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.