I understand the objections here, and I empathize with the idea of "hidden spending" turning off some readers, but lets stop for a sec and think about this.
To me the whole idea of Mustachianism isn't just being frugal, clipping coupons, credit card bonuses, etc. It's about designing an efficient lifestyle, one that make you happy. We are so quick to use spending as a way to measure, we forget, that's not even the point. Our goal is to fulfill our needs without "throw a bunch of cash at the problem" as our first option. MMM designed his life so that his need for travel, buying electric cars, etc are fulfilled. At the same time he is writing articles and promoting an agenda/lifestyle important to him, earning income he gets to divert to large scale donations to other causes important to him, meet friends with similar values, ect. IOW, one action works towards several goals at once, all without directly costing him money. He has parlayed his financial independence into a more efficient lifestyle.
We are comparing apples to oranges in that we are trying to compare the accounting of a 50hr a week salaryman to someone who is financially independent. None of MMM's endeavors would have been possible if his baseline needs weren't covered (aka financial independence). No blog, no trips, no electric car, no six figure donations to charity.
Well, I think that's the point many are making. His "advice" and writing these days isn't really applicable to 99% of people. I certainly find nothing actionable there lately. What he thinks of the Leaf, or donating $100k may be interesting reading for some, but I can read that elsewhere. And frankly don't care.
99% out blogs never make a dime, and 9/10 people who start a business go bust. So reading about one of the few who has a half million dollar blog and actually make money from his business may be fascinating on some level, but provide virtually nothing to apply to my life. I can only work my desk job and try to save, starting a blog would not make me anything. It's a necessity caused by his success, but I don't feel a need to read it anymore, and I haven't.
I think some of that is just because he's awesome.
I mean, think about it...most people aren't as successful as he is. Whether in software or anything.
He and his wife both had really good jobs...higher than most people.
Then they saved a lot of money ... a lot more than most people.
Retiring early gave him the freedom to work on other ventures. And it turns out, he's really good at a lot of things...better than most people. And, by retiring early, he had the time to work on them.
- His writing is engaging, and his blog was really good at the beginning. I'm betting it's not just that he's a good writer - he had to work at it. I've had a blog for 10 years, and I can identify the <10 good posts that I wrote, and they were definitely ones that I wrote and re-wrote and researched.
- He's really good at real estate and fixing up houses. But you know, he had some early fails. Sure he's mechanically inclined, but a lot of his success has come from...practice. My husband is mechanically inclined too, but you can tell which parts of the house he did earlier rather than later.
- Then there is Mrs MMM. First, there was getting her real estate license, which helped save money on the transactions (I mean, aside from her prior day job!)
- Then there's her hobbies. I love crafting too. I've tried just about everything. The two things I've stuck to most are quilting and crocheting, though I've dabbled in jewelry making. I don't wear jewelry though, so it's not my interest. Well, it turns out her Etsy shop is successful. Now, how? First, she was retired, so she had the time to try and few things. And pick the ones that she liked. And see what sold. Then, she did RESEARCH. It's not just "putting stuff on Etsy". I wouldn't have the faintest clue on how to do the research MMM described in his blog post - but that's a key to her success. Doing the research to figure out what sells, and how to get more business.
So in both cases - the two individuals are both more talented than most (which will make others jealous at times), AND they've designed their lives so that they can follow these passions and work on them. And now they are lucrative.
I mean, isn't that part of the point? Designing your own life? Not needing the money? I just think that a lot of the disappointment in how MMM's life is going is just sour grapes because it all came up roses. Is it really his "fault" that he's good at things?
Most blogs don't make money, but most of them suck.
I'd gather that most Etsy shops aren't big money makers either.
It's like a blog I used to read where it was a mom packing vegan lunchboxes for her kid. She went on to write two vegan cookbooks. Then a few years later, stopped being vegan. The vitriol! "How dare you make money on these cookbooks when you are a faker!" Um, she wasn't a faker when she wrote the books? And they are good books with good recipes? And she still is mostly vegan?