage paid off and have a little over 1 million saved in retirement accounts. 
My goal is to retire before 50, which I reach in 2018.
Being debt free is wonderful.   Get it done.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: UshB37 on June 24, 2021, 03:38:23 AM

Hi everyone I’m new here.  Looking forward to finding out if I should pay off my credits and to find new ways where to invest my money
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: epritch7 on June 25, 2021, 07:47:57 AM
Hello, My wife and I have 3 children (11, 9 & 6) and enjoy traveling together especially domestically to wild spaces.  I love baseball, college FB and beer (craft or cheap).  Reached FI last fall in 2020 and plan on RE in 2022.  Been an avid reader of MMM since 2015 and just getting my feet wet on the forums. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pasadenafr on July 02, 2021, 12:35:32 PM
Hi everyone! Long time lurker on this forum, I discovered MMM's blog years ago and used to be a faithful reader. While I'm not strictly a Mustachian, I'm hoping to reach RE in 8-9 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ExShredder89 on July 05, 2021, 12:39:56 AM
Hi everyone! I started reading MMM's blog in 2014 or 2015 when I was working on paying my student loans off. I like to think I'm fairly Mustachian compared to the average person, but I'm sure I've got a lot of stuff I could optimize. I'm excited to learn more by getting involved with the community.

I'm a software engineer in the Northeastern U.S.A., and while I love math and computers, my true passion is heavy metal - hence the name.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Visitation on July 15, 2021, 11:05:39 AM
Hello everyone,  new here as well.  Been reading for quite a few years and finally decided to join.

DW and I are already FI, shooting for RE in about 7 years.

I'm a Director of Software Engineering in the US, enjoy fishing and the outdoors. 

Visitation is the name of my boat :-)

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pasadenafr on July 15, 2021, 11:32:04 AM
I'm a software engineer in the Northeastern U.S.A., and while I love math and computers, my true passion is heavy metal - hence the name.

But why Ex, though? (Welcome!)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ObviouslyNotAGolfer on July 31, 2021, 08:31:14 PM
Hi everyone! Long time lurker on this forum, I discovered MMM's blog years ago and used to be a faithful reader. While I'm not strictly a Mustachian, I'm hoping to reach RE in 8-9 years.

Hi! Do you live in Pasadena CA? Welcome in any case!

Fun fact aboot me: Pasadena--where I live--is the only part of SoCal that I don't absolutely hate and detest! Aside from that, the only good part of SoCal is the freeway that heads north to San Francisco!!

In any case, I hope you enjoy these forums!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: pasadenafr on August 01, 2021, 08:40:44 AM
Hi everyone! Long time lurker on this forum, I discovered MMM's blog years ago and used to be a faithful reader. While I'm not strictly a Mustachian, I'm hoping to reach RE in 8-9 years.

Hi! Do you live in Pasadena CA? Welcome in any case!

Fun fact aboot me: Pasadena--where I live--is the only part of SoCal that I don't absolutely hate and detest! Aside from that, the only good part of SoCal is the freeway that heads north to San Francisco!!

In any case, I hope you enjoy these forums!

I used to... but not anymore. I also didn't like living in LA, now I'm in Seattle and so much happier :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kerri on August 03, 2021, 10:05:52 PM
Hi,
Are you still in Canberra. I'm just starting FIRE.
Kerri
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: price_iswrong on August 06, 2021, 12:22:54 PM
Ello ello

Just happy to be here :)

Have most of my life organized rn however I am an east coaster looking to make a move out to somewhere with a higher quality of life for a lower cost.
I'm a big fan of tax refunds, cheap bottles of wine, and side hustles.

Let's get FIREy

-Nick
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Nocto on August 08, 2021, 05:55:54 PM
Hello everyone! Part-time lurker, finally joining so I can join a community with people who are like minded. Pleasure to be here and looking forward to the adventure.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jamster on August 11, 2021, 06:37:32 PM
Howdy! Been lurking for the last 3 years but figured it's time to say hi. DH and I are getting increasingly focused on FIREing in the next 3-5 years.

The saving is going well, but it's feeling like an increasingly lonely quest where we live. Most of our friends have really gotten sucked up the escalator of lifestyle inflation the last few years, making decisions that will force them to keep working for a loooooong time, while we continue to just plug away in our small apartment, saving as much as possible. They're always like, "hey why don't you buy this million dollar house? It's time!"

Looking forward to chatting with you fine people! I'm hoping to feel more of a sense of community with other folks who think there ought to be more to life than working in an office for 50 years.

Cheers.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on August 12, 2021, 05:46:33 PM
Welcome Nick and welcome lurkers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: janus NYC on August 20, 2021, 09:08:13 AM
Hi, this is Janus. Married a wonderfull woman, with two kids and working in a hedge fund based in Connecticut (Headquarters). Before were living in San Diego and Chicago.
Zero debts. Our dream, to live in NYC, London and Madrid during the year. With real estate properties in NYC and Madrid right now. Scanning London right now.
Savings are going well.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JungYo on August 23, 2021, 08:44:32 AM
Hiya MMM Community! So happy to finally register and expect to soon post my case study for advice/critique. The blog and forum have been eye-opening, and for that I thank all of you.

Wife and I are in central NC, mid-late 50's (that RE thing is out the window), and while I think I've managed to save "enough," we are by no means financially astute. Looking forward to continued learning here, and perhaps some direction on how I can retire asap. :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on August 24, 2021, 12:15:29 PM
Hiya MMM Community! So happy to finally register and expect to soon post my case study for advice/critique. The blog and forum have been eye-opening, and for that I thank all of you.

Wife and I are in central NC, mid-late 50's (that RE thing is out the window), and while I think I've managed to save "enough," we are by no means financially astute. Looking forward to continued learning here, and perhaps some direction on how I can retire asap. :)

Welcome!  If you end up retiring earlier than you previously thought you would, then I would say that is "RE". 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: XGE on September 08, 2021, 05:43:14 PM
Hi, Everyone!

Long time lurker; first time poster.  I'm a government worker who has long since had enough but has only this year hit Minimum Retirement Age.  I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life at the end of this year.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Darian on September 12, 2021, 08:36:52 AM
Hi everyone! Also a long-time lurker, first time poster. I've been following Mr. Money Mustache since his Washington Post article in 2013, and he was the motivation for me to open my Vanguard account that same year :) I'm an early 30s government worker in Northern Virginia.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: freeree on October 17, 2021, 10:04:22 AM
Hello Everyone,

I'm Rhian, a frequenter of Mr. MM while dreaming the (seemingly) impossible dream of FIRE. [Brief aside, comparison IS truly the thief of joy.] I finally achieved my goal after years of angst ...completing hundreds of calculations, and reading countless books/blogs/posts. I'm still in awe of myself, I formulated a plan and then executed it!

My colleague in arms, Eric, may he rest in peace, at the beginning of 2021 urged me to utilize FMLA, as he was doing, instead of quitting/retiring. I left for the UK in May to spend five months with my 93-yr old dad. The month prior, Eric passed away from COVID.

I've already blown my financial budget - purchased a used car in the UK so I could visit people and places which were important to me. Regardless, I'm prepared to deal with the consequences - I'll cinch my financial belt and get a part-time job if needed. At least I'm Mistress of my Destiny.

Thank you for reading my post. Good luck, health and fortune to you all.


Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sisto on October 17, 2021, 08:06:31 PM
Hello Everyone,

I'm Rhian, a frequenter of Mr. MM while dreaming the (seemingly) impossible dream of FIRE. [Brief aside, comparison IS truly the thief of joy.] I finally achieved my goal after years of angst ...completing hundreds of calculations, and reading countless books/blogs/posts. I'm still in awe of myself, I formulated a plan and then executed it!

My colleague in arms, Eric, may he rest in peace, at the beginning of 2021 urged me to utilize FMLA, as he was doing, instead of quitting/retiring. I left for the UK in May to spend five months with my 93-yr old dad. The month prior, Eric passed away from COVID.

I've already blown my financial budget - purchased a used car in the UK so I could visit people and places which were important to me. Regardless, I'm prepared to deal with the consequences - I'll cinch my financial belt and get a part-time job if needed. At least I'm Mistress of my Destiny.

Thank you for reading my post. Good luck, health and fortune to you all.
Very sorry for your loss! I hope you are able to remain free, but glad you know how to get back on track if you need to. As you said, you are in charge.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: LobsterLuke on November 02, 2021, 06:24:23 AM
Hey everyone!

I'm pretty stoked to finally join the forums and talk to you all. I've been exploring the different forum sections and there seems to be such a wealth of good discussion and helpful information here.

If FIRE is a journey, I've basically just left my front door. I became debt free this summer and have been building an emergency fund as I finish up my degree. Like a lot of folks, I wish I'd found this community earlier, but I'm still really glad I'm learning this stuff in my twenties!

Anyway, I'm excited to jump into the discussions here, and if anyone's in the North Texas area I'd love to grab coffee and discuss all things mustachian.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Mr.Vogel on November 16, 2021, 04:31:24 AM
Hi everyone!
I`m Sami a 34 year old bank guy from the southwest of Germany.

I read a lot of blogs and other stuff on the subject of FI. I was fascinated from the start and started my own journey maybe 4 years ago. At the beginning not with that much effort, but my frugality muscle and mustache kept on growing.
Aside from that I didn’t found the right speaker or community where I felt home and that i fit in.
Typically german most places were full of negativity and just arguing about nonsense details. Here I felt the warming positive look on FI and the world itself.

The funny thing is, a clown car broad me to the idea of FI. When I was younger and dreamed about a nice Audi and was very frustrated about the fact how long you have to work a save for it.
Even more devasted, when I saw how much money would go to interest when bought with a credit.
So my savings journey and investing in fonds and stocks began over 9 years ago, just with an other goal that I wanted to reach.

I don’t want to put to much in my first post and looking forward to give some more details of my journey later to whom is interested.

As you may see, my english is not the best, but through this community I want to improve it more and more.
So I am happy to be here and thanks to all the storys and tips that I already got from you. =)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on November 16, 2021, 05:21:05 AM
Hi everyone!
I`m Sami a 34 year old bank guy from the southwest of Germany.

I read a lot of blogs and other stuff on the subject of FI. I was fascinated from the start and started my own journey maybe 4 years ago. At the beginning not with that much effort, but my frugality muscle and mustache kept on growing.
Aside from that I didn’t found the right speaker or community where I felt home and that i fit in.
Typically german most places were full of negativity and just arguing about nonsense details. Here I felt the warming positive look on FI and the world itself.

The funny thing is, a clown car broad me to the idea of FI. When I was younger and dreamed about a nice Audi and was very frustrated about the fact how long you have to work a save for it.
Even more devasted, when I saw how much money would go to interest when bought with a credit.
So my savings journey and investing in fonds and stocks began over 9 years ago, just with an other goal that I wanted to reach.

I don’t want to put to much in my first post and looking forward to give some more details of my journey later to whom is interested.

As you may see, my english is not the best, but through this community I want to improve it more and more.
So I am happy to be here and thanks to all the storys and tips that I already got from you. =)

I hope all us mustachians keep in mind your comment: "Here I felt the warming positive look on FI and the world itself."

Welcome aboard!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on November 16, 2021, 05:23:45 AM
Hey everyone!

I'm pretty stoked to finally join the forums and talk to you all. I've been exploring the different forum sections and there seems to be such a wealth of good discussion and helpful information here.

If FIRE is a journey, I've basically just left my front door. I became debt free this summer and have been building an emergency fund as I finish up my degree. Like a lot of folks, I wish I'd found this community earlier, but I'm still really glad I'm learning this stuff in my twenties!

Anyway, I'm excited to jump into the discussions here, and if anyone's in the North Texas area I'd love to grab coffee and discuss all things mustachian.

Sounds like you are off to a great start - welcome to the forum!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CTEC_Stache on November 23, 2021, 01:38:32 PM
Greetings,

I've been following and reading a lot of the threads here over the last couple of months and decided I should finally introduce myself.

I am a 31 year old teacher at a public high school in the midwest. My wife is 32 and has made the transition to a SAHM with the birth of our son.

I am extremely fortunate, blessed, lucky (however you want to say it) that I am in a state with a very well funded pension system for teachers. But, I don't want to rely entirely on that pension as we all know what has happened to these types of funds over the years.

I have spent the last 4 or 5 years trying to invest additional money. I started this by enrolling in my district's 403(b) program, then opening a taxable brokerage account, and finally a Roth IRA (I kind of took the wrong path but got to where I need to be nonetheless). At the same time, over the last 4 years I have worked to increase my earning potential by earning my Master's degree and an additional state certification.

It has been rather slow going at the start here due to starting at nothing, attacking student loan debt while investing, and paying large sums of money to colleges to increase my earning potential. However, I am so excited to finally be done with schooling and looking to accept a new career in education in the coming months which will likely bring a pay increase to the tune of 30%. I can't wait to see what happens when I can get this snowball rolling!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on November 29, 2021, 03:44:28 AM
Greetings,

I've been following and reading a lot of the threads here over the last couple of months and decided I should finally introduce myself.

I am a 31 year old teacher at a public high school in the midwest. My wife is 32 and has made the transition to a SAHM with the birth of our son.

I am extremely fortunate, blessed, lucky (however you want to say it) that I am in a state with a very well funded pension system for teachers. But, I don't want to rely entirely on that pension as we all know what has happened to these types of funds over the years.

I have spent the last 4 or 5 years trying to invest additional money. I started this by enrolling in my district's 403(b) program, then opening a taxable brokerage account, and finally a Roth IRA (I kind of took the wrong path but got to where I need to be nonetheless). At the same time, over the last 4 years I have worked to increase my earning potential by earning my Master's degree and an additional state certification.

It has been rather slow going at the start here due to starting at nothing, attacking student loan debt while investing, and paying large sums of money to colleges to increase my earning potential. However, I am so excited to finally be done with schooling and looking to accept a new career in education in the coming months which will likely bring a pay increase to the tune of 30%. I can't wait to see what happens when I can get this snowball rolling!

Congrats on getting to this point.  Sounds like you've made some really good decisions.  Welcome to the team.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: DaTrill on November 30, 2021, 07:07:06 PM
Long time follower of "Millionaire Next Door" and recently discovered MMM forums.  Most of my background is in a wide range of fields involving financial services, statistical analysis along with former careers in sales and hard sciences.  I'm mainly here to learn of ACA and healthcare hacks as I will be leaving full time work soon and have no experience in the ACA arena. 

General background = low spend, high savings, many intermittent work release episodes, grind most if not all financial hacks (front load, low expense, tax efficient investing, almost to a fault).  Probably don't need to hack every expense at this point, but this is a habit and not something I can easily turn off. 

Gen X, SWR 1% or lower depending on market returns, location and car ownership.     
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MMM User on December 08, 2021, 03:42:24 PM
I am 43 male, single, no kids. Looking to F.I.R.E between 55-60.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: FerrariFire on December 13, 2021, 11:12:58 PM
Hi everyone, roughly 50 year old Australian here.
Just over 4 years ago I stumbled across MMM and it blew my mind. I became completely infatuated with FIRE. I spent hundreds of hours reading the articles, reading the forum, listening to podcasts, crunching numbers, making investments and setting goals to reach FIRE. I was driven, I was impatient, and I was enthusiastic!

Last week I left a very difficult job and retired. Thank you to MMM and everyone who contributes to the site, it changed my life for the better.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: CTEC_Stache on December 14, 2021, 07:47:21 AM
Greetings,

I've been following and reading a lot of the threads here over the last couple of months and decided I should finally introduce myself.

I am a 31 year old teacher at a public high school in the midwest. My wife is 32 and has made the transition to a SAHM with the birth of our son.

I am extremely fortunate, blessed, lucky (however you want to say it) that I am in a state with a very well funded pension system for teachers. But, I don't want to rely entirely on that pension as we all know what has happened to these types of funds over the years.

I have spent the last 4 or 5 years trying to invest additional money. I started this by enrolling in my district's 403(b) program, then opening a taxable brokerage account, and finally a Roth IRA (I kind of took the wrong path but got to where I need to be nonetheless). At the same time, over the last 4 years I have worked to increase my earning potential by earning my Master's degree and an additional state certification.

It has been rather slow going at the start here due to starting at nothing, attacking student loan debt while investing, and paying large sums of money to colleges to increase my earning potential. However, I am so excited to finally be done with schooling and looking to accept a new career in education in the coming months which will likely bring a pay increase to the tune of 30%. I can't wait to see what happens when I can get this snowball rolling!

Congrats on getting to this point.  Sounds like you've made some really good decisions.  Welcome to the team.

Thank you!

Quick update, I will be starting a new job July 1st in the same school district I am currently employed. It comes with a 21% raise, not as high as I was hoping for, but definitely significant!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: soheil on December 21, 2021, 11:07:02 AM
Hi everyone!

I'm a software engineer in SV worked at Twitter/self-driving cars, founded a couple of startups, etc. I always knew about MM, but only recently got to actually signing up on the forum. I've always enjoyed SMF forum by the way since the very beginning, it has been my go to forum software every time I created a site around a topic with a forum on it. Sad the internet is moving to likes of Reddit and centralized forums.

Great to be here and would love to learn more about others who also recently joined. Let's keep pinching every penny!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: swaneesr on January 04, 2022, 02:50:26 PM
Hello everyone.

I have been lurking here for years. Lots of good advice to follow and voices to learn from.

Me 55M. Engineer.

DW 53F Nurse.

Live in northern US. I hang out here to gain knowledge from the rest of you and to dampen my spendy pants nature.

SwaneSR


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: goat_music_generator on January 05, 2022, 07:53:44 PM
Hi everyone!

I'm a software engineer in SV worked at Twitter/self-driving cars, founded a couple of startups, etc. I always knew about MM, but only recently got to actually signing up on the forum. I've always enjoyed SMF forum by the way since the very beginning, it has been my go to forum software every time I created a site around a topic with a forum on it. Sad the internet is moving to likes of Reddit and centralized forums.

Great to be here and would love to learn more about others who also recently joined. Let's keep pinching every penny!

OMG!! I was just browsing the introductions thread randomly and realized... we have met IRL :-) We used to work at the same company.

Good to see you around!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JupiterGreen on January 17, 2022, 11:42:56 AM
Hello everyone,
I've been reading MMM since about 2013 but just getting involved in the forums now. My partner and I work in higher education. We are spending 2022 getting our budget in order so we can have a solid escape plan. We had a bad 2021 with regards to budgets. Anyway, we're hoping to learn more about budgets (is there a place where people post their budgets?) as well as technical financial stuff about taxes and withdrawals etc. It's very nice to be here.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on January 19, 2022, 04:59:53 AM
Hello everyone,
I've been reading MMM since about 2013 but just getting involved in the forums now. My partner and I work in higher education. We are spending 2022 getting our budget in order so we can have a solid escape plan. We had a bad 2021 with regards to budgets. Anyway, we're hoping to learn more about budgets (is there a place where people post their budgets?) as well as technical financial stuff about taxes and withdrawals etc. It's very nice to be here.
Welcome. Check out the case studies topic for budgeting advice.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JupiterGreen on January 19, 2022, 05:37:27 AM

[/quote]
Welcome. Check out the case studies topic for budgeting advice.
[/quote]
Thank you!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jhaluvai on February 09, 2022, 12:56:09 AM
Hi everyone, I'm relatively new to the MMM community (just found out about it from a book). Im 22, about to graduate from UCI with a Bachelors in Psychology, and aiming to be certified as an associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR Certification). Hoping to land my first career job around July-ish with at least a 40k starting salary, and investing 90% of my income (I don't have many bills to pay since I'm still living with parents). I aim to be financially independent as soon as possible, and spend the rest of my life with the woman I love not having to worry about working the rest of my life slugging away for the man. I'd love some advice as someone who's so young and quite honestly naive to the field of FIRE.

Edit: My ideal FIRE situation would be living off of dividends equal to about 3k-4k a month within 10 years. (Please knock me down a peg if you think this is unreasonable!)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Seamster on February 10, 2022, 02:03:57 PM
Hello.  Been signed up for over 2 years but can't post because I don't know what the the sixth word in the first blog post entitled "Meet Mr. Money Mustache."  It could be any number of words:

retired, money, do, we, we're...none work.  It has to be broken or a trick question


Can someone tell me what this sixth word is and how you found it? 

You, you there.  You just signed up.  Your post is going to be below mine.  What's the sixth word?  Thanks!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on February 11, 2022, 04:53:36 AM
Hi everyone, I'm relatively new to the MMM community (just found out about it from a book). Im 22, about to graduate from UCI with a Bachelors in Psychology, and aiming to be certified as an associate Professional in Human Resources (aPHR Certification). Hoping to land my first career job around July-ish with at least a 40k starting salary, and investing 90% of my income (I don't have many bills to pay since I'm still living with parents). I aim to be financially independent as soon as possible, and spend the rest of my life with the woman I love not having to worry about working the rest of my life slugging away for the man. I'd love some advice as someone who's so young and quite honestly naive to the field of FIRE.

Edit: My ideal FIRE situation would be living off of dividends equal to about 3k-4k a month within 10 years. (Please knock me down a peg if you think this is unreasonable!)

Welcome!  The only advice I have for you is really just an observation:. I have never said. "I wish I would've spent more in the past" and I don't think my past high savings rate made me feel deprived in any way. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniwelder on February 11, 2022, 05:55:52 AM
Hello.  Been signed up for over 2 years but can't post because I don't know what the the sixth word in the first blog post entitled "Meet Mr. Money Mustache."  It could be any number of words:

retired, money, do, we, we're...none work.  It has to be broken or a trick question


Can someone tell me what this sixth word is and how you found it? 

You, you there.  You just signed up.  Your post is going to be below mine.  What's the sixth word?  Thanks!

Sorry, I would have thought it would be 'do'.  Its been too long since I've had to verify for postings.  If you try posting again, do you get another verification question or does it keep coming back to the same one? 

I'll send this on to a moderator.  Maybe they can help you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Seamster on February 11, 2022, 08:51:30 AM
Thanks. "Retired" just worked, allowing me to post this one, but I think there is some sort of glitch because "retired" did not work yesterday.  Plus, from what I've read Googling trying to sign up over the past year (I didn't try that hard), the answer is like, totally obvious after you sit and think about it for a few minutes.  But, "retired" isn't obvious, it's one of a few possible answers.  I would think "do" because the title is part of the blog post, but either way, neither is "kind of obvious."  I'll try to post my first post now and see what happens.....it worked.  "Retired" is definitely the word.  Mods will probably want me to remove this because the question should be hard. I mean, it wasn't that hard but it wasn't working so it wasn't possible. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: niran on February 13, 2022, 04:49:35 PM
I am 42 male, married, kid on the way. Looking to FIRE between 49-50.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Virtus3 on February 14, 2022, 08:38:26 AM
I am 42 male, married, kid on the way. Looking to FIRE between 49-50.

Welcome and congrats on the little one!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JamBaguettes on February 18, 2022, 03:59:29 PM
Hi! I’m smarshall. I discovered FI about a year ago and became an MMM adherent shortly thereafter. I’m 27 and currently an engineer. My goal is to take the journey to FI intentionally while making time to be outside and stay healthy and active. I’ve been a forum lurker for about a month, it feels like time to participate!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: wellyFIRE on March 06, 2022, 03:51:09 PM
Hello! I've just joined the forums after reading the blog for a few months. I'm married, 35, high earner but living in a VHCOL area. We are trying as a household to create more savings, downshift away from spending as much as we can, and possible move to a lower cost of living area in the next few years. I like my job but it would be nice to not "have" to work/work for pleasure rather than to live.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: acertainben on March 14, 2022, 06:20:30 PM
Hello there,

My name is Ben and I'm a longtime MMM reader but just now venturing into the forum.

I've been working toward FI for about 7 years now, which was when I first stumbled onto this site. I'm 35, married, and a homeowner with no other debt.

I work as a video editor for a non-profit in Ohio (so I don't have a great salary), but I've been able to get closer to my goals through side-hustles and investing. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to achieve true freedom as soon as possible.

I can't really relate to a lot of people out there in the real world since none of my friends are into FIRE, so hope to be part of this community.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: kathmac2 on March 22, 2022, 08:38:16 AM
Hi! I'm Kathy,

I'm currently a grad student studying software development. Always wanted to get into finance but never had the material or push to do so.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shureShote on April 02, 2022, 02:02:40 PM
I have been reading for years, figured it was time to tap a post out now and then. I believe in super simple investing and fairly simple living.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on April 02, 2022, 05:33:50 PM
I have been reading for years, figured it was time to tap a post out now and then. I believe in super simple investing and fairly simple living.

I can relate.  Simplifying my finances and my life are goals I have now that I am FIRE'D.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ALLTHAT on April 12, 2022, 01:29:20 PM
Hell folks!!!!

Starting my FIRE journey now, though I have been investing for  a little while I have been investing in stocks. I currently have over 500K in stocks, over 700K in 401k, and a pension lined up.
Just getting my wife onboard, though it has been a struggle getting her here.
I am looking at retiring in about 5-6 years hen I am 55/56. My wife is looking for another 10 years.
We currently live in the Washington DC metro area, but looking to leave soon.
I am looking to convert a van into a camper to start traveling in a few years to find a new homebase and see the world.
I have a crazy idea to help get me there. but we will see
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on April 12, 2022, 04:16:17 PM
Hell folks!!!!

Starting my FIRE journey now, though I have been investing for  a little while I have been investing in stocks. I currently have over 500K in stocks, over 700K in 401k, and a pension lined up.
Just getting my wife onboard, though it has been a struggle getting her here.
I am looking at retiring in about 5-6 years hen I am 55/56. My wife is looking for another 10 years.
We currently live in the Washington DC metro area, but looking to leave soon.
I am looking to convert a van into a camper to start traveling in a few years to find a new homebase and see the world.
I have a crazy idea to help get me there. but we will see

Welcome ALLTHAT!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rocks_and_space on April 26, 2022, 12:01:01 AM
Hello! I'm Derek, I've known about FIRE+MMM for a half decade now, and it really resonated with me as someone who wants to decouple happiness and spending. I'm 29 now, planning on FI somewhere between 35-40 with my wife being fully FIRE in the next few years (we'll have to see how the possibility of kids changes our financial equation). Recently I attended Camp Mustache Midwest and got connected to more people in the FIRE community, so I'm letting all the conversations I had percolate into some lifestyle changes, one of which is finally joining this forum.

Looking forward to interacting with you folks.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on April 28, 2022, 05:40:16 PM
decouple happiness and spending



Nice phrase!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Brit71 on May 04, 2022, 06:49:59 AM
Should say hello, as I've got a journal here:

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/(uk)-older-very-gradual-fire/50/

British, married, 50 years old.  Yesterday I realised with a shock that even at my current level of spending that we could retire now.  Possibly. Maybe.

But really not ready, so see the excuses pile on in my journal.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OrangePill on May 10, 2022, 04:06:46 PM
Hi! I’m canadian 28 yo male looking to escape the rat race. I’m planning to amass a certain amount of money to be able to live the van nomad lifestyle for a few years with my gf and dogs whilst still being able to benefit from compound interest from my investments.

I read the whole blog and been lurking the forum for a little while. I like the community and want to be a bigger part of it.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Jules Anne on May 29, 2022, 11:29:33 PM
Hi, everyone

I attempted to join in 2021 from my LG G2 last year. Unfortunately LG G2 barred me from completing the sign up. So, replaced my phone because it was running on fumes (phone speed was losing it's pep and starting to habitually heat up and phone's ability to keep a charge was singing a slow swan song) so here I am. I was kind of hoping to get a solid decade out of the phone. Darned planned obsolescence. I used it as an alarm clock until the battery went kaput.

I live in a HCOL area in the PNW, work in tech and save what I can without resorting to having roommates. Most of what I love to do for fun is either free or close to free and involves being outdoors (hiking, gardening, exploring, day trips, fishing, snorkeling). I also love reading and photography. Aside from a battery, I haven't purchased any photography equipment since 2015. I avoid the equipment churn and only buy what I know I will love.     

Calculators indicate I can technically retire in eight years, or I can retire in eleven.five years in perpetuity. While this thrills me, I'd be even happier if I was say, twenty-five.

I suspect I could shorten the horizon on retirement if I stopped all spending beyond the necessities. But, occasional indulging can be fun.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ATtiny85 on June 13, 2022, 05:06:29 PM
Been reading and following for years, getting some small amount of wisdom that might be shareable, and for sure still some gaps to close.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GnomeVader on June 17, 2022, 06:08:28 AM
Howdy, call me Mr. Mustache. I hail from North Carolina.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on June 18, 2022, 04:46:34 AM
Howdy, call me Mr. Mustache. I hail from North Carolina.

Welcome from south of the border!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GAndStache on June 21, 2022, 09:26:01 AM
Hi all,
I'm 29, in the UK and recently realized that I just can't wait to not have to work any more. It is a drain on my life and stops me doing more worthwhile and fun things. So that's brought me to MMM. I've never spent much and always invested (I actually watched the MMM retire by 30 video about 7 years ago..), so hoping to get to FI in 5 years or so by cutting back a bit more and being more focused on the FI goal.

Looking forward to being more involved in the community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: SinnahSaint on June 26, 2022, 10:57:35 PM
Hiya folks!

I’m a Canadian who has just recently learned about FI-RE.
Mrs.(48/f) and I(39/f) have a dream of a hobby farm by the sea and have been working towards that dream. We both grew up poor & the stock market just seemed like gambling for rich people. (To be fair, when we were young the options were pick-a-stock-and-hope or get-nickel-and-dimed-by-mutual-funds.

We got married in 2016 and started to get serious about our finances. In the first 5 years we have:
- paid off a high interest car loan(when that one died on us we bought the next with cash)
- cleared a bankruptcy and updated other paperwork
- invested in our health by going to optometrists and dentists and such for the first time in many years
- built up a savings account for emergencies
- started saving up for a down payment

More recently(the past year) we have started using our RRSP and TFSA accounts to reduce our current tax load and shelter our investment growth.

We plan to buy our home before the end of 2024. This year and the next is for searching for the perfect place, but if we get to 2024 without finding perfection we will settle for one of the many 85%-95% perfect ones that go by all the time. We plan to have a 25%+down payment and have the mortgage paid in 5-10years.

We should hit FI around the time Mrs hits 60 so it’s not really a case or early retirement for us but I am very glad I spotted Quit Like A Millionaire by Kristy Shen at my local library a few months ago.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Grow Stacks on July 01, 2022, 01:42:52 PM
Hi! I semi-retired @ FI in Dec 2020. I trade stocks in the mornings, and teach FI principles on my YouTube channel (click bio for Channel Link).

Happy FI (& future FI) to All
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniteorlose on July 12, 2022, 06:45:20 PM
Hi All,

Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm 32 in Los Angeles and trying to have my money start working for me.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: coopsdaddy on July 21, 2022, 06:25:03 AM
Newbie from Oklahoma,mid 40 and looking to fire by 52.
Three kids,blue coller equipment operator.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kiwistash on July 21, 2022, 08:13:42 AM
This is a big “hello” from me in New Zealand!
I’ve loved reading the forum for ages so now it’s time to join in the fun.
It’s exciting to be here as friends and family just aren’t interested in this stuff and I really am!
Our current goal is to pay off the mortgage, after that it’s a race to FIRE.
Woohoo!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JupiterGreen on July 21, 2022, 08:32:11 AM
Welcome @coopsdaddy and @Kiwistash !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MMMary on August 31, 2022, 01:45:25 AM
Hi!  I am in the midwest and I am not great at doing FIRE yet but it's a work in progress.  I think I will finally be able to hit a 50% savings rate this year for the first time ever (and I'm on track to max out my 401k for the first time EVER this year or next) so I am pretty happy about that!  I am 32 and I could use some advice on where/how to invest in an index fund.  I have a nonqualified account with my financial advisor but it's really annoying to have to go through someone else to change the amount I'm investing.  If I already have a Fidelity account can I do it through there?

Anyways nice to meet all however many bajillion of you are on this thread :-)

Mary
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniwelder on August 31, 2022, 03:02:50 AM
Hi!  I am in the midwest and I am not great at doing FIRE yet but it's a work in progress.  I think I will finally be able to hit a 50% savings rate this year for the first time ever (and I'm on track to max out my 401k for the first time EVER this year or next) so I am pretty happy about that!  I am 32 and I could use some advice on where/how to invest in an index fund.  I have a nonqualified account with my financial advisor but it's really annoying to have to go through someone else to change the amount I'm investing.  If I already have a Fidelity account can I do it through there?

Anyways nice to meet all however many bajillion of you are on this thread :-)

Mary

Welcome! After 8 years, wow. Definitely post your situation in Investor Alley. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Zero Matters on September 08, 2022, 02:17:30 AM
Hi everyone!

Like many others I was a long-time lurker/reader of the forum and MMM's blog, but have only just signed up to post here.

I reached Lean FIRE in April of this year and decided to take a leap of faith after burning out in my job and seeing my health and relationships suffer. Not sure if I plan to make this a forever thing right now, but I am enjoying the time to redesign my life around health, relationships and community. Hence I finally decided to join here and start chatting with like minded folks!

After stumbling across MMM and Millenial Revolution 7 years ago, I started on the journey to my own FI. The beginning was slow and steady, but I found myself into a very well paid job for the last 4 years and that accelerated my timeline by quite a bit (I think it halved it). So I feel very fortunate, but at the same time like I sold out my health and value for a while. Felt great to hand in my notice as a FU to the way things were being run there, and so nice to have the time now to live my life freely.

I've done a bit of surfing, a road trip around Namibia, started blogging to explore my own thoughts and workout 4-5 times a week so I'm feeling pretty good about the first 6 months of this. Already I am starting to feel more energy for other things, which is a big deal since my burnout took a lot of that away from me.

Can't wait to chat more with you all on here! Thanks for all the inspiration and advice that I have received by lurking around here all this time!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: atticia67 on September 08, 2022, 12:46:47 PM
Hi there,

Glad to be here! I watched the Get Smart with Money episodes on Netflix and the information really spoke to me. I'll be 55 next month and I don't want to do the 8-5 grind until I'm 70. In fact, if I could even semi-retire at 60 and work a part time job or do some side hustles...ahhhh...just makes me happy thinking about it! I have some state retirement, TIAA ORP funds, and I just started a 403b supplemental retirement account and an IRA. I have some proceeds from the house I sold in 2019, but I've been hesitant to invest that money because I wanted to buy another house. I've been able to add a little to it, but otherwise, it's just sitting in a money market account. I think I want to invest 25000 of it and add $1000/mo. but just need a push to jump off the ledge into what I hope will be somewhere closer to financial independence. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Meanwhile, I'll keep reading and learning to boost my confidence.

Thanks,

APB
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: JupiterGreen on September 08, 2022, 07:43:35 PM
@Zero Matters @atticia67 Welcome!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: retire55 on September 11, 2022, 07:03:48 PM
Hi, watched new as of today!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Chicothecat on September 12, 2022, 03:25:20 PM
Hi all
I have only just started reading this forum and articles and trying to learn a bit but it’s definitely my ethos so it’s great to see what people are doing out there. I never talk money with anyone so it’s great to have ideas sparked.
Based near Oxford UK :-)

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: elderflower100 on September 27, 2022, 11:50:31 AM
Hi

Long time reader/lurker also and I made some posts in 2014 but then became the latter two I guess when I lost my password and became lazy about signing in. I have benefited from the forum postings and ideas and appreciate the diversity of people/FIRE approaches on this forum. 

DH and I are looking at a comfortable lean fire approach. I burned out at the end of 2021 and am in the process of rebuilding and reconsidering options. I still have a ways to go with rebuilding, it's all a new experience and not something I thought would happen to me, but oh well - new opportunities, ideas in the future? I hope so.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: goindeep on October 03, 2022, 04:15:30 PM
Hey new here.
Not new to trading or investing, made a lot of mistakes, mostly by not being patient and listening to dumbasses.
Although, pretty happy and satisfied with where we are financially as a family. I am 37M from Melbourne, Aus.
Zero debts, just the mortgage on the family home which according to the market is worth a few hundred K more than what we owe on it still and we are happy and healthy and so are the kids.
Starting this mustache journey and aim to retire by the time I am 42 which is in 5 years and a HUGE goal but if it's 45 I wont be mad :).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: ATtiny85 on October 03, 2022, 04:19:38 PM
Hey new here.
Not new to trading or investing, made a lot of mistakes, mostly by not being patient and listening to dumbasses.
Although, pretty happy and satisfied with where we are financially as a family. I am 37M from Melbourne, Aus.
Zero debts, just the mortgage on the family home which according to the market is worth a few hundred K more than what we owe on it still and we are happy and healthy and so are the kids.
Starting this mustache journey and aim to retire by the time I am 42 which is in 5 years and a HUGE goal but if it's 45 I wont be mad :).

Welcome! You will find some folks from down under here. Good luck!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: bananas on October 30, 2022, 06:31:13 PM
Hello!

I've followed MMM's blog for a few years, and I've been lurking on this forum for a few months. I'm ready to un-lurk and start participating in this wonderful community. 

I'm 41 and have lived in DC for more than a decade. DH and I are both feds, and we think we might be able to FIRE in 3 or 4 years. The jobs are fine, but who wants to spend all day in an office?

There are a bunch of complicated and messy decisions we need to start thinking through if we're actually going to pull the trigger and walk away, though. I might start a journal and use it to start thinking out loud about all of that. 

In my free time I've been learning to cook the last few years (thanks, pandemic!), and I've been getting increasingly outdoorsy as I get older--hiking, running, etc. Oh, and I quit drinking alcohol about a month ago. I've loved reading threads here about people who have recently given up the hooch. It has really helped to know that I'm not the only one who has had my fill. DC is a city of drunks.

Anyway, pleased to meet you!

P.S., I am very proud of this lil' mustachioed banana I just made. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Auburn73 on December 01, 2022, 07:07:14 PM
Hello again,

I joined this site about 3 years ago. Not long afterward, I began attending school online while working full-time. I worked hard to complete a 4-year course in 2 years. This was great, but I had no life outside of work and school for awhile. After graduating, I began a new job with a huge learning curve.

I'm now working on developing a better work-life balance. I'm going to get reacquainted with things that are important to me. One of these things is a strong interest in FIRE. At this point, it will likely be LeanFIRE.

I look forward to learning from everyone!

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on December 02, 2022, 04:09:03 AM
Hello again,

I joined this site about 3 years ago. Not long afterward, I began attending school online while working full-time. I worked hard to complete a 4-year course in 2 years. This was great, but I had no life outside of work and school for awhile. After graduating, I began a new job with a huge learning curve.

I'm now working on developing a better work-life balance. I'm going to get reacquainted with things that are important to me. One of these things is a strong interest in FIRE. At this point, it will likely be LeanFIRE.

I look forward to learning from everyone!

Welcome!  It sounds like you are a hard worker.  Hopefully you will find the balance that you are seeking.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: freedom55 on December 21, 2022, 04:57:30 AM
Good Morning all.  Looks like I joined this forum way back when, and then promptly buried my head in the sand regarding all things finances.  I've got 10 years to sort it out and achieve the end game of retiring at 55.

Is there a forum dedicated to debt repayment here?  That's the current albatross keeping me up at night.  If anyone can point me in the right direction!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniwelder on December 21, 2022, 07:30:52 AM
Good Morning all.  Looks like I joined this forum way back when, and then promptly buried my head in the sand regarding all things finances.  I've got 10 years to sort it out and achieve the end game of retiring at 55.

Is there a forum dedicated to debt repayment here?  That's the current albatross keeping me up at night.  If anyone can point me in the right direction!

You can post a case study. There is a guideline posted at the top of the section to explain how.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cozzmo on January 17, 2023, 08:31:00 PM
Hi,
I JUST RETIRED 5 DAYS AGO!!! January 12 2023! (I am 60 and worked over 41 years straight).

I am new to MMM.
I recently saw your PodCast It was from 2015, Definitely worth listening to. It made me feel much more comfortable in my decision.
It was the "Art of Manliness: 133 Financial Independence".
Anyway, that is also what brought my attention to your blog which my wife and I have been reading.

Thanks,
Cozzmo

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on January 18, 2023, 05:34:57 AM
Hi,
I JUST RETIRED 5 DAYS AGO!!! January 12 2023! (I am 60 and worked over 41 years straight).

I am new to MMM.
I recently saw your PodCast It was from 2015, Definitely worth listening to. It made me feel much more comfortable in my decision.
It was the "Art of Manliness: 133 Financial Independence".
Anyway, that is also what brought my attention to your blog which my wife and I have been reading.

Thanks,
Cozzmo

Congratulations and welcome to the forum.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cdub on January 19, 2023, 04:54:02 PM
Logged back into this forum for the first time last night in probably 6 years. Glad to see that it's still going as strong as ever! Still haven't retired early but that's still my goal. Going to try working toward that again.

Although I joke that now that all my work is remote since COVID we could sell our CA house and probably retire from all the equity. If I didn't have kids maybe. Until then save like mad.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shortduck on February 06, 2023, 10:07:42 AM
wanted to say hi
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: shortduck on February 06, 2023, 11:28:29 AM
hi,

just wanted to come and say hi
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniwelder on February 06, 2023, 11:39:03 AM
wanted to say hi
hi,

just wanted to come and say hi

There is option to create a new post in off topic, is there someting that I am missing?

You're too new a member to post there.  After 100 postings, it'll appear as an option.
Hello shortduck, welcome to the MMM forum, but please don't be one of those people that post random nonsense to get yourself over the 100 post threshold.  It exists to try and ensure people are here for the MMM aspect of things and not primarily for the 'off topic' related discussion.

Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: charponnaise on February 14, 2023, 07:06:11 PM
Hey, I already posted a hello of sorts in the 'what do you earn thread', but here's a proper hello... I'm new to MMM, and I'm a Londoner on a veeeery average salary in the education sector, trying to make life a little better for myself in the longterm.

Been investing cautiously for a few years (small regular contributions to an index fund), and this year I'm trying to step it up a little while really tightening up my money habits. Doesn't feel like there's a lot of waste I can reduce, but hoping to find ways nonetheless. While my salary isn't great, I'm starting with some things in my favour (no debts other than my mortgage, and that's my only really serious financial commitment), so hopefully I'll pick up some knowledge and know-how here that I can put into practice.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: poidog2 on March 30, 2023, 11:55:09 PM
Aloha from Hawaii!

Glad to be here and looking forward to learning and getting to financial independence!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: MattL on May 12, 2023, 06:27:39 AM
Hi all, fellow member from Italy here. I've decided to join you for two reason:
1) I'm 32 now and after some years of splurging money on unnecessary things i have realized what really matters in life, i'm shure that reading your messages will keep me on track.
2) I took the IELTS test two months ago and i'm trying to take advantages of any opportunity to speak and read in english, (sorry if i make any mistake).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on May 13, 2023, 03:38:41 AM
Hi all, fellow member from Italy here. I've decided to join you for two reason:
1) I'm 32 now and after some years of splurging money on unnecessary things i have realized what really matters in life, i'm shure that reading your messages will keep me on track.
2) I took the IELTS test two months ago and i'm trying to take advantages of any opportunity to speak and read in english, (sorry if i make any mistake).

Welcome @MattL !
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Some_Other_Guy on June 19, 2023, 07:11:20 AM
Hiya folks,

Longtime FIRE devotee, first-time poster. I've been interested in the movement since the pandemic, which effectively forced my family and I to reconsider a lot of things in our lives. I'm looking forward to continuing the journey with some like-minded new friends!

"Never stop learning."
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Miss Piggy on June 21, 2023, 09:04:11 AM
Hiya folks,

Longtime FIRE devotee, first-time poster. I've been interested in the movement since the pandemic, which effectively forced my family and I to reconsider a lot of things in our lives. I'm looking forward to continuing the journey with some like-minded new friends!

"Never stop learning."

Welcome! And I'm glad you're not THAT other guy!  :)
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Kalla on July 04, 2023, 05:05:58 AM
Hi everyone,

We're a Family of four, living in a middle european country. We're in our 30s with one kid in kindergarden and one in elemntary. We live a very downsized (but comfortable!) life on my quite average income from a stable job in local government with my partner beeing in training again for a new career.

Our long term goals are still in negotiation. But we both know that we feel better with higher financial flexibility and are activly working on increasing our investments.

I followed the forums and the blog for inspiration for approx. 5 years and am looking forward to become a bit more active and learn from you.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cleverscreenname on July 04, 2023, 10:38:21 PM
Hello, I usually lurk most of the time but now that there's a 100-post requirement in order to talk about things that interest me, such as electrified transportation, I'll have to do some chatting.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cleverscreenname on July 04, 2023, 10:39:04 PM
What is the sixth word in the first blog post? Retired.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: imtired on July 22, 2023, 07:52:09 AM
Hi all! First time posting. Not new to FIRE, but new to RE, just gave notice and last day is 8/4. 46 years old…high stress job, so happy to be chilling for awhile, gardening, traveling, working on carpentry…basically just doing whatever, whenever. Excited and also kinda feel sick about it at the same time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: cleverscreenname on July 22, 2023, 10:12:27 AM
Wow great job and congratulations! MMM finds carpentry relaxing so I expect you will too. There are lots of threads around this forum talking about anxiety surrounding RE, so you'll find plenty of advice and support. Thanks for joining our community!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: xiv on July 24, 2023, 03:56:43 PM
Hi there, new member from Chicago! I've heard about FIRE for a long time, but haven't taken it too seriously until the last few months. I'm 34 and saving around 85% of my monthly income.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: GenXKatie on July 24, 2023, 11:11:57 PM
I've been a money nerd since I could count. Not exaggerating. I mean, is there any other reason to learn math?

I only recently discovered I actually enjoy the hell out the company of other FIRE folks, thanks to CampFI earlier this month. If you were there (RM-1), I'm the one with the...memorable profession that I have no desire to retire from. Just as well, since I'm here for FI and not exactly in a position for RE at my age.

I've lived over in Grand Junction since Feb 2020, and my next big hairy financial goal is to earn-save-invest enough to sell up and buy in the Denver-to-Longmont area without a mortgage in ~5 years.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: stoaX on July 29, 2023, 12:05:03 PM
Hi there, new member from Chicago! I've heard about FIRE for a long time, but haven't taken it too seriously until the last few months. I'm 34 and saving around 85% of my monthly income.

85%!?!?   Wow!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: TimCFJ40 on September 27, 2023, 08:29:21 AM
Hi Everybody!
I've been lurking around MMM and different personal finance spaces for quite a while.  My wife and I are somewhere between Semi-mustachians and SWAMIs, at 43 and 40 years old.  We've managed to save/invest our way to a decent stash and pay off our house this year, so we're very fortunate to be in a position of strength and to have options when it comes to work, etc. 

I say we're Semi-Mustachians in that we are fairly frugal.  We ride bikes and walk a lot, but have a few paid for cars that might get us a face punch if we ever met MMM directly.  We DIY almost everything (house projects, car repair, bike maintenance, etc).  We live a fairly frugal but very happy life, and get less and less drawn to "stuff".  By Hardcore Mustachian Standards we could likely retire tomorrow if we cut back a small bit more. 

I say we're SWAMIs in that we both have jobs that we enjoy in industries that interest us, both have decent flexibility, and probably will keep working 5-10 more years if nothing changes.  We've both turned down more money recently because the opportunities would take us farther from the lifestyle we want (and are currently enjoying).  The biggest draw of leaving these jobs is even more flexibility of time, although we have way more of that now than we ever have. 

It is great to lurk around here and see what others are doing, and to get a little push now and then.  This place is full of inspiring people and stories, as well as useful, thoughtful advice.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: labrego on September 28, 2023, 10:47:41 AM
Glad to be here! I didn't even know that forums still exist; it reminds me of good old times. I am 57, and for reasons too long to explain in this post, I worked all my life and only started saving and investing about a year ago. I want to stop working at least 67, so I only have ten years to stash as much as possible. I am saving in a 401k with a good employer match and investing another 25% of my income in index funds. I am trying to reduce my spending as much as possible without sacrificing life enjoyment with my wife. I don't know what will happen in the following years, but I am glad I found this community.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniwelder on September 28, 2023, 10:56:24 AM
Glad to be here! I didn't even know that forums still exist; it reminds me of good old times. I am 57, and for reasons too long to explain in this post, I worked all my life and only started saving and investing about a year ago. I want to stop working at least 67, so I only have ten years to stash as much as possible. I am saving in a 401k with a good employer match and investing another 25% of my income in index funds. I am trying to reduce my spending as much as possible without sacrificing life enjoyment with my wife. I don't know what will happen in the following years, but I am glad I found this community.

Welcome!  If you want to get a feel for how realistic your goal is and how much you need to stash away, there is a section for Case Studies.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Cheshirefirestarter on October 03, 2023, 02:14:34 AM
Welcome, just starting on my fire journey after a lot of research......Male aged 45 from the UK and hoping to retire in 5 years in 2028.

Had a property portfolio that is being cashed in due to the high interest rates and downsizing my house.

Let's see how well this post ages!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: andreyi1979 on October 09, 2023, 02:31:18 AM
Hi to All

I am glad to be here

Regards,
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Exec on October 12, 2023, 07:41:42 AM
Hi MMM community!

Glad to be joining this awesome group. I'm a Canadian that just FIRE'd a few weeks ago at the age of 45. I was able to achieve this by moving the corporate ladder quickly to increase my overall income, including international assignments that offered significantly higher compensation, and saving 50%+ of my salary. Finally, for the last 20+ years I have been investing 50/50 in real estate and lost-cost index ETFs. Income in retirement will come from rent and dividends. In terms of asset allocation I decided to follow the well known Warren Buffet rule of 90/10 stock and bonds, and I diversify my stocks allocation between Canada, US, and internationally including emerging markets. After reading Financial Samurai's book "How to engineer your layoff" I was able to negotiate a severance and finally leave the corporate world at 45 years old with a net worth of 3.5 millions.

Looking forward to the discussion!
Best
FIRE'd exec
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: jc77 on October 29, 2023, 05:32:47 AM
Welcome, just starting on my fire journey after a lot of research......Male aged 45 from the UK and hoping to retire in 5 years in 2028.

Had a property portfolio that is being cashed in due to the high interest rates and downsizing my house.

Let's see how well this post ages!
Hi everyone!  Same age and in the east coast US.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Flora on November 07, 2023, 11:03:39 AM
Hello!
Longtime lurker, first time caller :-)

I live in NW Washington (NOT Seattle) with my partner of 20 years, elderly cats, and son. We are soon to be empty nesters! I'm a letter carrier and my partner is a performer. We've led a somewhat nontraditional life up until this point, so not a lot of savings but also absolutely no debt. We're ready for the next chapter and are hoping to jump into it within the next five years, but first we need to bankroll it...

Looking forward to joining in the conversation!
Title: Hello!
Post by: calt on November 09, 2023, 11:48:52 PM
Hello everybody!

Calt here. I'm an Italian computer scientist, husband and father of a little 2yo lady. I'm a compulsive creator: Your Financial Fallacies (https://financialfallacies.com/), Habituator (habit tracker - iOS) (https://habituator.app/), UpRead (speed reading app - iOS) (https://crazyhorseapps.com/apps/upread/) and many more. Passionate about programming, design, DIY, writing, reading, urban cycling and personal finance.

I live in a small town in the Alps, about 4000 people and a bunch of cows.

MMM's Blog has been a real slap in the face, waking me up from a ridiculously unaware life that was heading straight to disaster. Started reading in 2017 and changed the direction of my life, not only financially. Always thought of participating to the community but never executed. Now, here I am. Glad to be here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: tasimo on November 18, 2023, 04:14:40 PM
Hi folks!

I've stumbled in here along my FIRE learning, and figured I'd introduce myself and situation.  I (42m) and my wife(42f) and kids (5&8) live in New England.  I'm a physician and am rapidly burning out on where medicine is going, so am trying to learn quick and hopefully RE in the next 3 or 4 years.  We're currently about 20% syndicated realty, 60% stocks, 10% cash/bond, 10% crypto, with a NW of about $2.5m.  I know not everyone loves crypto, but it was early at a very low basis, and I've been selling as I go.  The goal is to get to $3-3.5m hopefully and coast doing a much reduced per diem schedule in my field.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: dmandley on November 24, 2023, 06:34:12 AM
Hello everyone,

My name is Dillon and I hope everyone had a fantastic 2023 Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for and this community of positive and contributive people is one of those things. I am happy to be here.

Best,
Dillon
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: alex77 on December 02, 2023, 11:30:45 AM
Hi! Feels like a big step to come out of the shadows but it’s time.
I’m Alex, from Amsterdam, and I’m a changed person ever since I heard about JL Collin’s book and MMM in May of this year.
The sad thing is I should have learnt about this sooner because I’m naturally frugal but since there is much less of a necessity to save for retirement in the Netherlands than in the US, I just never really gave it much time and spent it all anyway. What else can you do with money, after all?
If I’d known how easy it is to shave decades off your working life, I’d have done it much earlier.
Anyway, I’m here now, full steam ahead. I’m 46, single and childfree, civil servant with a fairly high income, so saving is relatively easy.
Will join the cohort for 2030 now, so more details over there. Very happy to have found you guys!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rs981 on December 02, 2023, 01:51:46 PM
Hi Everyone,
I've been a lurker on these forums for a few years and a reader of the blog even before that. Have been meaning to get active in this forum for a while now but just now got the time.
I'm single, in my early to mid 20's, live in the east coast and work in Tech. I graduated college with a bachelors degree in Computer Science in 3 semesters at a state school by testing out of all of the Gen Ed courses with CLEP/AP tests and taking some community college courses in High School. By doing this I was able to buy a home at a 2.8% interest rate at age 19 before interest rates skyrocketed significantly easing my path to Early retirement and locking in a hard to find $1200 mortgage. I hope to retire by age 30. Hobbies include playing video games, Cooking and travel. I also churn credit cards for travel points. In addition to traditional investing methods I have gotten into the niche investment method of renting out homes by the bedroom to college students. I'm happy to provide more insights on efficiently getting around the 4 year college pitfall that nowadays is both often needed depending on ones chosen career path and a money / time pitfall.
Cheers!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: uniwelder on December 02, 2023, 02:17:19 PM
Hi Everyone,
I've been a lurker on these forums for a few years and a reader of the blog even before that. Have been meaning to get active in this forum for a while now but just now got the time.
I'm single, in my early to mid 20's, live in the east coast and work in Tech. I graduated college with a bachelors degree in Computer Science in 3 semesters at a state school by testing out of all of the Gen Ed courses with CLEP/AP tests and taking some community college courses in High School. By doing this I was able to buy a home at a 2.8% interest rate at age 19 before interest rates skyrocketed significantly easing my path to Early retirement and locking in a hard to find $1200 mortgage. I hope to retire by age 30. Hobbies include playing video games, Cooking and travel. I also churn credit cards for travel points. In addition to traditional investing methods I have gotten into the niche investment method of renting out homes by the bedroom to college students. I'm happy to provide more insights on efficiently getting around the 4 year college pitfall that nowadays is both often needed depending on ones chosen career path and a money / time pitfall.
Cheers!

Wow, that's quite impressive!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Dicey on December 04, 2023, 08:46:59 AM
Hi Everyone,
I've been a lurker on these forums for a few years and a reader of the blog even before that. Have been meaning to get active in this forum for a while now but just now got the time.
I'm single, in my early to mid 20's, live in the east coast and work in Tech. I graduated college with a bachelors degree in Computer Science in 3 semesters at a state school by testing out of all of the Gen Ed courses with CLEP/AP tests and taking some community college courses in High School. By doing this I was able to buy a home at a 2.8% interest rate at age 19 before interest rates skyrocketed significantly easing my path to Early retirement and locking in a hard to find $1200 mortgage. I hope to retire by age 30. Hobbies include playing video games, Cooking and travel. I also churn credit cards for travel points. In addition to traditional investing methods I have gotten into the niche investment method of renting out homes by the bedroom to college students. I'm happy to provide more insights on efficiently getting around the 4 year college pitfall that nowadays is both often needed depending on ones chosen career path and a money / time pitfall.
Cheers!

Wow, that's quite impressive!
+1. Welcome, and please keep writing.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bamboo67 on December 05, 2023, 07:15:27 AM
Alan here, glad to be able to join the amazing community
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rs981 on December 11, 2023, 07:00:25 PM
Hi Everyone,
I've been a lurker on these forums for a few years and a reader of the blog even before that. Have been meaning to get active in this forum for a while now but just now got the time.
I'm single, in my early to mid 20's, live in the east coast and work in Tech. I graduated college with a bachelors degree in Computer Science in 3 semesters at a state school by testing out of all of the Gen Ed courses with CLEP/AP tests and taking some community college courses in High School. By doing this I was able to buy a home at a 2.8% interest rate at age 19 before interest rates skyrocketed significantly easing my path to Early retirement and locking in a hard to find $1200 mortgage. I hope to retire by age 30. Hobbies include playing video games, Cooking and travel. I also churn credit cards for travel points. In addition to traditional investing methods I have gotten into the niche investment method of renting out homes by the bedroom to college students. I'm happy to provide more insights on efficiently getting around the 4 year college pitfall that nowadays is both often needed depending on ones chosen career path and a money / time pitfall.
Cheers!

Wow, that's quite impressive!
+1. Welcome, and please keep writing.

I'll make a thread with more details in the Mini Money Mustaches subforum when I get the time.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: rklsoptmst on January 01, 2024, 06:13:38 PM
Hello!

I FIRE'd from a couple of entrepreneurial pursuits last year at age 47. It is everything I aimed for and I'm still adjusting to this big shift. Kids are 20 & 26 and half-launched (we're still providing some housing assistance) and we have a very dear senior cat/gremlin. Planning to move our primary home base away from cold New England once everyone fully launches and we figure out what is going on out there since the pandemic has changed so many places that were on the maybe list.

For now we're building out a van and will start the search in earnest this coming spring of 2024. Looking for milder seasons, lots of outdoor access to play, a small enough town or neighborhood to build community in, a decent music scene for all ages, walkable/bikable, (living rurally now with dwindling night vision can feel really claustrophobic) ...all the same stuff a lot of you seem to be looking for as well, which is kinda why I'm here :)

My days are filled with catching up on a lot of things I missed when I was in full parenting and working mode: gardening, mushroom hunting, therapy, baking all the cakes, reading all the books, brushing up on finish carpentry skills, hiking as much as possible (currently chipping through the 48 4000's in the White Mts.), and I recently discovered gravel biking and bike-packing. Hoping to connect with and share some findings with other folks on a similar trajectory.

Looking forward to contributing where I can!

Warmly, K
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sailorscooby on January 02, 2024, 12:14:53 AM
Hey everyone, I'm Scoob! Happy to be here :)
I've spent the past year of 2023 reading the 52 weeks of MMM essentials emails, I watched the Netflix show, and have been trying to internalize what the MMM lifestyle truly means. I'm an American who's permanently moved to Finland (so I'm an immigrant, not an expat) and am finally at the point where I'm ready to figure out how FIRE works when living in the Nordics! Looking forward to sharing know-how and reaching FIRE!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on January 02, 2024, 02:29:36 AM
Welcome!  It would be interested to hear your experience with immigrating to Finland in either the Off Topic or the Journal community. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: sailorscooby on January 02, 2024, 03:05:11 AM
Welcome!  It would be interested to hear your experience with immigrating to Finland in either the Off Topic or the Journal community.

A journal thread will definitely be coming soon. I'm actually mid-move, selling my apartment in Sweden and setting up in Finland with my fiancee. Plenty to share and get some mustachian advice on!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: papazita on January 02, 2024, 09:27:27 AM
Hello everyone.  I think I may have just FIREd! Today was my first day of not going to work when everyone else did. I think it’s going OK so far.

I’ve been reading MMM for a few years, starting at about the time of a wobbly period for the tech company I worked for. I decided to get a bit more serious about financial resilience, and have MMM to thank for helping me realise that with a bit of extra effort I could target an early retirement. I had been thinking maybe in the next couple of years, definitely before age 55. Then, at the end of last year, aged 50, I was made redundant. Not quite at my ‘number’ but with the redundancy package, close enough. It’s all quite exciting.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: RWTL on January 02, 2024, 02:16:10 PM
Hello everyone.  I think I may have just FIREd! Today was my first day of not going to work when everyone else did. I think it’s going OK so far.

I’ve been reading MMM for a few years, starting at about the time of a wobbly period for the tech company I worked for. I decided to get a bit more serious about financial resilience, and have MMM to thank for helping me realise that with a bit of extra effort I could target an early retirement. I had been thinking maybe in the next couple of years, definitely before age 55. Then, at the end of last year, aged 50, I was made redundant. Not quite at my ‘number’ but with the redundancy package, close enough. It’s all quite exciting.

Congrats!  Welcome - There are a lot of experienced folks here to learn from.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: aloevera1 on January 08, 2024, 01:36:44 PM
Hi everyone.

I am aloevera. Have been lurking around here for years. I believe some point I read/skimmed most of the topics in "Ask a Mustachian" and "General" sections... Oh, I did read a lot when I realized what a gem I found. Wow. Very grateful for this incredible resource and people who contributed their time and experience to it.

This has really changed my attitude towards money and life philosophy. I try to live with purpose, critically examine everything I am doing and not be afraid to make changes. I am not super into money optimization and extreme frugality but I have a clear well-defined purpose for every single $ I spend. There is also a clear well-defined purpose for every $1 I don't spend ;)

Looking to giving back to the community, having an opportunity to share my thoughts and maybe even finding my tribe along the way!

Happy to de-lurk!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: NorwegianHomestead on January 09, 2024, 11:33:03 PM
Hi everyone,
I’m NorwegianHomestead and my partner (Swedish) and I (Norwegian) are hoping to achieve FIRE in ten years. We live on a small homestead by the coast of Norway and are lucky to be able to work IT jobs from home. We spend a lot of our free time doing what we love; gardening, fishing, hiking, growing our own food, foraging, renovating our farmhouse etc.

Over the last one and a half year we’ve been reading more about FI and trying to cut our expenses and pay down the mortgage faster, as well as started investing. Our lifestyle is naturally cheaper than city life, but there is still a ton of changes we are learning to implement to be able to save more.

Can’t wait to get to know some likeminded people here!
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: moof on February 06, 2024, 08:55:45 PM
Moof here.  Been lurking a bit. Thought I was doing pretty good, and I am by comparison to the average american, but feel I have been remiss now that I have seen how far a little more discipline goes.

Currently 39, wife, kid.  3 cars, but just $2k total car debt.  No credit card balances in years.  I was targeting mid 50's to retire, which seemed great till I realized I could possibly pull that in before I hit 50.  Currently sitting on $0.5 M in retirement accounts.  My own number is about $1.3M to feel comfortable cutting myself loose.

Currently I am saving a little more than 25% of my gross each year.  I am struggling to benchmark that properly given taxes and such.  Even doing my homework I struggle with properly weighting those effects between 401k's, Roth's, etc.

I grew up frugal (single parent, welfare, etc), but let things slide as I saw big paychecks come in.  I never questioned the save 10% mantra, wishing now I had kept it at 20% all along.  Luckily I have never racked up any real debt.  I used to freak out my girlfriend (now wife) by always carrying a few hundred in cash.  She never had that much spare, but it helped me stay disciplined.  I have let a lot of little things slide under the mantra of a happy wife is still cheaper than a divorce.  I need to work on getting us both on the same page better for not wasting so much money (or not being so damn cheap as she would counter).  Good times.
Had to check in with my 7 years ago self.  0.5M of savings has grown to 1.85M, aiming to pull the plug by the end of the year.  My target has moved a bit, $1.3M in 2017 dollars would be $1.63M, so we are targeting about 20% more than my past self was thinking.  My wife wants to keep working a few more years, so we will likely blow past are target by time she pulls the plug. She expects to break 6-figures this year, not sure if her thinking will change, but we are in good shape either way. I took a 14 month sabbatical, but have been working part time for the last 7 months, and very much not enjoying it.  Net worth is up at $2.3M with house equity and a college savings account for the kiddo.  My main headwinds are the impending need to replace a car, and some deferred house maintenance that will put a big dent in the slush fund outside of the IRA’s.  Past self should have understood Roth’s and the value of after-tax flexibility better.
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: OtherJen on February 16, 2024, 07:34:52 PM
Wow, I didn’t expect to be able to post here again! I received a perma-ban notice in spring 2022 with no apparent way to resolve it. I decided to look at the forums today as a guest, on a whim, and apparently I was still logged in. Hi, all!

I’m still in metro Detroit, still married (hit the 20-year anniversary last year), still in a little house (also hit the 20-year mark on that mortgage last year), still driving a now 12-year-old Prius and 23-year-old Chevy. Frugality has been a great boon for us; my income has gone up by about 50% in the last few years, which has allowed us to save quite a bit as we didn’t increase our spending much. Husband’s company was sold and then went through several rounds of restructuring, and he was caught in the most recent round of layoffs. Frugality means that his unemployment benefits cover our health insurance with a decent amount leftover, and all other bills and monthly savings and investments are easily covered by my salary. He’s working on a software certification that should give him access to a much wider (and better-paid) range of jobs, and we’re grateful that we can easily afford for him to take that time. Thank you all for your advice and example over the years.

We’re trying to survive a very gloomy MI winter and are looking forward to expanding the big vegetable garden that we set up in our yard last summer. We really need to speed up using the frozen basil pesto, adobo sauce, and zucchini and jars of various pickles from last summer’s bounty to make room for the next round. I’ve spent much of my free time this winter improving my gluten-free bread baking and spending probably too much on good cheese to go with it (no regrets).
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: igetit on February 21, 2024, 04:40:36 AM
I always enjoyed reading your posts.  Glad to see you again. 
Title: Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
Post by: Bartie Musa on March 02, 2024, 08:37:04 PM
Bartie Musa - Hello! Glad to be here, this is a fascinating and rather large forum/blog. Finding the answers to some of the questions before posting took effort to say the least! Never experienced that before.