Author Topic: 2 High Income Households - How Mustachian Are You?  (Read 29166 times)

REAL WORLD EXPAT

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Re: 2 High Income Households - How Mustachian Are You?
« Reply #100 on: October 09, 2015, 11:19:12 AM »
Wife and I gross a little over $350K and we've always lived well within our means but this year at the 2015 Family Fiscal Policy meeting we agreed (or she agreed more accurately) to save even harder for FIRE, we paid off our mortgage this year and made the following cuts too:

Cut cable TV live off Netflix don't miss cable at all (I gave up watching sports at the same time and I actually think it has benefited my mental health!).
Cut he housekeeper from coming every other week to once a month and we clean between visits.
Set a weekly entertainment budget of $100 cash and stuck to it, in fact we always have money left over and never roll it over, save it.
Fired the landscaper who came twice a year for spring and fall clean up.
Eat at home a lot more. We ate out about once a week before but would also get carry out x2 a week, now we only do one or the other once a week max.
We don't have smartphone we pay for (I have one for work we use though).
Hardly ever buy clothes and wear them until they drop, typically buy at Goodwill or if new Kohl's clearance rack or Costco.
We do have 2 cars but they are both bottom of the line domestic compacts and try not to use them at the weekend.
Keep the heat low and only use a/c maybe a couple of days a year (for the sake of the aging animals in most cases!).

We are on track to be saving about 85% - 90% after taxes now house is paid off and still feel we have a very luxurious lifestyle. I (higher earner of the two of us) constantly get asked my we have crap cars when everyone knows we could afford better and my typically answers is my car usually takes me to places I'd rather not go given a choice, then sits there all day and does the same as said expensive car so why change it? Owing our house feels great and we'll keep saving until FIRE but I'm a lot more relaxed and feel a lot freer in work knowing I only have a few years left!

Can't beat it!