Author Topic: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...  (Read 340089 times)

oneday

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #600 on: September 04, 2021, 11:31:45 AM »
This really resonated the other day, @neo von retorch . Thanks for your insights.

Quote
my life doesn't have a clear purpose

Given your reading and thoughtfulness on this topic, I'm probably not giving you anything new, but I think what we like to call "purpose", beyond being something we choose for ourselves, is essentially what we'll be able to look back and be satisfied having spent our finite life energy and time doing while alive.

Probably why we struggle with this is because of a bunch of thoughts that might conflict, like does it have to be something significant, having an effect on others or a lot of people, making things better for people I care about, or people in general? Do I have to enjoy doing it or just enjoy the contentment I feel afterwards? Will I judge myself harshly if I don't commit firmly enough to doing something I've decided is important, even when I won't always love it?

But I also think - this is a goal or path or set of habits I'm setting for myself. There is no right answer or judge overseeing the proceedings (except me!) So I also want to enjoy the process of deciding on a purpose! Or even the process of failing to find a "serious" purpose, but finding a lot of things I want to spend my time doing!

You seem to do very well at creating a platform, a framework upon which you could do anything. You keep yourself/health and your necessities/resources  plentiful and prepared and capable of performing the things you'll want to do. (And you enjoy that, too!)

What we end up thinking is important is really a hot stew of our personality, all the whispers of society and culture and family and friends, all the education we've absorbed, and the dreams and desires we've formed from ether. So your purpose is some manifestation of being true to who you've become so far (or, at least, perceive yourself as being). And your platform gives you a lot of options, perhaps even paradox of choice. But even just trying a bunch of things is an admirable and lovely way to utilize your platform and spend your life energy. Whether it ends up being a cone that later focuses your energy more specifically is not really important (unless it really is to you, or it becomes important as you continue growing.)

Tass

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #601 on: September 12, 2021, 03:42:48 PM »
I come at it from a totally different direction.

My best life is frugal, so it's pretty self perpetuating. In fact all of my healthy habits are self perpetuating when I'm in a great place in my life: I eat well, exercise, sleep well, stay in touch with friends and family, and don't feel any urge to spend and own more for the sake of spending and owning more. When life is good, it's good.

So instead I register a consumerist urge as a signal to check if something is off in my life. It's a warning sign that there's some lack of balance and that I'm trying to meet and unmet need through spending.

Early on though, it wasn't so automatic. I found listening to ChooseFI podcasts when I cooked really helped me stay in the groove of the FI community mindset.

One thing I learned along the way is that you can't spend your way to your best life, and attempting to actually blocks your ability to build towards true happiness.

Living your best life takes work, it takes thoughtfulness, it takes effort to really reflect on what you need to be fulfilled, and creative thinking as to how to achieve it. Spending creates shortcuts, but in taking those shortcuts, you miss what matters.

Picture it this way, the path to happiness is a long, challenging hike through beautiful mountains. It's cheap or free to get access, it takes time and effort to get to the end point, and you may get lost along the way. Spending is more like jumping in your car, driving around the mountain, and then patting yourself on the back that you got to the other side faster.

Meanwhile, if you had hiked, you would have seen beautiful sights, your body would have exercised, your mental health would have benefited from being in nature, and you would end up on the other side of the mountain feeling peaceful, contended, proud, and satisfied with how you spent your time. Had you driven, you would miss out on the entire point of going to the mountain.

Spending short circuits your process of figuring out what you really need to thrive, it's a shortcut that gives you an artificial hit of satisfaction, and distracts you from your needs as opposed to actually meeting them.

So whenever you feel a spendy urge, take it as a signal that you have some kind of important unmet need, and the challenge is to get to know yourself well enough to understand what work is *actually* needed to meet that need, not just what purchase will quiet it down for a little while.

Your best life isn't found on the other end of a credit card transaction.

nereo

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #602 on: September 28, 2021, 05:32:28 PM »
One of the best explanations on personal biases and why they cannot be avoidable (but managed). 


These biases are actually a byproduct of the brain *being smart*, they're a result of rapidly sorting and aggregating data efficiently. It's what allows us to think as fluidly and rapidly as we do. That's why you can't eliminate the effects, because without the process that generates them, we would be slow and stupid.

But the processing produces hiccups in logic sometimes, but we've never been rational creatures, so it's never actually been an issue for our function, we just like to think we're rational, but we never have been and never will be.

The key isn't to fight the biases or try and force ourselves to be more rational, they key is to understand the impacts of the biases and manage them.

The answer to the stupid tricks your brain plays isn't to try and be smarter, it's to understand and use similar stupid tricks.
Gratitude journaling is objectively stupid. There's no rational way that listing the things I'm grateful for every morning isn't cheesy, dumb, stupid nonsense, and yet, it consistently works even if you think it's the dumbest hokey-ist, shit ever.
Likewise, standing in a superman pose for a few minute is also dumb fuck, fucking stupid, and in no rational world should doing that make anyone perform better at anything, it's dumb, plain old dumb. But it works.

The "smart" thing to do about being a rather irrational being is to accept that you are, in fact, contrary to all perception, a rather irrational being, and just learn the equally irrational seeming techniques to manage that irrationality.

There's a very simple explanation for all of this, which if you can wrap your mind around it, starts making perfect sense.
Humans *think* we're rational, because the only part of our brain that can consciously think, is, in fact, pretty rational. So everything we're aware of feels rational. Neat. Okay.

Except, what we are aware of isn't, in fact, what's in charge of our emotions and behaviours. Those largely come from parts of our nervous system that we aren't consciously aware of and typically not in control of. So most of what we experience just happens, and then our conscious mind tries to make sense of it. Hence, we rationalize.

Here's a great example, which really helped me understand this when I was a neuroscientist.
Back when we used to split people's brains due to seizures, the person basically had two conscious brains in their heads. The body still functions as a whole, totally normally, just the two awareness parts are now separate. So it's one person, but two very different conscious brains experiencing the same life in two totally different ways.

The kicker? Only one side has language, the other is mute. Now, if you talk to the communicating side, but show only the mute side something hilarious, the whole body starts laughing. The mute side knows what's funny, but the communicating side doesn't. However, because the body is laughing, the communicating side will believe that something you said was funny. It will insist that it finds you hilarious, no matter how boring you are.

Now, let's broaden this picture. The vast, overwhelming majority of human emotions and behaviours come from subconscious processes. You don't actually consciously choose the majority of what you do, nor *any* of how you feel. You just experience it, and then your conscious mind layers a rational explanation overtop of the experience.

So we are constantly rationalizing, not behaving rationally, because the parts of our brain and nervous system that actually drive our behaviour and feelings aren't parts that our conscious brain even has access to. In reality, we're just constantly trying to keep up with understanding why the hell we do the things we do.

Physiological studies have shown that people physically feel fear and *then* consciously respond to that physical sensation and perceive the experience as fear. So how you consciously perceive fear, is actually just your brain interpreting what your body has already done.

This is a big reason why so many people are terrified of dental needles. The freezing contains epinephrine, which temporarily, artificially creates an experience in the body that's identical to fear. The brain senses this rise in heart rate, and rationalizes that the needle and the pain it caused is the source of the body's response. Then next time, the brain anticipates that a VERY fearful stimulus is coming, and voila, you have someone who has rationalized a level of fear of dental procedures well beyond anything even remotely rational.
It's not a rational response, it's a "rationalized" response.

The less people take their own explanations of themselves seriously, the more they accept that their own mind is ridiculous, but ridiculous for very effective reasons, the less they fight it and the more effectively they can work *with* the system.

It's the people who insist on trying to be "intelligent" and "rational" who are the biggest victims of their own absurdity, because they think they can overpower it with intellect. If they truly understood how the system worked, they would recognize that that's pure nonsense.

The most effective people are the ones who learn to work *with* the flying spaghetti monster who is actually running the subconscious show. Our conscious minds are all just stressed out managers trying to keep the talent from self destructing. We're not in charge, we just clean up the messes and try to give guidance.

The hardest thing to "rationally" understand is that the part you are aware of is not actually "who you are".


https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/mustachianism-around-the-web/the-science-of-your-stupid-first-world-problems/msg2893965/#msg2893965

dandarc

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #603 on: September 29, 2021, 07:42:33 AM »
We should re-title this thread "Malcat's MMM Forum Content, Abridged"

Dicey

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #604 on: September 29, 2021, 08:00:56 AM »
We should re-title this thread "Malcat's MMM Forum Content, Abridged"
I know we're not supposed to comment here, but I just can't help myself. A-fucking-men!

mspym

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #605 on: October 22, 2021, 04:16:59 PM »
Sol popped up to drop this wisdom about charity and DAFs

My one piece of advice is to give yourself a hard limit on annual disbursements from the DAF.  We still find it difficult to give away money as fast as is necessary, because the DAF is such a convenient place to stash it and forget it.  For example, we try to give away at least 10% of the total balance plus half of all new contributions each year, lest the fund grow too large.  I try to remind myself that it is not like my other investment accounts, and I do not want it to get bigger over time.  It's supposed to be a flow-through intermediary account only.

Charity deferred is not charity at all

Ladychips

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #606 on: October 24, 2021, 06:22:02 PM »
Seeing Sol's name made me smile.

This is a post from quite some time ago but I just saw it today.  I deleted most of the original quote because I thought this response was on target regardless of the situation...

...  It has been a little bit expensive, but in the end, I think it is well worth it!

Thanks for the update! Don't worry about the cost, this is why we save money: to make difficult situations go away.


maizefolk

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #607 on: October 24, 2021, 06:35:56 PM »
This is a post from quite some time ago but I just saw it today.  I deleted most of the original quote because I thought this response was on target regardless of the situation...

...  It has been a little bit expensive, but in the end, I think it is well worth it!

Thanks for the update! Don't worry about the cost, this is why we save money: to make difficult situations go away.


I like this one! As much as I try to save money in my day to day life, whenever a situation comes up where I do have to spend a lot (and things would be messy/bad if I didn't have it to spend) it always makes me feel incredibly grateful that I have the resources to draw upon and it just means I'll have bad savings numbers for the month, not the disaster it could very easily be if I were living paycheck to paycheck.

Extramedium

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #608 on: October 25, 2021, 12:49:54 PM »
This is a post from quite some time ago but I just saw it today.  I deleted most of the original quote because I thought this response was on target regardless of the situation...

...  It has been a little bit expensive, but in the end, I think it is well worth it!

Thanks for the update! Don't worry about the cost, this is why we save money: to make difficult situations go away.


I like this one! As much as I try to save money in my day to day life, whenever a situation comes up where I do have to spend a lot (and things would be messy/bad if I didn't have it to spend) it always makes me feel incredibly grateful that I have the resources to draw upon and it just means I'll have bad savings numbers for the month, not the disaster it could very easily be if I were living paycheck to paycheck.

Hear, hear!  When writing a big check for a home or auto repair, or for medical/surgical/veterinary care, I remind myself (after wincing) of how these are the moments of life we prepare for with frugality and investing.  These hiccups aren't anomalies of life, they're ordinary features of life, and the ability to absorb them is like a superpower.  I've been poor, and in debt, and it helps to think of those times when I didn't know how I would get out of these jams that I can now do simply, with some of the money I've saved.

dandarc

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #609 on: October 29, 2021, 03:14:49 PM »
Kind of regret having posted in this thread, but if I hadn't I might not have seen this paragraph from the_gastropod explaining exactly why crypto is so awful:

<snip>

This is very common behavior, for whatever reason, in crypto circles. I, frankly, find it a bit troubling. Not only because it's kinda cult-like, and makes you make really bad arguments. But because cryptocurrency is inherently very political. At its core is—in my opinion—a rather gross extreme form of anti-state libertarianism. I don't think it's a stretch to draw a direct line between that particular philosophy and some of our more... embarrassing recent political situations. I think "investing" in cryptocurrency and parroting its (bad) talking points is actively helping to spread this dangerous ideology, and is therefore harmful. I find it upsetting that it's gotten such a grip on people, because, hey, you can maybe earn a few bucks while helping to destroy democracy!

FI45RE

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #610 on: February 25, 2022, 09:11:08 AM »
Hopefully reviving this thread, as it tends to get lost from time to time.

On FIRE-ing young and feeling rudderless, @ChpBstrd says:

"Great job financially!

I think a lot of us want to exit the workforce because it so often lacks intellectual stimulation and because the status symbols one gets along the way are so meaningless. Unfortunately, we live in a society where pairing work and its cousin consumerism are considered The Only Way to accomplish great things. Thus the 60-hour-week corporate director with his 4,000sf McMansion and luxury SUV feels quite accomplished for simply doing what s/he has been told to do by everyone else. Next thing you know they're drinking every night to get their brain to stop protesting the shallowness of it all. Deep down they know their work doesn't matter, their fancy objects will end up a layer in a landfill, and they will end up just as dead as the panhandlers they pity.

I sincerely doubt that you encountered many people in Silicon Valley who spent their days reading classical literature, raising their own food, making art out of fallen leaves, talking philosophy with friends, stargazing, or deep-diving into a series of topics with no monetary incentive. These aren't "achievements" in the way most people see it. An "achievement" is something that awes other people because they can't do it. It's not enough to enjoy a walk in the woods; one must win the cross-country race! It's not enough to have a home; the home needs to be bigger than most people can afford! It's not enough to experience the joy of teaching oneself an easy tune on the piano on a lazy afternoon; one must be able to play several pieces from famous composers!

The illusion of achievement affects all things. Some of us extend our parents' approval of good grades into a lifelong quest to impress others. I have no other explanation for Rolex watches, giant houses, or Cadillac SUVs or the people who sacrifice everything to obtain them.

Now that you don't have to work every day, it's time to consider peeling back the layers of values that you accumulated by default or from other people.

What would be important in a world where there were no promotions, nowhere you couldn't decide to be, no worries about other people judging you for wasting time or talent, no fake signposts saying "satisfaction this way!"? You've basically left your old planet and found yourself on an alien world where all your assumptions are invalid.

Maybe soon you'll see that the old values around "achievement" you worked so hard to pursue were not actually goals; they were restrictions. You had been herded onto a well-worn but narrow path so quickly that you never became aware of other possibilities. Your FI status allows you to stop for a minute and look around, but the blinders are still on. Is it OK to say "I'm going to spend the rest of my life fucking off" or is it wrong to waste the talent and resources that other people need? Is it OK to define achievement as a subjective thing, rather than as something recognized by others? MMM decided his idea of a good time was carpentry - a job typically done by people with a high school education. Is he an "underachiever", and should anyone care what they are labeled? Outside of the high-cost areas where only careerists can afford to live, there is a whole world of people pursing different values - some self-defined, and others just as herd-mentality as the careerists. And of course, many people spend their whole lives shopping for a way to be meaningful.

In the end, it is adult humans who define what it means to be meaningful, and who define what it is that is worth working hard or suffering for, whether they are defining it for themselves or as a way to influence others. The deep mindfuck is realizing that you're as qualified as any other human to be a value-definer. Even deeper is when you realize how effortlessly and unconsciously you've accepted the value set you've been handed.

The actionable advice in this situation is to write down the things you think you value right now at a very high level, and then begin relentlessly criticizing them. You need to put your assumptions on trial, to see what survives and what doesn't. Pick apart "achievement". Look at how vague terms like "goodness" and "beneficial" are. How is "meaningfulness" defined for an ape living for a very short time on a floating speck of dust in a universe with at least billions of galaxies? Teach yourself to ask questions at a higher level than practicality or corporate strategy. Unless you decide to simply do what you're told in some new way, the question of meaning is beyond the practical analysis that got you this far."

Here's the original thread

Focus_on_the_fire

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #611 on: February 25, 2022, 09:32:31 AM »
Thanks for sharing Malcat’s post. It was one of the best reads I’ve had in a long time.

FireLane

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #612 on: February 28, 2022, 07:20:56 AM »
@clifp on life lessons learned from 23 years of early retirement:

May will mark year 23 of not getting a paycheck, I was 39 at the time.  I'm almost always content, and some days happy. Still, I would have done some things differently.
Since I never miss a chance to pontificate, I'll be happy to do so.

Psychology
1.  FI is a number, RE is a state of mind; don't confuse them
2.  It is much better to take early retirement to do something than to not do something (i.e. work)
My dad retired early to build a wooden airplane, another guy wanted to bike across America, another couple helped save the family farm. Developing the next Minecraft, writing a novel, or climbing mountains are good.  Pretty much any sentence that starts. I want to retire early, in order to spend more time doing my passion of XYZ is fine.  Generic things like traveling more, spend more time with kids; are not so good.
3. For most people retirement will result in lower highs and higher lows
It is really hard to replace the sense of accomplishment, be part of something greater than yourself, the internal and external validation that you get from finishing a big project, getting a promotion and nice raise from work, or a company award.  Completely a marathon, planting a garden, finishing a long computer game, all give me a sense of accomplishment, but external validation is pretty minimal.
My best weeks were weeks I was working, on the other hand, I never had a bad month since I've retired, but
plenty of months while working that was pretty unhappy.
4. Life is too short to work at a job you hate, that goes double if you are FI. If you are under 50, seriously consider taking a 3-12 sabbatical/leave of absence in lieu of retiring early. If your company won't let you, then you quit and take it anyway. Taking a 12-month leave of absence from Intel, was the smartest psychological and financial thing I did.  There is a decent chance you'll decide you just needed a break or a different job.
5. Make sure your spouse/SO is really onboard
6. Work provides a place for social interactions/finding friendship (I suppose this may have changed post Covid) Your working friends, won't have time to play. Finding activities, volunteering to take the place of work is really important.

Financials:
7. There are no rules; just guidelines. 4%SWR, use Index funds, don't market time, stick to an AA, ain't the 10 commandments.
8. Before violating the guidelines get a 2nd opinion, here or at a place like early-retirment.org.  The perspective of knowledgeable folks is very valuable. I'd say I took forum advice about 1/2 the time I ask over the last 20 years.
9.  Manage your own money especially while you are young. It can be hard to learn about the details of investing while you are working, much less of an excuse when you are retired. The ROI is very high.
10.  Even if you don't do your own taxes make sure you understand the system, and the important phaseouts, for ACA, tax rates, capital gains etc.
11.) LeanFire for someone under 50, in today's world where financial assets are overvalued is extremely risky. A big part of why I've enjoyed my retirement is that except 2008/9 I've never been stressed about money. OMY is one thing for somebody with assets over $3-5 million, it is prudent, IMO for someone with assets under a million.
12) Think carefully about your backup plans, like "I'll just go back to work if the market tanks."  In 2009, after the market crash, and the dividends on more than dozen stocks I owned were cut or eliminated, I found that my income was less than my expense for the first time ever. My backup plan was to go back to work if my assets dropped below a certain level.  Well, it turns out that 2009 was shitty time for anyone to be looking for a job, much less a tech/marketing guy with skills a decade out of date.  My backup plan was worthless, luckily the bull market bailed me out.
I have a friend who lost over a million in the tech crash of 2000-2002, he is still living paycheck to paycheck.

MustachioedPistachio

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #613 on: April 19, 2022, 09:21:58 AM »
@never give up on the luxury of FIRE and free time.

It seems awfully extravagant to "pay" for so much free time.
In a nutshell you've just described exactly what FIRE is. You're completely correct. It's extremely expensive to pay for free time in terms of the opportunity cost of earnings we forego. When someone retires two years, five years, ten years, twenty years early, think how much earnings are left on the table. We do this though because we value the time more than we value the additional money. I love this concept because it strikes hard at the very core of what we define as enough. That 'enough' word is the antithesis of modern consumer driven lifestyles and it is vital for anyone pursuing FIRE to define what 'enough' means for them. Without grasping this concept, we have no hope of understanding our relationship with money and consequently we'll be unable to home in on a FIRE target number.

Wolfpack Mustachian

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #614 on: April 19, 2022, 03:49:44 PM »
@never give up on the luxury of FIRE and free time.

It seems awfully extravagant to "pay" for so much free time.
In a nutshell you've just described exactly what FIRE is. You're completely correct. It's extremely expensive to pay for free time in terms of the opportunity cost of earnings we forego. When someone retires two years, five years, ten years, twenty years early, think how much earnings are left on the table. We do this though because we value the time more than we value the additional money. I love this concept because it strikes hard at the very core of what we define as enough. That 'enough' word is the antithesis of modern consumer driven lifestyles and it is vital for anyone pursuing FIRE to define what 'enough' means for them. Without grasping this concept, we have no hope of understanding our relationship with money and consequently we'll be unable to home in on a FIRE target number.

Wow, great encapsulation of FIRE!

RyanAtTanagra

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #615 on: April 20, 2022, 11:44:58 AM »
@clifp on life lessons learned from 23 years of early retirement:


Financials:
12) Think carefully about your backup plans, like "I'll just go back to work if the market tanks."  In 2009, after the market crash, and the dividends on more than dozen stocks I owned were cut or eliminated, I found that my income was less than my expense for the first time ever. My backup plan was to go back to work if my assets dropped below a certain level.  Well, it turns out that 2009 was shitty time for anyone to be looking for a job, much less a tech/marketing guy with skills a decade out of date.  My backup plan was worthless, luckily the bull market bailed me out.
I have a friend who lost over a million in the tech crash of 2000-2002, he is still living paycheck to paycheck.
A lot of people on these boards are too optimistic about their ability to get employment during a recession, probably because they've never had to do it.
Most recently during covid lockdown I was unable to work. I had considered layers of backup plans for the possibility of my not being able to work (though I never considered that I would be unable to work while still healthy).
Every aspect of my backup plan to protect cash flow failed -- while they were good plans, the situation was so strange that none of them were viable.

1. I could not get a roomate. (Introducing covid exposure risk)
2. I could not give up my apt and move to my rental house (govt blocked evictions for any reason include non-payment of rent)
3. There were no other job options as things were closed down.
4. I couldn't even spend my emergency cash. No business would take it (because fomite fears).

Because I had chosen my larger investments in dividend stocks that had not cut dividends in previous recessions, that cash-flow continued. But it wasn't -- and isn't yet -- enough to live on exclusively.

Please click over to the original linked thread to continue that thread's conversation, to keep this one clean.

2Cent

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #616 on: April 21, 2022, 02:47:44 AM »
Posting to follow. Really cool to have a place where the collective pearls of wisdom from this forum are gathered.

oneday

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #617 on: April 29, 2022, 04:28:44 PM »
Oh for Pete's sake, treat yourself as if you matter as much as the rest of your family.  Just quit.  Take the time you need to de-stress and figure out what you want to do next.

When I am fretting about something -- particularly when I know I'm not being rational about it -- the thing that helps me most is to play out those "worst fear" scenarios. Telling myself not to worry is useless, because my Inner Bag Lady is strong, and attempting to brush off her concerns just makes her more determined to be heard.  The only thing that shuts her up is to call her bluff, look the possibilities dead in the eye, and force myself to see that the worst-case scenario is just fine. 

So you take time off, maybe have another kid.  What if the job market goes in the shitter?  OK, well, your husband is still making more than enough to cover your living expenses.  But he's on a contract -- what if it isn't renewed?  Well, you have $900K and expenses of $35K/yr.  How many years can you scrape by on $900K to tide you over?  How long was the Great Depression?  You've got enough to see you through more than twice that, even if neither of you earns any money at all.  And if you somehow manage to run through your 'stache, you have a paid-off house you could sell, which would easily cover many additional years in an apartment.  But we'd have to give up child care!  Well, that's not ideal, but it's only a few short years before the job market recovers and/or your kid goes to kindergarten -- and there are all sorts of other solutions, too, like trading off time with friends, sharing childcare time more equitably with your husband (who is unemployed in or Parade of Horribles and thus has ample time available).  But then what if you can never find a job in your chosen field?  At your level of expenses, you guys could work as baristas and get by; really, with $900K in assets and your expenses, you'd basically be working to cover child care.  Etc. etc. etc. 

You guys have worked your asses off and saved a ton of money to get where you are by your ages.  And you clearly have excellent habits if you are making well over $100K and still living on $35K.  All of that effort has paid off:  it has bought you the freedom to step off the treadmill for a while.  So use that freedom -- you've earned it.  And trust that those same skills and abilities that got you here will see you through whatever comes after.

Dee_the_third

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #618 on: April 29, 2022, 05:43:37 PM »
Hey, this is a great thread. PTF.

mspym

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #619 on: May 02, 2022, 03:05:17 PM »
A nice reminder about the markets
I would recommend OP finds a new hobby. Contrarian opinions are nice, but if you believe we're all doomed all the time then maybe find your tribe and get some fresh air once in a while. Life is short, arguing with people on the internet won't improve your chances of FIRE success.

Sometimes what I need is a nice reality-check clip upside the head, and 2B1S can be counted on to deliver.

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #620 on: August 03, 2022, 07:27:38 PM »
Today's contribution is a two-fer:

@sui generis provides the wisdom & @rockstache shows me how great it really is:

I hope you can have the best of both worlds, but on the off chance that you do have to make a tough decision, I'll also say that research shows people do make the best of their situations after making whatever decision they make. In the sense that, years from now whatever you do you will find reasons that that worked out well for you.  I guess this sounds weird and not super helpful in advance, when you actually have to make a thoughtful decision.  But once you've done your best on the decision, know that you will maximize the pros of whatever decision you did make and compensate for the cons as best as possible and will still be able to be happy.  While I mentioned the job I regret leaving above, I should point out that I only shared the cons of my decision.  In the holistic view, I still have more than enough money to comfortably FIRE and I never would have met my husband if I hadn't left that job.  So even if I regret leaving it, if you asked me if I'd do it differently, I probably wouldn't!  I am hopeful that, even if things don't go as hoped in your case, you'll at least be able to say the same in a decade or two.
This really really speaks to me right now and makes me feel hopeful about some decisions I have to make soon. Thank you!


@TheGrimSqueaker is so quick-witted, I just love that (plus it's true!):
stealth wealth

Lol, why have I not heard this before?

Because we're just that discreet about it.

Cannot Wait!

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #621 on: August 03, 2022, 08:18:10 PM »
My brother who was a military officer was taught (in the heat of battle), "Make a decision,  then make it the right decision".

the_hobbitish

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #622 on: August 05, 2022, 09:43:25 AM »
posting to follow

mspym

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #623 on: September 13, 2022, 12:34:43 AM »
From the thread on climate change - this is some really good and easy to implement advice
I'm going to have an even smaller ask than @Malcat. Malcat's reply to your post is that you haven't yet found the type of action/activism, that works for and is sustainable for you and that you'll need to find it. Maybe you will.

But I'm going to propose an even easier thing for you to do. Not activism. Not advocating for change. Instead, I'd argue the the simplest, easiest, highest effect to lowest effort ratio thing you can do is:

Every time you catch yourself talking other people out of trying to change the world for the better, stop.

Maybe it really is it's hopeless and exactly the same quantity of human suffering and misery will occur if we try to achieve change or if we don't. But maybe the difference between 2.5 and 3.0 degrees of warming still matters and that the difference between 2.5 and 3 degrees of warning is still a set of outcomes we have the power to influence.

If I'm right, trying to discourage other people by telling them it is hopeless is actively causing harm to the future. If I'm wrong, none of it matters anyway, what is to be gained by trying to talk people out of having false hope and into despair?

I want to be clear I'm not trying to pick on you individually. This strain of "not only do I give up, but I'm going to try to talk anyone who hasn't already given up into despairing too" thinking pops up a lot in climate discussions much more so in the past five years. I find it extremely counterproductive and I struggling to understand people's motivations in advocating for it.

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #624 on: October 13, 2022, 06:11:14 PM »
This absolute gem from @Laura33 focused on what retirement means and how it can be viewed by our children

You know, there was a thread about this a couple of years ago that would be worth reviewing if you can find it. 

To me, the short answer is that the question itself is based on a false premise, i.e., that the "work" in "work ethic" means "leave the house for 40-80 hrs/week to work for pay."  That's just wrong.

Kids watch how you live and what you value -- and they determine what you value by watching what you do.  If they see you regularly taking care of the house, cooking food to put on the table, spending weekend days doing chores around the house or some sort of productive hobby, maybe volunteering for some cause that you care about, they will learn that you value taking care of stuff that needs to be taken care of and using your time productively.  If you are open with them about your finances, your salary, your savings, etc., they will learn that working at a paid job can be an important value, too, because it gives you the $$ you need to do all of those other things.  But it is only a part of the picture.

Moreover, paid work is not even the most important part of the picture.  I mean, if you work 60 hrs/week, then watch TV every night and weekend, are you teaching your kid the value of work?  They're not there to see you put in the effort when you're in the office; all they're probably learning is "work is super exhausting, and boy I don't want to do that."  If you want your kid to learn a work ethic when you're out of the house doing invisible stuff for 60 hrs/week, you're going to need to spend a lot of time at home talking about what you did that day, what was good, what was bad, the challenges and successes and disappointments -- they need visibility into what "work a paid job" actually means. 

But even then, kids get 10x more from what they see than from what they hear.  So rather than chase a red herring ("how can I explain to my kids how important it is to work when I don't have paid employment anymore?"), focus on what you actually do for all those various hours when you're around your kids.  That's what matters.  Are you engaged, are you challenging yourself, are you responsible about getting things done even when you don't want to, do you put effort in to making the world a little better for someone else, etc. etc. etc.  That's what "work" actually is -- and that's the kind of "work" kids can see, understand, and get excited about.*  And, conveniently, it's the kind of work that you can in fact do even more of once you FIRE and no longer have to worry about that pesky paycheck.


*As my kids are moving toward late HS/late college, I have shown them both MMM's "Shockingly Simple Math."  DS looked at me like I was out of my mind -- to him, the reason he is going to go to college and get a job is because he wants to build robots and learn cool stuff; saving huge amounts of money to quit that sooner was completely counterintuitive, because he's in it for the work itself, not the money.  I had to reframe the issue as having the financial freedom to take the job you want vs. the job that pays the most; then it clicked in.

Laura33

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #625 on: October 14, 2022, 07:21:08 AM »
Awww, thanks @nereo

deborah

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #626 on: October 18, 2022, 03:14:32 AM »
On why not to declutter
STOP ORGANIZING!

Here's my theory on everything from Ikea to Marie Komodo - or whatever her name is. If your house is neat and tidy and everything is organized and put away, then it looks like there is all kinds of extra space for you to fill with "stuff." This leads to a deadly consumeristic cycle in which you buy stuff to fill the excess space.

On the other had, if your home has shoes all over the entryway, towels draped over teh bannisters, a sofa no one has room to sit on, etc. ad nauseum, your home feels like it is bursting at teh seams, and the only solution is to de-clutter by getting rid of stuff. See - a neat house leads to spendypants activity while a messy one not only frees up time in your day, it also leads you to buy less junk.

Or something.

I'm still not cleaning off my desk. You can't make me. You're not the boss of me.

grantmeaname

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #627 on: October 24, 2022, 03:19:59 PM »
Great post from R@63 over in the book club thinking about nutrition from the food's perspective. Very fun!
Just a few thoughts.

N=1 is always a good idea.  Your body and its history are unique.


From a biologist's viewpoint:

Alkaloids* are plant responses to insects, they are toxins  Unfortunately we like them.  Caffeine is a good example.  We are just a lot bigger than insects, so the dose is lower.  Nicotine is also a plant alkaloid.  In concentrated form it is also toxic, and is easily absorbed through the skin.  Back when it was a commercial insecticide there were always deaths and near-deaths from spills**.

Plants don't like predators eating their seeds.  If their main seed predator is a mammal (like us, cattle, horses, etc.) then they are more likely to contain chemicals that are not good for mammals.  If the seeds are more likely to be eaten by birds, then the chemical defenses are more likely to be aimed at birds.  Same for insects as main seed predator.  Not guaranteed safe for mammals, odds are just a bit better.

Still on seeds - fruits are a plant's methods to move their seeds to a new home, with fertilizer.  So ripe fruits where the seeds are protected are enticing not damaging.  This has 2 implications - unripe fruits have seeds that are not ready to be released to the world yet, so the plant will make those unripe fruits unappealing - nasty tasting, poisonous, etc.  We get around some of that with cooking.  Second, the seeds inside those yummy fruits have some sort of protection so they don't get digested when the fruit is eaten - they are too small or too large to be crushed by teeth, they taste bad, they are toxic.  After all, almond flavouring is partly cyanide, so almond seeds are edible but peach and apple seeds are poisonous, just a difference in the amount of poison.    All of this to say, ripe fruit is better than unripe fruit and seeds are all potentially iffy to dangerous.  Of course people can develop sensitivity to fruits and seeds, look at strawberries.

And even fruits that we think are OK may not be.  Grapefruit interacts with some meds - I read recently that it inhibits the action of the cytochrome P45 enzyme in the liver, the enzyme that does a lot of metabolic detoxification.  So the cP45 enzyme doesn't do what it should do to a medication, a lot of medications are inactive as they are taken and are activated by the liver.

I would say that plants invented chemical warfare, except they didn't, bacteria did (think botulism as just one of many examples), followed by plants and fungi (aflotoxins in grains and peanuts are a major health issue).   Prey work hard at not being eaten, so anything we want to eat has protections against us, unless it is a very domesticated food that we have bred the protections out of.  Like canola oil, mostly.  Of course one of the big jobs of our liver is to detoxify all these protections.


Dairy - the original casein molecule gene had a mutation relatively recently.  A2 casein is the original, A1, is the mutation.  A lot of people who react to dairy, when it is not a lactose intolerance, are sensitive to A1.  So casein products and regular milk can all trigger them, while they may be fine with A2 milk.  Or if they are sensitive to all caseins (and/or whey) then they lose dairy.  For some people they are fine with ghee and not butter because of the milk solids.


*illustrative story - agronomists were looking for a coffee species that was naturally low in caffeine  They found one but it was high in other alkaloids and the coffee tasted horrible, alkaloids will do that.

** When I was a grad student I met an older chemist whose lab partner, back when they were grad students (so the 1920s or 30s), had spilled concentrated nicotine extract on himself.  Went into convulsions and almost died.  Fortunately it wasn't quite enough to kill him before his liver detoxified it, and he was OK.

RetiredAt63

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #628 on: October 24, 2022, 05:05:56 PM »
Great post from R@63 over in the book club thinking about nutrition from the food's perspective. Very fun!

Wow, my post is in the company of so many great posts.  I didn't expect that post to make it here. ;-)

grantmeaname

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #629 on: October 24, 2022, 05:39:49 PM »
Your marble bust and acanthus leaves are in the mail ;)

RetiredAt63

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #630 on: October 24, 2022, 10:59:03 PM »
Your marble bust and acanthus leaves are in the mail ;)

I trust you packed them carefully.     ;-)

FireLane

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #631 on: November 20, 2022, 03:17:26 PM »
I nominate this post from @MissNancyPryor in the class of 2019 thread:

I passed 3 years retired this fall, and it has been excellent.  I am 53 now and I still get the "What DO you do all day?" question now and again, spoken with a snide tone that signals disapproval of my wasted life. 

"Whatever I want to," is my short answer, having abandoned all effort to elaborate.  I used to try to explain but now I have come to see the absurdity of the question. 

If someone can’t fathom how to spend their time at a relatively young age 50, do they expect a magic answer to that question when they are more physically and mentally eroded at 65?  Do they think answers simply appear from the mist with a social security check? 

If the answer at 65 is, “travel,” or “throw away my alarm clock,” or “finally concentrate on my health,” how about doing all of that 15+ years earlier?
       
The reason people ask is simply that they don’t have enough money saved to quit early and it probably never occurred to them that they could.  If any of the incredulous people won the lottery they would have plenty of answers about how to spend their time and would quit their day jobs guilt-free.  The answers about what to do would magically appear and they wouldn't think to scold others about obvious character flaws and lack of work ethic. 

I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it.
 
In my career I was resentful of handing over my days to ungrateful overlords and I was boundlessly curious about literally ANYTHING ELSE I could do with my time.  I admit it, I didn’t retire TO anything.  I retired FROM meaningless bullshit, and it is marvelous. 

The answer is clear.

Ladychips

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #632 on: November 20, 2022, 04:11:23 PM »
I nominate this post from @MissNancyPryor in the class of 2019 thread:

I passed 3 years retired this fall, and it has been excellent.  I am 53 now and I still get the "What DO you do all day?" question now and again, spoken with a snide tone that signals disapproval of my wasted life. 

"Whatever I want to," is my short answer, having abandoned all effort to elaborate.  I used to try to explain but now I have come to see the absurdity of the question. 

If someone can’t fathom how to spend their time at a relatively young age 50, do they expect a magic answer to that question when they are more physically and mentally eroded at 65?  Do they think answers simply appear from the mist with a social security check? 

If the answer at 65 is, “travel,” or “throw away my alarm clock,” or “finally concentrate on my health,” how about doing all of that 15+ years earlier?
       
The reason people ask is simply that they don’t have enough money saved to quit early and it probably never occurred to them that they could.  If any of the incredulous people won the lottery they would have plenty of answers about how to spend their time and would quit their day jobs guilt-free.  The answers about what to do would magically appear and they wouldn't think to scold others about obvious character flaws and lack of work ethic. 

I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it.
 
In my career I was resentful of handing over my days to ungrateful overlords and I was boundlessly curious about literally ANYTHING ELSE I could do with my time.  I admit it, I didn’t retire TO anything.  I retired FROM meaningless bullshit, and it is marvelous. 

The answer is clear.

I second this nomination, especially the bolded part.

Zikoris

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #633 on: November 20, 2022, 05:47:49 PM »
I nominate this post from @MissNancyPryor in the class of 2019 thread:

I passed 3 years retired this fall, and it has been excellent.  I am 53 now and I still get the "What DO you do all day?" question now and again, spoken with a snide tone that signals disapproval of my wasted life. 

"Whatever I want to," is my short answer, having abandoned all effort to elaborate.  I used to try to explain but now I have come to see the absurdity of the question. 

If someone can’t fathom how to spend their time at a relatively young age 50, do they expect a magic answer to that question when they are more physically and mentally eroded at 65?  Do they think answers simply appear from the mist with a social security check? 

If the answer at 65 is, “travel,” or “throw away my alarm clock,” or “finally concentrate on my health,” how about doing all of that 15+ years earlier?
       
The reason people ask is simply that they don’t have enough money saved to quit early and it probably never occurred to them that they could.  If any of the incredulous people won the lottery they would have plenty of answers about how to spend their time and would quit their day jobs guilt-free.  The answers about what to do would magically appear and they wouldn't think to scold others about obvious character flaws and lack of work ethic. 

I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it.
 
In my career I was resentful of handing over my days to ungrateful overlords and I was boundlessly curious about literally ANYTHING ELSE I could do with my time.  I admit it, I didn’t retire TO anything.  I retired FROM meaningless bullshit, and it is marvelous. 

The answer is clear.

To be fair, a lot of people are just genuinely boring human beings, and when they eventually retire they just watch 12 hours of TV a day. Pretty depressing, but not uncommon. I imagine a lot of the people incredulous at the idea of retiring early have that future.

maizefolk

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #634 on: November 20, 2022, 08:14:45 PM »
That's a really good one. Thank you @FireLane

MissNancyPryor

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #635 on: November 20, 2022, 10:02:29 PM »
Aw, shucks.  Thanks to all for the nod. 

ender

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #636 on: November 22, 2022, 08:31:36 AM »
I think I read it here - someone recently had a post about how the wife was the primary earner, taking care of the family, etc.

Her husband basically didn't contribute.

But at social gatherings, everyone talked about the husbands career and focused on him.

Does anyone know what post I'm referring to?

edit: found it from @caleb

I know several women in my life who work, pay most of the bills, clean the house, and take care of the kids. Meanwhile their husband owns a lawn business or works part time or something and spends most of their time just playing games and fishing and bragging about all their free time.


Ha!  Not to derail this thread further, but I feel like that ^ guy deserves his own caricature/meme, the small business dude version of Karens and Chads.  Call him Jeff.

Jeff owns a small business.  Preferably very seasonal.  Lawn service, pool cleaning, maybe light road construction.  Something unlicensed, with lots of machines, but rarely hand tools.

Jeff has all the gear.  Whatever the latest tool is on the market, he has three.  His pickup is never more than two years old, and he rotates between custom fabbed trailers to pull around. 

His pickup is definitely a business expense, and his fishing boat may or may not be titled to the company.  From his family cell phone plan to his daily drive through lunch, he keeps his receipts for the costs of doing business.

He has recently built a shop with an office, complete with two recliners, a beer fridge, and a 84" flatscreen.  He tends to work lots of Sundays in the fall.

Jeff is at work 12 hours a day all year, making sure to leave right as the kids are getting up so that his kids see his work ethic.  He bills from May to September.  Nearly all of that money "goes back into the business."  Last year he reported an income of $11,000. 

Jeff is married to Katie.  Katie is a nurse who started out with an associates degree and gradually bootstrapped her way up the payscale through a BS and now an MS through night school.  She's currently the charge nurse, and she's running the math on whether a DNP is worth it.

Katie pulls night shifts so she can be available for pickup, dropoff, and other kid needs during the day.  She also picks up all the available overtime to cover the spring break trip to Florida.

Katie carries the family's health insurance.  She has a union pension, and contributes to a 401k.  She has very quietly opened a 529 for each of the kids even though Jeff insists college is a scam.

At family and social events, 90% of the work-talk is about Jeff's business.  It's great that he has accomplished so much to provide a nice life for his family.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2022, 08:36:27 AM by ender »

Mr. Green

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #637 on: November 22, 2022, 09:05:10 AM »
I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it.
 
In my career I was resentful of handing over my days to ungrateful overlords and I was boundlessly curious about literally ANYTHING ELSE I could do with my time.  I admit it, I didn’t retire TO anything.  I retired FROM meaningless bullshit, and it is marvelous. 

The answer is clear.
I feel like this was us too! 5+ years later and I still don't feel like I FIREd "to" anything. I attempted that in the beginning because I thought that would give me the best chance of success but both of the things I planned to do first bombed. Been bummin' around ever since and it's glorious.

chasingsnow

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #638 on: November 22, 2022, 07:04:38 PM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!

Dicey

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #639 on: November 22, 2022, 07:17:25 PM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!
Spoiler Alert: I suspect Malcat has more posts quoted here than any other mustachian. By a mile.

Mr. Green

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #640 on: November 22, 2022, 08:20:39 PM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!
Spoiler Alert: I suspect Malcat has more posts quoted here than any other mustachian. By a mile.
The title could almost be changed to "The best post from Malcat I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was.."

Dicey

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #641 on: November 22, 2022, 09:12:52 PM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!
Spoiler Alert: I suspect Malcat has more posts quoted here than any other mustachian. By a mile.
The title could almost be changed to "The best post from Malcat I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was.."
Indeed!

Metalcat

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #642 on: November 23, 2022, 06:46:27 AM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!
Spoiler Alert: I suspect Malcat has more posts quoted here than any other mustachian. By a mile.
The title could almost be changed to "The best post from Malcat I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was.."
Indeed!

IDK, it's been a long time since I was quoted here.

I'm just a forum has-been now, lol.

Loren Ver

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #643 on: November 23, 2022, 10:55:31 AM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!
Spoiler Alert: I suspect Malcat has more posts quoted here than any other mustachian. By a mile.
The title could almost be changed to "The best post from Malcat I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was.."
Indeed!

IDK, it's been a long time since I was quoted here.

I'm just a forum has-been now, lol.

It is good to get your sage wisdom out early, that way to can coastFIRE if you want to ;)

ender

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #644 on: November 23, 2022, 12:02:14 PM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!
Spoiler Alert: I suspect Malcat has more posts quoted here than any other mustachian. By a mile.
The title could almost be changed to "The best post from Malcat I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was.."
Indeed!

IDK, it's been a long time since I was quoted here.

I'm just a forum has-been now, lol.

It is good to get your sage wisdom out early, that way to can coastFIRE if you want to ;)

I think you mean postFIRE? or is it post-postFIRE?

Dicey

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #645 on: November 23, 2022, 12:08:01 PM »
PTF for all the sage wisdom in this thread!!
Spoiler Alert: I suspect Malcat has more posts quoted here than any other mustachian. By a mile.
The title could almost be changed to "The best post from Malcat I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was.."
Indeed!

IDK, it's been a long time since I was quoted here.

I'm just a forum has-been now, lol.
That's because you were only posting in your journal for a time. It makes my heart happy to see you venturing out a bit more into forumland lately.

former player

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #646 on: December 08, 2022, 06:50:28 AM »
PeteD01 replied to this statement:
Quote
[author redacted, posted in the Christians! What the fork? thread on Christianity and gay marriage if you really want to know]
All simply to avoid offending and slightly inconveniencing someone who now has to go to the next cake shop down the street.
Should the cake shop owner be forced to create a Nazi cake, a penis cake for a child's 10th birthday, a "yay I got away with murder" cake? Service isn't being refused based on who the customer is, as was the case in Jim Crow, but what he/she is asked to produce.

Posting here for the clarity of his reply:

Ok, let's dissect this a bit starting with the imaginary customers ordering such cakes:

1) Nazi cakes are typically ordered by Nazis

2) penis cakes for a child's birthday, are ordered by child molesters

3)"yay I got away with murder" cakes are typically ordered by murderers

4) Wedding cakes for gay weddings are typically ordered by gay couples

What you are doing here is creating an association of Nazis, child molesters and murderers with gay people. This is hate speech that is trying to elicit disgust in the recipient and direct it towards gay people.

(This post modified to remove any possible confusion as to what is being posted and why.)
« Last Edit: December 08, 2022, 08:34:09 AM by former player »

grantmeaname

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #647 on: December 08, 2022, 06:57:07 AM »
some trouble with your quote tags I think...

ATtiny85

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #648 on: December 08, 2022, 08:24:59 AM »
some trouble with your quote tags I think...

among other things

roomtempmayo

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Re: The best post I saw today on the Mr Money Mustache forums was...
« Reply #649 on: December 17, 2022, 09:46:12 AM »
From @TreeLeaf 's tale of dishwasher woe:


Well...We're kind of cheap...and figured out that Chipotle forks can withstand the dishwasher heat, even on the sanitize cycle. So part of our fork collection is comprised of chipotle forks in addition to our normal stainless steel forks. Welcome to my world.

One of these chipotle forks became dislodged from the silverware tray in the dishwasher and came into contact with the dishwasher heating element, which melted the fork clean in half.

The handle half of the melted fork then made it's way through the bypass of the main filter, through the coarse filter which looks like it is designed to stop just this sort of stray half melted chipotle fork situation, then lodged itself directly into the intake tube to the chopper blades with the melted part of the handle stuck in the tube.

This was enough to slow down the flow rate from the pump enough to stop the upper control arm from spinning, which resulted in extremely poor cleaning performance.

After removing the half melted chipotle fork the dishwasher now cleans dishes perfectly.

I'm not sure what to say here.