Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3317586 times)

coin

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2700 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?

Thinkum

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2701 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!

jordanread

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2702 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 section of the forums. Also, some of the journals of the people who've already caught FIRE (Jon_Snow and TheGoblinChief 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.

dots45

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2703 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. 

techwiz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2704 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". 

nara

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2705 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.

geekinprogress

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2706 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.

Cyaphas

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2707 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.
 

DreamPassion

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2708 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!

tiffany24

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2709 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!

Cyaphas

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Re: I'm so pleased to have found you!
« Reply #2710 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.



steve.edmund

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2711 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.

marty998

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2712 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 :)

Dollar Slice

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2713 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


Miss Piggy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2714 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.

Chris M.

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2715 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.

Chris-93AUS

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2716 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.. :)

SteelBrigade82

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2717 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.

BECABECA

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2718 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!

hodor

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2719 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.



scrnplyr

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2720 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.

scrnplyr

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2721 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.

Interex

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2722 on: April 09, 2016, 05:00:38 AM »
Hi - just joined as I was looking for an Ebates referal link.  Found a great community!

NuAmerican

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Is MMM sponsored by Vanguard
« Reply #2723 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?

Dollar Slice

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Re: Is MMM sponsored by Vanguard
« Reply #2724 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.

gimmi80

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2725 on: April 11, 2016, 07:25:05 AM »
Hi,

new member from Upstate NY, sharing the goal of FI.
-gimmi80

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2726 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.

CGooden

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2727 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!

drunkenNoodles

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2728 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!

notarealdoctor

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2729 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!

ecomic

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2730 on: April 13, 2016, 02:43:04 AM »
Hi everyone

I'm glad joining that nice community! Hope i learn more!

mattattack08

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2731 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.

ESCH

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2732 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.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2016, 10:14:50 PM by ESCH »

PursuingIndependence

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2733 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!

crillswilson

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2734 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

steamboat89

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2735 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.   

runningthroughFIRE

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2736 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 for your situation.

everymonies

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2737 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!

Gone

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2738 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!

NickM

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2739 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 


FIREby2021

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2740 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

ecomic

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2741 on: April 23, 2016, 12:32:48 PM »
Hi Im Mark, I always run to places. Financial advisor. Clumsy as hell.

beelea

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2742 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.

.x.

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2743 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! 

Allen Farlow

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2744 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!
« Last Edit: April 25, 2016, 06:44:28 PM by Allen Farlow »

Mistake Maker 501

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2745 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.

rp2030411

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2746 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.


weetziebat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2747 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 :)

BrianHM

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2748 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

jimsmith

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #2749 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