I feel like Mr. Money Mustache's blog and this forum has changed my life. A few months ago, I was saving almost nothing every month. Since the beginning of the year, I've been putting away 20-30% of my paychecks, I've eliminated all of my credit card debt, opened a retirement fund and investment account, and I've even offered to start helping my girlfriend pay off her student debt (I luckily have none). I started the year with a negative net worth, and now it's gone to almost $3,000, just in the past two or three months of saving and investing.
I thought my friends and my girlfriend had a good understanding of my tilt towards mustachianism, until yesterday evening when we were discussing cars over dinner. We're planning on moving to the West Coast in a year, and I'm definitely going to have to replace my 20-year old Ford Escort before we drive cross-country. I'm not confident it will survive the trip. It has almost 150,000 miles on it, and it's also a gas-guzzler, and not the most reliable to begin with (It is a Fix Or Repair Daily, after all). Selling the car and buying a more mustachian automobile will probably benefit us in the long run, move or not.
I mentioned the fact that I wanted a used Honda Fit, and everyone at the table thought I was crazy. They all told me I should lease a car (completely out of the question, especially since we will be driving it cross-country) or finance a new car, claiming that used cars are not reliable. I told them that besides the inevitable mortgage I will probably have to take out to own a home in the future, I never want to have to owe anyone money ever again, and they looked at me like I was crazy. My girlfriend said that while she's proud of me for feeling that way, it's not realistic.
Here's to being crazy!