Author Topic: How did you all hear about this blog? (Read 6672 times)

dylanjohn · « **on:** October 22, 2018, 10:24:48 PM »

How did you all hear about this blog?

maizefolk · « **Reply #1 on:** October 22, 2018, 11:15:44 PM »

Referenced by Jacob at ERE as he was winding down and MMM was spinning up.

Zikoris · « **Reply #2 on:** October 22, 2018, 11:27:42 PM »

Also from ERE, a looong time ago now. Seven years?

Cranky · « **Reply #3 on:** October 23, 2018, 03:51:49 AM »

Through some frugality group, but I don’t remember which...

singpolyma · « **Reply #4 on:** October 23, 2018, 04:17:01 AM »

I Googled "How much do I need to retire?"

Penn42 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 23, 2018, 06:55:19 AM »

A coworker mentioned it to me.

Mississippi Mudstache · « **Reply #6 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:01:33 AM »

I was actively seeking hardcore frugality advice. I remember finding Get Rich Slowly (is that still a thing?), and someone in the comments left a link to MMM. Read the whole blog history in 2 days. Been here ever since.

dougules · « **Reply #7 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:10:21 AM »

I had built up cash, and in 2014 I was finally trying to figure out how to invest it. I don't remember the specifics, but in my researching I came across MMM's site. Honestly the idea early retirement had never entered my mind as a possibility. It was a revelation to me.

KBecks · « **Reply #8 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:15:07 AM »

I was searching for info on how to tile a shower.

Dicey · « **Reply #9 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:16:29 AM »

Long timer here, same as @maizeman and @Zikoris. I've been working toward FIRE forever, probably before the term was invented. Certainly before the internet was. It's a lot easier to find kindred spirits now, for which I an most grateful.

Loren Ver · « **Reply #10 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:23:31 AM »

I was looking for information on how to get money out of a 401k since I was planning on retiring very early. MMM has a good post on that I would not have discovered that information on my own. Before that, I was doing it all on my own, so nice to have a place with good information with a non-traditional focus.

LV

gmp029 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:31:02 AM »

Quote from: KBecks on October 23, 2018, 07:15:07 AM

I was searching for info on how to tile a shower.

Same here. Found this article:

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/12/21/how-to-make-a-relatively-sweet-shower-cheap/

DS · « **Reply #12 on:** October 23, 2018, 07:35:37 AM »

Minimalists Podcast -> They mentioned Betterment -> Found MMM's article on Betterment -> Rabbit hole of reading entire blog

Lincolnshire Girl · « **Reply #13 on:** October 23, 2018, 08:08:53 AM »

Quote from: DS on October 23, 2018, 07:35:37 AM

Minimalists Podcast -> They mentioned Betterment -> Found MMM's article on Betterment -> Rabbit hole of reading entire blog

+1

pachnik · « **Reply #14 on:** October 23, 2018, 08:11:21 AM »

About 5 1/2 years ago, there was an article about MMM in the Washington Post. that Post article was put into an email I got from a personal finance author. It came into my inbox, I read the article and checked out the blog. Vast improvements in my life ever since.

NorthernBlitz · « **Reply #15 on:** October 23, 2018, 08:21:44 AM »

Randomly came across a comment like about someone "doing financial planning like MMM" in a forum for my favorite NFL team.

Saw this comment right after getting a good job after graduate school that caused me to move to the US from Canada. So I was primed to be looking at personal finance.

PoutineLover · « **Reply #16 on:** October 23, 2018, 08:28:32 AM »

Got into a personal finance blog binge after I graduated with 33k in debt and wanted it gone ASAP. Don't remember exactly what search terms or link led me here, but I'm so glad I found it.

Davnasty · « **Reply #17 on:** October 23, 2018, 08:55:06 AM »

Was reading reviews of No Impact Man with Colin Beaven and MMM had made some comment about how his family watches very little TV and uses a projector vs eliminating TV entirely. Don't remember the comment exactly but I remember thinking something about it seemed pretentious.

Then I read a few blog posts and was still thinking, "who does this guy think he is?" But I kept reading because the points he was making were things I've always thought about in terms of optimization and particularly the hedonic adaptation post. After I figured out his writing style was all in good humor I went ahead and read every single post, even if I had no intention of installing under floor heating, just because I wanted to read them all in order.

Finally got No Impact Man from the library and was pretty disappointed, didn't finish it.

never give up · « **Reply #18 on:** October 23, 2018, 09:19:45 AM »

I was looking to buy a new car. Having been to a showroom and thoroughly hating the experience (sales peoples attitudes and the fact they were selling financial loans as much as cars) my natural frugalness started to shine through. I decided to buy second hand instead so went home. Not knowing much about buying second hand cars I thought I would do some research. In doing this I stumbled across one of MMM’s car posts. The next thing I knew it was 4am, I had read goodness knows how many other posts and early retirement was now a key goal. I vowed to keep my existing car (ten years old) until it was at least twenty.

Work next day was a struggle on so little sleep!

Dances With Fire · « **Reply #19 on:** October 23, 2018, 09:20:53 AM »

Quote from: Mississippi Mudstache on October 23, 2018, 07:01:33 AM

I was actively seeking hardcore frugality advice. I remember finding Get Rich Slowly (is that still a thing?), and someone in the comments left a link to MMM. Read the whole blog history in 2 days. Been here ever since.

Yes, J.D. Roth still writes often and I receive a blog notice via e-mail now and then.

I was part of another retirement forum years ago and was helping a poster with an investment question. Got lamb-basted by some troll with 33,000 posts looking for an on-line battle. Not my nature, sorry I won't respond. Life (and time) is too short to put up with that BS. So I left.

At the time I was (and still am) an active member on Bogleheads as well. MMM was mentioned in a thread so I came here. Hopefully, I have helped a few people along the way....

FireHiker · « **Reply #20 on:** October 23, 2018, 09:46:12 AM »

I'm not entirely sure now. It was late 2015 when I started reading about minimalism and frugality and got serious about tracking our spending. It could have been from The Frugalwoods, The Minimalists, or something else. I was also reading Becoming Minimalist and Be More With Less around that time but I don't think either of them mentioned MMM. I started with the very first MMM post and read every single one, eventually. I'm definitely not the most frugal but I'm awfully happy to be here and to have learned so much from you all!

ketchup · « **Reply #21 on:** October 23, 2018, 10:03:50 AM »

I was linked to a bunch of MMM articles from either a forum like FWF or a blog like GRS. It was around the summer of 2012. I'd always been a saver (GF and I had just bought our first house at 19/20, actually), but that really lit a FIRE under my ass.

thd7t · « **Reply #22 on:** October 23, 2018, 11:06:11 AM »

A little over 5 years ago, my cell phone bill (mine and my wife's) was higher than my gas, water and electric bills combined. That seemed stupid, so I started to look for a solution. A few weeks later I was trying to figure out Early Retirement. Still trying to figure it out, but making progress!

Eric · « **Reply #23 on:** October 23, 2018, 11:10:26 AM »

Quote from: KBecks on October 23, 2018, 07:15:07 AM

I was searching for info on how to tile a shower.

LOL this is hilarious!

Quote from: pachnik on October 23, 2018, 08:11:21 AM

About 5 1/2 years ago, there was an article about MMM in the Washington Post. that Post article was put into an email I got from a personal finance author. It came into my inbox, I read the article and checked out the blog. Vast improvements in my life ever since.

The same WaPo article for me too. I think there were a bunch of us. Here's the article if anyone's interested:

OurTown · « **Reply #24 on:** October 23, 2018, 11:23:10 AM »

I also came here from Get Rich Slowly. That site went through some wilderness years, but J.D.R. has been back at the helm for a year now, still writing good stuff.

Mississippi Mudstache · « **Reply #25 on:** October 23, 2018, 11:25:36 AM »

Quote from: OurTown on October 23, 2018, 11:23:10 AM

I also came here from Get Rich Slowly. That site went through some wilderness years, but J.D.R. has been back at the helm for a year now, still writing good stuff.

Good to know. I found the blog in 2013, and it seemed like its best years were past. Maybe I'll check it out again.

Rosy · « **Reply #26 on:** October 23, 2018, 11:28:31 AM »

I was looking for numbers of how much we would need to retire. Found the MMM post on you need 25x what you spend in one year - simple math post. Didn't care for the tone of the blog posts but the info seemed sound, so I hung around.
Took me many months before I signed up for the forum.

Mississippi Mudstache · « **Reply #27 on:** October 23, 2018, 11:45:50 AM »

Funny to hear from the people who didn't care for MMM's tone at first (or still). I loved it from the start. It's one of the things that drew me in. But I immediately recognized it as a sardonic rhetorical strategy, rather than hubris. It made the writing far more interesting than the vast majority of personal finance blogs.

effigy98 · « **Reply #28 on:** October 23, 2018, 01:28:30 PM »

Had a bad day at work, started hating my job... I think I searched for something around not hating my job and found my way to ERE, then the guest post from MMM which was way closer to the lifestyle I wanted vs ERE.

FIRE@50 · « **Reply #29 on:** October 23, 2018, 01:59:12 PM »

google.com

oldtoyota · « **Reply #30 on:** October 23, 2018, 04:19:56 PM »

The Washington Post.

I chuckle when I see people talking about frugality as though MMM invented it.

DreamFIRE · « **Reply #31 on:** October 23, 2018, 04:21:44 PM »

It was a few to several years back, so I don't remember the specifics, but I'm pretty sure it was while doing my usual research on retirement and investing. I never made MMM a regular thing and only started coming here more frequently after registering on the forum.

BussoV6 · « **Reply #32 on:** October 24, 2018, 12:29:45 AM »

PatrickZA (who used to post here) mentioned MMM on one of the South African stealth wealth for a.

Dicey · « **Reply #33 on:** October 24, 2018, 04:24:35 AM »

Quote from: oldtoyota on October 23, 2018, 04:19:56 PM

The Washington Post.

I chuckle when I see people talking about frugality as though MMM invented it.

Funny, I don't think MMM is about frugality at all. It's about spending with purpose on only the things that are important to you and investing the rest. It's also about what's good for the planet. Most frugality blogs are about one thing: saving money. They are not necessarily about creating wealth and developing a lifestyle that lets you amass enough to retire early and have full charge of the rest of your life. Huge difference.

I follow other blogs for their frugality lessons. I devoured MMM from the beginning exactly because of its wider scope. What an inspiration it's been! I'm six years FIRE and enjoying every minute of it.

mindy · « **Reply #34 on:** October 24, 2018, 05:24:47 AM »

About 5 years ago I decided I was tired of feeling like I never had enough money. I felt like everything I had was just disappearing, so I decided to read some finance books. The one that really hit me was Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I loved the idea that I could have a passive income stream that would cover all of my expenses so that I could live a more relaxed, satisfying life. I started researching online how I could create passive income streams with relatively little money to my name, and somehow I landed at MMM. It has been a life changer. I am no longer anxious about money and I feel so much more in control.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #35 on:** October 24, 2018, 05:28:05 AM »

Quote from: singpolyma on October 23, 2018, 04:17:01 AM

I Googled "How much do I need to retire?"

Something like this for me. We had the plan for retire at 50 for many years. It was just always a very vague plan. One day I Googled something about early retirement. And I was really baffled that this was a well known thing and there are websites guiding you towards it. I liked the MMM style of being very direct and explicit (digital face punches for stupid behaviour).

chemistk · « **Reply #36 on:** October 24, 2018, 05:38:37 AM »

From a car blogger whose articles occasionally made it through to Jalopnik's front page.

I'm not kidding. https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-ill-drive-my-2000-jdm-honda-less-often-and-un-1715911380

Sometimes the Internet is a funny place. I was totally receptive to it, though. I decided to read the first few articles and next thing, I was plowing through half a dozen a day. My wife and I had recently had our then 4 month old and I was feeling stress on our budget, especially since we had all these ideas of places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do...but I had no clue how to even plan for most of that.

Before then, I was wholly unaware of FI or RE.

dude · « **Reply #37 on:** October 24, 2018, 07:43:14 AM »

Quote from: Mississippi Mudstache on October 23, 2018, 07:01:33 AM

I was actively seeking hardcore frugality advice. I remember finding Get Rich Slowly (is that still a thing?), and someone in the comments left a link to MMM. Read the whole blog history in 2 days. Been here ever since.

I can't recall specifically, but I may have found it in this manner as well, because I remember GRS being the first ER blog I found somehow.

SwissMiss · « **Reply #38 on:** October 24, 2018, 10:33:08 AM »

I was googling for the cost of commuting, came across an excellent write-up by MMM and then discovered all the rest, including the very helpful forum. That was in 2012 and it changed our lives ever since. Enjoying the FIRED life for a month now. Life couldn't be better!

NorthernBlitz · « **Reply #39 on:** October 24, 2018, 02:19:03 PM »

Quote from: Dicey on October 24, 2018, 04:24:35 AM

Quote from: oldtoyota on October 23, 2018, 04:19:56 PM
The Washington Post.

I chuckle when I see people talking about frugality as though MMM invented it.
Funny, I don't think MMM is about frugality at all. It's about spending with purpose on only the things that are important to you and investing the rest. It's also about what's good for the planet. Most frugality blogs are about one thing: saving money. They are not necessarily about creating wealth and developing a lifestyle that lets you amass enough to retire early and have full charge of the rest of your life. Huge difference.

I follow other blogs for their frugality lessons. I devoured MMM from the beginning exactly because of its wider scope. What an inspiration it's been! I'm six years FIRE and enjoying every minute of it.

Me too. I think it's about mindfully spending on things you think are important instead of becoming a consumerism zombie.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #40 on:** October 25, 2018, 08:48:43 AM »

Quote from: SwissMiss on October 24, 2018, 10:33:08 AM

I was googling for the cost of commuting, came across an excellent write-up by MMM and then discovered all the rest, including the very helpful forum. That was in 2012 and it changed our lives ever since. Enjoying the FIRED life for a month now. Life couldn't be better!

@SwissMiss . Congrats with your FIRE, and in a country that is not particularly cheap either.

Gondolin · « **Reply #41 on:** October 25, 2018, 09:29:47 AM »

I think... I read an article on the GoCurryCracker family that had a link to MMM.

It's weird that I don't remember it clearly. I feel like I've always been here.

*cut to a picture of me in the 1920s partying with other forum members at the Overlook*

PoutineLover · « **Reply #42 on:** October 25, 2018, 09:34:51 AM »

Quote from: Gondolin on October 25, 2018, 09:29:47 AM

It's weird that I don't remember it clearly. I feel like I've always been here.

*cut to a picture of me in the 1920s partying with other forum members at the Overlook*

Nice

sisto · « **Reply #43 on:** October 25, 2018, 11:59:57 AM »

I found it by accident from a google search of early retirement.

PDXTabs · « **Reply #44 on:** October 25, 2018, 12:03:12 PM »

Mr. Money Mustache’s retirement (sort of) plan from the New Yorker.

EricL · « **Reply #45 on:** October 25, 2018, 12:07:38 PM »

Quote from: maizeman on October 22, 2018, 11:15:44 PM

Referenced by Jacob at ERE as he was winding down and MMM was spinning up.

Ditto

bluewillow · « **Reply #46 on:** October 26, 2018, 10:19:42 AM »

YNAB's forum

Zikoris · « **Reply #47 on:** October 26, 2018, 10:32:49 AM »

I'm surprised there are so many of us old-school, we-did-it-before-it-was-cool ERE people here. Pleasantly surprised!

El Jacinto · « **Reply #48 on:** October 26, 2018, 02:20:49 PM »

A boss of mine noted that I am often very frugal. I told her that I had been doing the Dave Ramsey program for a few years, and she thought I might enjoy MMM as well.

PlainsWalker · « **Reply #49 on:** October 26, 2018, 03:55:03 PM »

In the winter of 2014 my wife and I had moved to a new house a few months previously and sold the old one. The proceeds from the sale were still kicking around in CDs since we hadn't decided what to do with it yet. I had started playing around with RSS feeds and subscribed to a couple on personal finance hoping to figure out how to more effectively use the funds. One of the personal finance articles mentioned MMM and I was off down a rabbit hole. As the CD ladder matured it was used to fund our IRAs.

News:

Author Topic: How did you all hear about this blog? (Read 6672 times)

EricL