Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3318023 times)

Salvo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3250 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!

cliner

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3251 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.

Sarah Saverdink

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3252 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.

fiStressRelief

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3253 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.

RushonFIRE

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3254 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!

jedithunder

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3255 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!

jlcnuke

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3256 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.

Taskforce3Tango

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3257 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.

DividendMeter

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3258 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.

EWMH

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3259 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

bblinley

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3260 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!

Blackeagle

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3261 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.

tanhar020

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3262 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.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2017, 04:54:00 AM by tanhar020 »

BrandNewPapa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3263 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).

jayzee

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3264 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.

PizzaEngineer

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3265 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.


ahemahem

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3266 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.


mripkiss

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3267 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

mbolton

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3268 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

TheFrenchCat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3269 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!

Lila8

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3270 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."

NMD

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3271 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

DayLight

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3272 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
 






joestash

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3273 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!
« Last Edit: May 27, 2017, 01:59:25 PM by MoStache »

Tomnomnom

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3274 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.

SandraJohn

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3275 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

financial_muse

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Financial Muse ... Debt Free Millennial on Fire Saying HI :)
« Reply #3276 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 :)

Stoic on FIRE

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3277 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!

Beegee

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3278 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!


AriesFire

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3279 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!

Rogue Dad, M.D.

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3280 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.

astronozzle

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3281 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!

SoberSailor

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3282 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

msmarieh

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3283 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.

rae09

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3284 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 :)

Mr Zombie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3285 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;





Mr Z


Peanutbutter

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3286 on: May 30, 2017, 08:06:59 PM »
Hi, I like peanut butter and reading about living simply and making money. 

May2030

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3287 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. 

sednax

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3288 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)!

wheresmysipp

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3289 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 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!

cadillacmike

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3290 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.


UncleX

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3291 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!
« Last Edit: June 07, 2017, 03:32:23 AM by UncleX »

YourPlaybookForToughTimes

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3292 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.

Sydneystache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3293 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.

gspeicher

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3294 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.


KatieMac

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3295 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!

tonyquart

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3296 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:

MinnieAG

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3297 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.

BatDad2

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3298 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!

FIREd_up!

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #3299 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!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!