Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3316068 times)

Allie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1750 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!

josstache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1751 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.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2014, 09:12:16 PM by josstache »

benjenn

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1752 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!

searles

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1753 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!

gaspony

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1754 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. 

RoostKing

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1755 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!

checkedoutat39

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1756 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.

Cloudberry

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1757 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.

The_path_less_taken

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1758 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.

CongoKid

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1759 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!



amfal

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1760 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!


Cookie78

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1761 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.

jordanread

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1762 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!!

mallerina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1763 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!

LiveUnfettered

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1764 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.

beachkat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1765 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.

lielec11

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1766 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.

CanardRoti

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1767 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.


DancingStina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1768 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!

AsianStash

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1769 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! :)

Zarya

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1770 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
« Last Edit: November 29, 2014, 06:45:04 AM by Zarya »

Squirreling Away

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1771 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

Marianne

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1772 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!

NinetyFour

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1773 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

VegasStache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1774 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!

Kananas

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1775 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.

OutBy40

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1776 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

chowtime

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1777 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.

lemanfan

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1778 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...

Annie-Blake

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1779 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.

NinetyFour

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1780 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!

StubbledCPA

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1781 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). 

TootTootBeepBeep

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1782 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!

mullisjg2

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1783 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.

Noya

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1784 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.

Cheery

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1785 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.

Wendythehamster

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1786 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!

Wendythehamster

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1787 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!

Wendythehamster

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1788 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... 

kiblebuka

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1789 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!

E16sean

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1790 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.

korn_man55

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1791 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. 

Shamantha

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1792 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...

Bardo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1793 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.

Code7phil

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  • Location: Nampa, Idaho
  • Already semi retired
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1794 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.

Captain PlanIt

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  • Age: 32
  • Location: Albany Region, NY, USA
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1795 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!

Money Badger

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1796 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!

queenie

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1797 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.

something_people_say

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1798 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.

Milehigh

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #1799 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