Mustachian Buddy

[hybrid]

A very close friend of mine, more like a brother than a friend, has always been pretty good with his money.  Just like I have been pretty good with my money.  Which is to say, by Mustachian standards, although we are solidly in the black our budgets have holes big enough to drive trucks through.  Too much eating out, paying too much for services, too much of all the obvious things that you read about in this blog.  We thought we were optimizing well and after several face-punches we realized we were playing in the minor leagues.

Neither one of us can hope to save at the same rate as MMM, we both have different problems challenges in front of us.  But we have found ways to combine efforts which help us get past some of these problems challenges and optimize further.

For example, I cannot ride my bike to work (no shower when I get there, I'm a sweaty mess after 7+ miles).  Buddy uses his vehicle for work a lot and must have it at the ready for service calls all over the state. Solution - buddy and I carpool and I ride the bike home.

Buddy does not have a trash service and occasionally makes a trip to the landfill (at about $10 a pop).  I have a ridiculously cheap trash service (2 96 gallon cans I use for the copious amounts of yard debris our very busy 1/2 acre produces).  Solution - when buddy picks me up in the AM he brings his trash as well.

Buddy has a Sam's Club card.  I have a Costco card.  Today we carpooled to both places and did the weekly shopping.  I had not been in a Sam's Club in years and was thrilled to find they carried some items I bought regularly at the store that were not available from Costco.  And we were also able to split a few bulk items we shied away from before because it was too much for one household.

Buddy has a ridiculous data plan.  I verbally face-punch buddy, he is about to switch plans and save a boatload.

I have an old 53" projection TV that will probably fetch $125 on Craigslist I haven't gotten around to listing.  Buddy verbally face-punches me to get my act together and list it.

Do other folks have nearby Mustachian buddies they pool ideas and resources with?  I'd love to hear what works well for you.

[Adventine]

Now I want a Mustachian buddy too. :| I spend too much time dealing with people's resistance to (what they view as) a crazy level of frugality. And I'm only at a 60% savings rate!

[jfer_rose]

I also want a mustachian buddy! This sounds great!! Like Adventine, my friends think I'm crazy. And since I have only recently discovered mustachianism, they don't even know about the recent changes I'm making to live even more frugally...

[KulshanGirl]

I want a mustachian buddy too.  :)  Everything that you describe sounds awesome, like a village of two.  If only neighborhoods all got together, just think of what people could accomplish with their finances!  I love my neighbors, we get along great and help each other out all the time, but I don't think they'd be into it at a mustachian sort of level.

[psychomoustache]

+1
I luckily live in a kind of frugal place. People here pay attention, are mostly careful, and can set a decent example ...

[The Bearded Bank Builder]

Hmmm, does a mustachian wife count? Great job on figuring out how to leverage each other's advantages so you both benefit from them. Looks like you're a Catan fan too. I love that game, kind of like Mustachianism - it's all about numbers and using resources wisely

[Luck better Skill]

  Cataan and other Euro games are all about resource management.  Sometimes that is with limited number of plays/actions you can take.  Translates well to life, resource/money and limited time.  Forces one to get in the habit of optimizing.  Some Euro game may prove to be the teething for a MMM lifestyle.

[hybrid]

Hmmm, does a mustachian wife count? Great job on figuring out how to leverage each other's advantages so you both benefit from them. Looks like you're a Catan fan too. I love that game, kind of like Mustachianism - it's all about numbers and using resources wisely

Not as much with the SO.  The Mustachian Buddy brings different things to thee table that the SO can't.  Maybe a pickup truck, splitting a big Costco produce item in half, carpooling, that sort of thing.

Lovey me some Catan.....  Favorite games tight now can be found here.

http://www.yucata.de/en/

[KatieSSS]

I would also like a mustachian buddy! My friends aren't terribly anti-mustachian, but they aren't totally on board either. We do lots of free activities, like taking walks and going to free museums. But I'm definitely the one in my circle of friends the most concerned with finances.

[hybrid]

One of the nicer things about Mustachian Buddies is that you can brainstorm with them.  Since my original post I have met some other MMMers in Richmond and a few weekends ago we had a cookout at my place, it was a grand time.  Having someone to hash out what works best for you in your situation rather than adapt what works best for a 38 year old retiree in Longmont is complicated.  The forum is great for that, but Mustachian buddies appreciate your situation better.

Oh, and that 53" TV I listed at the top?  Ended up giving it to an MMMer who was in need of a TV.  She came over with help and a truck to get it, and I helped them load it up and get it the $%^& out of my living room.  Win-win.

[hybrid]

An MB update.  So this year I planted cucumbers while MB planted other things in his garden.  I had a few seedlings left over and took them over to MB and planted them in the corners of his garden.  Well it has been a banner year for cucumbers and both of us have lots of them, so I have been using the excess from both gardens and canning pickles, of which he gets a cut.

MB also planted jalapenos in his front yard and they went nuts, while I planted mine in pots and have had a much smaller output.  So I am using his extra and canning salsa with them, of which he gets a cut.