Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3317811 times)

decisionprof

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #300 on: November 17, 2012, 09:34:03 PM »
Hi - really enjoying everything I read here!  I've been a reader now for the last 4-5 months.  Have a Doctorate (Ed. Leadership) with a concentration in decision analysis.  The decision-making process we used in our coursework can be used whenever you need to make an important (and most often - financial) decision.  Examples - buying a car, house, taking a new job, moving to a new city - and even choosing a college.  I am currently a prof at a small private liberal arts college. I can hardly stand some of the stories I hear of students taking out huge loans and then deciding they don't even want to pursue a job in their major.  This week - a young lady spoke of a $109K loan she took out to attend this college and now has to pay back.  All I could think is that her debt was in line with the cost of a house in this city.  These types of decisions are LIFE CHANGING and she will most likely have to live with the payments related to this decision for decades.  I want to use what I have learned to help people make better - more informed decisions.  Thinking of starting "The College Decision Experiment" and sharing the steps of decision analysis with a group of families that might be interested and blogging our journey.  My child is a junior in high school, so I would lead the process and include our family as we work on this decision too!  Does anyone out there know anyone who might be interested?    Thanks to the MMM's for all of your work on helping all of us think about our lives in a new and different way!  Very exciting and important work!

mensa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #301 on: November 18, 2012, 06:11:40 AM »
Hi All:

I've been lurking for some time and decided I was being anti-social. I've enjoyed the many thoughtful discussions I've read in the forums, and hope to contribute, as well as learn.

Cheers!

PJ

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #302 on: November 18, 2012, 01:33:45 PM »
I want to use what I have learned to help people make better - more informed decisions.  Thinking of starting "The College Decision Experiment" and sharing the steps of decision analysis with a group of families that might be interested and blogging our journey.  My child is a junior in high school, so I would lead the process and include our family as we work on this decision too!  Does anyone out there know anyone who might be interested?

Welcome to all the new members, from another relatively new member.  And @decisionprof, maybe you should start a thread to tell us more about these "steps of decision analysis" - I for one have had my interest piqued!

Herr Handlebar

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #303 on: November 18, 2012, 07:02:19 PM »
Guten Tag,

I have been reading the MMM posts since May of this year. My wife and I started implementing some changes to our lives in June but she really got on board at the end of October. We are trying to hit a 60% savings rate but there are a lot of challenges between here and 60%. I'm on my 3rd career in this lifetime. I'm certain I will have a few more. I have worked in non-profit, banking and finally software development. The wife and I are fortunate this this career has been the most lucrative so far.

I feel like we found MMM and the quest for FI just in time. We are planning on kids, home ownership and all that comes with it. Planning for FI before these big changes gives me confidence we can do it with all the efficiency required to have fun and reach FI. We are going to be recording our experiences in a blog.

I'm very grateful for MMM's posts and the awesome community that has developed around them.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2012, 07:08:11 PM by Herr Handlebar »

Hatawa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #304 on: November 19, 2012, 01:21:29 AM »
Hi all!

I'm Natasha from Russia. Been following MMM for about a year and really love all the articles and discussions. Learning to grow my 'stache.
If any of the Mustachians are ever on this side of the world - drop me a line

lara_shultz

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #305 on: November 20, 2012, 01:40:54 AM »
Hi everyone! I am Lara and I just signed up on your forum. I want financial freedom and I think your site rocks! :)

Invictus

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #306 on: November 20, 2012, 08:05:47 PM »


 Hey. New guy here. I've stumbled across MMM through a number of preparedness/FI centred blogs and found the community interesting and useful. Thought I'd check out the forums.

SwordGuy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #307 on: November 22, 2012, 12:23:52 AM »
Hi,

My wife and I make $156,000 a year.  We finished paying off everything we owed last March after an eight year slog and a three year "big push".    We've just finished some splurging to celebrate plus doing a lot of deferred maintenance on the house.   We have a few thousand dollars more deferred maintenance to take care of in the new year and then we should be set for quite some years to come.

I'm 55 and my wife is 65.  She's planning on working to 70 as she's enjoying her job and I keep her young enougn no one's noticed she's at retirement age. :)  Both our jobs are relatively secure, mine is portable enough I can get work somewhere if an intown job isn't available.

I'm hoping to retire in 5 years when she does, if I can swing it.

We have circa $300,000 in 401K or IRA accounts.  I have no idea what it's doing in there.  I've spent the last few months reading up on investment options.  This site has been very helpful!  We have $60,000 in CDs that we can invest within the year. 

I'm hoping to move into dividend paying stocks via an index traded fund for the 401K/IRA money.  I'm not convinced city bonds are a good investment, I think a bunch more cities are going to go broke over the next decade as their underfunded pension plans start to really pay out to the baby boomers.  One task I need to do is consolidate the contents from the various accounts I've accumulated via different employers.

I live in a military town so the rental market is pretty good.  I would like to use the  $60,000 and some soon-to-be savings to buy a rental property outright - assuming the market for properties and rentals stays good.  I think if we work at it, we could buy 1 inexpensive rental home per year in cash.  Or, I might put 1/2 down on two and pay them both off the next year.    I want to see what happens with the defense budget before I invest too much in rental property, though.  I'm researching rental prices and home values to see whether I should aim for $60,000 starter homes or $120,000 homes.  I can spread my risk of a bad renter if I have more homes, but I'm (probably) more likely to get more bad renters at the $60,000 home rental price point.  Unless I can find some mustachians to rent to.  Hmmm...  I could do a rent discount to mustachian army members to attract a higher caliber of renter.

I'm maxing out my 401k ($22,500 plus employer match) and putting in $12,000 plus employer match into my wife's.  I think I should start maxing out a Roth for her instead of her 401k given she'll have to start pulling out the account contents in 5 years.

I still have several month's worth of reading to do before I start moving money around, but now I think I am on the right track with my research.

I'm looking for bikes now so we can start riding for health and errands, and so I can start commuting 1/2 way.   My city is extremely bike unfriendly.  Too many of the suburban areas don't connect so one is forced to bike on busy roads full of very bad young male drivers.  (My car insurance went way up when I moved here from the big city.) 

Anyway, that's where we're at.

I look forward to learning from all of you!

kythuen

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #308 on: November 23, 2012, 12:41:23 PM »
Hi!  I'm Kyth - single, female, 41.  My singleness is complicated by long-term housing partnership with my best friend (she owns; I rent) -- more like a marriage than a room mate situation in terms of flexibility and overall annoyance factor :), but more like a rental in terms of actual $$ ROI for me. 

I'm about $80K in debt between student loans and a new car I bought early in the year, before I had ever heard of MMM.  (But it's a Yaris!  So, there's that, at least.)  My only asset is about $8k in my 401(k).  I'm in a stable job I like with strong prospects for promotion, currently making $66K.  I'm just starting to live off only half my monthly take-home so I can pay down the debt (and re-hab my credit rating along the way).  If my math is right, I think I can be debt free at 45 and start getting serious about investing and possibly home ownership.  I'd like to be financially independent by the time I hit 55 - opinions on feasibility welcome!  I'll probably be posting a detailed case study as soon as I work up my nerve. 

I think I have the debt-snowball method down, but I'm a complete n00b about investments; I'm scouring every word written about it in these forums.  :)

grantmeaname

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #309 on: November 23, 2012, 05:40:52 PM »
If my math is right, I think I can be debt free at 45 and start getting serious about investing and possibly home ownership.  I'd like to be financially independent by the time I hit 55 - opinions on feasibility welcome!
Welcome, Kyth!

The math behind early retirement is shockingly simple-- it's basically only a function of your savings rate. If you break even at 45, that gives you 10 years to save up your nest egg. That requires a savings rate of 66%, which is difficult but certainly doable. Feel free to start your own thread in the "Ask A Mustachian" subforum if you have more detailed questions.

MidwestSeth

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #310 on: November 23, 2012, 06:27:56 PM »
Hi!

Newly wed, 24, new career, new house, life is great. Student loans to kill off before long and start investing. This site will accelerate that whole process. Thanks!

Stumbled on this site and have been reading on it for a good couple hours. Within 2 hours I've decided to cut cable TV, my cell phone contract, and spend less on groceries. Can't bike to work(outside sales). But I drive a Ford Focus, intentionally for reliability and gas mileage, plus it was CHEAP. Glad I found this site.

Great Hub of Badassity!

sstonge517

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #311 on: November 24, 2012, 12:25:51 PM »
Hey everyone, I've been following this blog for a few weeks now and I figured it was time to stop lurking and introduce myself. So anyway, my name is Sean, I'm 27, single, and currently working as a software engineer in the Chicago area. Yep, that's right, yet another engineer :P. I recently bought a 2 bed/1 bath condo, and I'm happy to announce that my thermostat is currently set at a very mustachian 55 degrees! Well, that's me in a nutshell, I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone.

garnetfree

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #312 on: November 24, 2012, 09:30:56 PM »
Been reading MMM for a long while. Can't remember how I found the blog but I love it.

I was in a black hole for the past few years and made some turns for the worse. Am back in the game and ready to be back in black.


Spruit

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #313 on: November 27, 2012, 09:12:19 AM »
Hello fellow (beginning) Mustachians!

I've been lurking the blog and forum for about a year now and finally decided to say hi. I'm a bit of a wuss myself so it's great to read about people making a change for the better. You all provide such a nice source of info and surprising views, it is truly a pleasure to tag along. Because I'm from the Netherlands and have to adjust certain tips and tricks (IRA, 401K and what not) to dutch equivalents but it certainly adds new insights to my financial ideas.

Cypherstash61

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #314 on: November 27, 2012, 09:48:13 PM »
Hi I am Bob

Looking forward to FI

Otto Pilot

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #315 on: November 28, 2012, 11:32:27 AM »
Hello all, I just finished reading through the blog, so now its time to jump into the forums...I'm a 36 year-old recovering attorney and reserve military officer living in Austin.  I've been preaching sound finance and assisting servicepeople get ahead of the credit and debt game for 10 years in the JAG corps on active duty.  Looking forward to joining the community.

Jake P

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #316 on: November 28, 2012, 12:39:26 PM »
Hi everyone, my name is Jake and I stumbled on to this site in January after making a new years resolution of getting my finances under control.  This site has helped a ton and also helps keep the wife and I on track when one of us starts feeling a little spendy. Thanks a bunch!  It has been almost a year since we started reading MMM, and we have eliminated 15k worth of debt, I put 100% of my last raise into my 401k and we are currently living well within our means and raising 3 kids on a combined income of around 70K.

sherr

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #317 on: November 29, 2012, 12:04:23 PM »
Hello all, I'm Stephen. I loved reading this site so much that I went through the entire backlog of articles in about a month. My wife and I are fairly young so we have a long way to go, but we look forward to making wise choices with our money and being happier and healthier as a result. We live well within our means but I will be looking for ways to improve on that, including the new (scary!) prospect of becoming a landlord coming up early next year.

themush

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #318 on: November 29, 2012, 01:08:46 PM »
Hello,

I'm Douglas, I found this blog via Reddit's r/personalfinance. I've been reading for a bit and figured the forum might have good information also. Currently have a negative net worth. But, after doing some researching and learning over the last few months - I should be debt free by this time next year. Last night I put together a comprehensive plan and used the retirement math post to determine that I'm about 13 years from retirement. Trying to increase my income to knock that number down to 10 or lower.

Any tips on how to increase income at 30 with seemingly no real marketable skills would be lovely.

grantmeaname

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #319 on: November 29, 2012, 04:26:25 PM »
Not to be unduly snarky, but can I suggest spending less money?

thedrone

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #320 on: November 29, 2012, 06:08:13 PM »
Name's Edward.

I actually stumbled upon this website when looking for a reason why NetworthIQ wouldn't send me my registration email.

I've been mostly anti-mustacian for most of my adult life.  When I didn't have debt (credit card, car loans), I spent all my money.  When I did have debt (credit cards, car loans), I paid it (trying to overpay where possible), but I spent so much overpaying was often difficult.  Unwise life choices definitely contributed to a lot of this difficulty.  I've always been aware of my finances, networth, 401k portfolios, and that I wanted investments that actually grew exponetionally one day, but I never made the correlation that my spending, not my income or my debts (though a contributer), was the problem with not acheiving my goals or making my goals seems VERY far off.

Fast foward to 2012 and I found mint.com.  I had been using a similar financial tracking service through BofA, but the budgeting through mint was so much easier to use, I could actually use it and stick with it.  Also, through mint's recommended services, I was able to shave years off paying $17,000 in credit card debt which in turn made it easier to pay off $23,000 in 2 car loans and a 401k loan through either outright payoff or lower interest rates.

It's possible to be debt free next year, but it's a long shot.  I will be out of all my crazy debt by 2014, though.

I have a long way to go, but I'm well on my way for retirement in 7-10 years.  It would be 5-7 if I didn't have so much debt.

All in all, I'm excited to continually learn, absorb, possibly contribute, and watch the 'stache grow!

Mrs Firecracker

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #321 on: November 30, 2012, 07:10:59 PM »
Hi, been reading the blog for a month or two. We are a family of 3, with a toddler, 2 jobs, and 3 mortgages (we bought homes separately before we met, and before the economic downturn). We're underwater on the places we bought when single and have a few other debts, but we're generally into leading simple lives so the way of the Mustachian appeals to us. We're hoping to pay off non-mortgage debts within two years or less and start building a bigger 'stache.

teacherman

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #322 on: December 01, 2012, 06:16:40 PM »
Hi Mustachians! I am Aaron, 26, married. I am a teacher at a private school in New England. I never really entertained the idea of early retirement but I am concerned with financial stability and responsibility. I came across the MMM recently and have loved it! It is really helpful. So far the two biggest things that have stuck out to me are cutting down my cellphone bill (two iPhones--around $140/month--I hate that I love my iPhone:) ) and my auto-related expenses. Thanks for being badass!

Crash87

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #323 on: December 02, 2012, 12:52:53 PM »
Hello All,

A friend introduced me to the MMM website and there are some great ideas on here! I'm 25 years old and my goal is to achieve FI by between 10 and 15 years!

Hold me to it!

nom_nom_babies

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #324 on: December 02, 2012, 10:44:21 PM »
Howdy!

I stumbled here while Google searching for Paleo recipes on Marks Daily Apple.  This site is great, I've spent the last 24 hours reading and I'm hooked.

I'm a 22 year old single Air Force officer, looking to start becoming financially independent.  After all, that's the American Dream right?  My biggest challenges are student loans and stupidly buying my dream car.  Anyway, I look forward to growing financially and personally with the all of your sound and direct advice.

vbjoe

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #325 on: December 03, 2012, 01:17:33 PM »
Hi Everyone! 

I'm a 29-year old living in Denver, CO and love the 'local' flavor of the blog.  I was about $10k into credit card debt and not making any real headway thanks to other debt obligations ($75k mortgage on a speculative land investment).  Thanks to the recommendations on this blog I'm down to $1,400 on the c/c plus I now own a car that gets 39mpg with no loan on it.  More changes to come as attempt to grow my 'stache!

Cheers!

RosettaStoned

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #326 on: December 03, 2012, 02:29:08 PM »
Hello All,

I’m 30 yr old living in the Sunny SoCal/Pasadena area. I found the site through JD Roth and his More Than Money blog. With two little ones below the age of 6, my wife and I are hoping to save for ER/FI in the next 10-15 years.

The most tangible change we’ve made since reading MMM the last two weeks is we’ve finally committed to buying the bikes we’ve discussed buying off and on for well over 3 years now.

The Mrs. and I both come from homes in which our parents lived well beyond their means and are now in their mid-60s with no retirement to speak of. Our hope is to break the cycle and instill Mustachian values in our little ones.

Miss Stachio

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #327 on: December 03, 2012, 08:49:53 PM »
Hello!

I'm a gal who was raised frugally by first generation immigrant parents and has been happily practicing frugality ever since.  I just got out of grad school (with no debt) and started 'real life' working with a much better wage but in a location that also has very high costs of living.  It's interesting talking with my colleagues - they eye me with suspicion when they find out I don't have a TV, a smartphone or an apartment with more than 2K/month in rent even though I think I'm spending like crazy!  To be fair, they might also be thinking I'm spending exorbitantly when they're making the "WTF?" face.

In any case, this blog has been great in helping me organize my often random thoughts about FI and environmental sustainability, especially by showing so many examples of folks defining what FI means to them and then reaching it.  It's great to have such a supportive community.  I'm excited to start making my plans for achieving FI and putting them into action!

Kaytee

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #328 on: December 05, 2012, 11:02:39 AM »
Oh, hi there.

Formerly up to eyeballs in debt, currenlt debt levels are hovering around my navel - annihilation rate - 45.8%. Concurrently, stashing some cash while continuing debt annihilation. Only ~$58K left, all student loans. All auto loans, medical debt, and credit cards have already been paid off.

Also, working as a civil engineer while also a 31 yo, married mother of a 10 mo who is occasionally spotted bellydancing, cooking, reading, gardening, and napping. Not simultaneously.
~Kaytee

BrownStache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #329 on: December 06, 2012, 10:36:31 AM »
Hey everyone,

I'm a 25 yr old from NJ. Found the blog back in October and just finished reading every post, so I've started rooting around the forums in the last couple days.

I just finished grad school a year ago, and picked up $75k in student loan debt along the way, but I got a job paying over $20k more than anything I've heard of from undergrad friends so I guess it's not too bad. I should have my student loans paid off in 4 years.

I'm currently working for a consulting firm while living with my parents and not owning my own car. Using the "shockingly simple math behind early retirement," I'm looking at FI by the time I'm 41, even if I were to move out of my parents' place today.

Here's to the next 10 years of further cutting my spending and increasing my earnings for an even earlier retirement!

PS: RosettaStoned? Am I correct in assuming you're a fellow Tool fan?

RosettaStoned

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #330 on: December 06, 2012, 11:00:45 PM »
PS: RosettaStoned? Am I correct in assuming you're a fellow Tool fan?

Yup :)

Free in Ten Years

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #331 on: December 08, 2012, 05:33:51 PM »
Hi there,

I'm James, I'm 27 and have been reading MMM for about 6 months. Since then I've made some fairly large changes in my financial life, and have managed to save about 75% of my salary since then. I am planning on being financially independent in 10 years (hence the name) and my partner is in on it too. After that I hope to travel semi-permanently.

We don't have any debt with the exception of a mortgage which we've reduced by about 30% in the first 4 months by following MMM's advice.

The funny thing is the more frugal I become and the more consciously I spend my money, and the more I do things for myself, the happier I become.

jonofd

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #332 on: December 09, 2012, 04:36:07 PM »
Hello Mustachians!!!

I'm Jon, and obviously I'm new here. I'm married and just moved to Lexington KY about 6 month ago. I'm a full time firefighter/paramedic, it's my dream job and I finally get to work at it now. The guys at work remind me that I'm going to have to work 27 years to qualify for my state retirement, however after starting to read this website, I'm thinking I'll be able to start retirement way sooner!

Would love to get to meet anyone that involved here in the Eastern/central KY area.

Have a great day!

Jon

kiwichick

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #333 on: December 10, 2012, 02:27:11 PM »
Hi all,
Long time lurker, first time poster. My name's Tracey, I'm 26 and I live in New Zealand. Bought my first home on my own a year and a half ago, which was a huge achievement for me considering I was in debt up to my eyeballs a few years ago with nothing to show for it. Trying to pay the mortgage down as quickly as possible and achieve financial freedom.

Di

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #334 on: December 12, 2012, 09:41:49 AM »
Hello everyone. Been lurking since July, really fascinating website that resonated with me from the very first time I read it.

My name is Daniel and I'm 21 years old. I have always lived a very frugal life, it's actually almost to the point now where spending money is psychologically painful. I live with my mom and I'm a 4th year college student with no debt. I go to the state college where everything is paid for. I also have more than $19,000 in savings and I use my mother's car to get around. I'm not really sure how I'm going to make money though since I have very narrow interests, none of which are particularly useful for income, and I'm thinking about leaving school altogether because I hate it. I also have the problem of living in a city with a high cost of living (Los Angeles). I think I might try being a dietitian or personal trainer or maybe I'll give the school thing one last shot and go into computer science.

At any rate, I look forward to learning and growing with everyone.

Blackbomber

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #335 on: December 12, 2012, 12:36:50 PM »
I've found the MMM blog two weeks ago, or so, and have just finished reading every post (even the ones I felt didn't apply to me). This couldn't have come at a better time, and I'm really fired up about eliminating the nonsense in my life, getting the finances back on track, and even the optimism and health aspects, which I hadn't considered problems of mine until considering it from the mustachian point of view.

So anyway, with becoming up to date with the blog, I've ventured over here to learn, and perhaps contribute as I can.

chris009

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #336 on: December 12, 2012, 07:30:23 PM »
Hello,

Someone pointed the MMM blog out to me and I'm a bit intrigued. I can't say I'm fully 'bought' into the idea, but I've been a fairly frugal person my life and I'm really the only person I know that saves most of their earnings. I'm hoping I can learn something. Even if I don't buy completely into the philosophy here, it can't hurt really to learn how to save more.

I_am_DLR

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #337 on: December 13, 2012, 02:00:13 PM »
Hi, my name is Rob. I take pictures of things, and I suck at money.

I heard about this guy named Money Mustache from my housemate, and thought he must've been some sort of Cheap-o lunatic. But, dealing with a bout with boredom at work one day I decided to give the site a once-over. I read the first article and I was hooked.

Over the last 3 weeks or so I've read every article written, and my views on things have changed drastically. My journey to financial indepedence has just started. I'm 29, and though I have no debt worth mentioning, I've got basically nothing saved for retirement. I'm working a dead-end job with no opportunity for advancement, making $10/hr, and having to support myself and my girlfriend(who can't work consistently due to a chronic health problem).

I've recently been pushed(by myself mostly) to start making money in photography. I'm hoping to have my own business started during the first quarter of next year.

So, there's my story. Now, let's see if I can manage to add something useful to this forum. :)

MustacheMike

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #338 on: December 17, 2012, 02:01:39 PM »
I'm Mike. Just turned 30. I live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Love my wife. Love my job. Life is good. But I also love money, especially saving it and growing it. After coming to this blog, I realize that Conventional Wisdom can and should be fiercely challenged!

motipha

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  • Wrangling my hereditary guilt in to a better life.
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #339 on: December 18, 2012, 01:27:17 PM »
Hei, I'm Timo.  I'm 33, started reading this blog maybe 4 months ago, and I'm so glad to have found it.  All my life I've been frustrated by the idea of having to work until I'm in my 50's, but felt like it was just a thing I would have to accept.  What get's bandied about here as possible is kind of what I wanted to do all that time.

So, starting a little later than I wished, but I'm going to try it.  40 is my target:  I want to be out of this by I'm 40.  I've got to find ways to get my savings rate way up, and I've got to figure out what I want to put that money towards, but I'm taking concrete steps:  The car is almost debt-free, and I'm getting my refinancing done sooner rather than later.

To add some fun to the process, my girlfriend is trying to sort out her own debt, and she's not as on board with the idea as I am.  not that she wants to keep working, but she's more pessimistic about the likelyhood of ever getting out from under the machine.  Things are changing, but we have some bumpy times because of it.  Still, I hope we will be one of those success cases.

Andrei

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #340 on: December 19, 2012, 08:26:57 AM »
Hi,
I'm Andrei, 34, from Bucharest, Romania.
I've been reading MMM since Jacob at ERE passed the torch. So I guess i'm an old lurker :)
Big fan.
I've definitely improved my life since i became a Mustachian-in-training.

aces2

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  • Location: RAF Lakenheath, England
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #341 on: December 23, 2012, 03:18:05 AM »
Hello!

My name is Cody.  I found this blog around a month or so ago.  I'm addicted really, EVERY ARTICLE IS PACKED WITH SO MUCH WISDOM AND MONEY SAVING POWER!  Spent the last four years being a hardcore Dave Ramsey fan.  Dave is the man!  He got my wife and I (Natalie) out of $75K in debt in a little over two years.  Since, she has quit her job as a elementary school teacher, we've moved overseas (Air Force), and had our first child!  We are shooting for FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE by the time I "retire" from the AF.  We haven't quite reached $100K net worth, but are close.

Screw retiring at 60!  Shooting for age 38 in 11 and 1/2 years.


Christiana

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #342 on: December 28, 2012, 01:42:22 PM »
Hello!  I am a stay-at-home mom to three children, soon to be four.  Our goal is not exactly early retirement, but a sustainable self-employment that we can carry on into old age.

I honed my frugality with five years of living on a graduate student stipend.  When we married, we had $50k in student loans, and took about four years to become debt-free.  Right now, we're in the middle of some serious household downsizing, and possibly changing jobs and/or moving somewhere more congenial.  I read MMM to revive my optimism, after a number of financial setbacks in the last few years.   

I write about my "something from nothing" projects on my blog.  I've also self-published two books so far, The Naturally Frugal Baby and The Serendipitous Sabbatical:  Rest in Unexpected Places.   

My husband created and now sells a guitar amplifier kit:  the Stella Amp.

kendallf

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #343 on: December 30, 2012, 03:15:56 PM »
Hi folks, I'm Kendall, a 46 year old engineer from Jacksonville, FL.  I've enjoyed reading the MMM posts over the past few weeks; I found the blog via Mark's Daily Apple.  My wife and I have already been taking steps to simplify, become more minimalist, and be healthier and more fit. 

Reading some of the material here has switched a light bulb on in my head: hey dummy, practicing better frugality dovetails beautifully with all of the other stuff you want to do to be happy, and you should get busy!

So, my initial areas for (huge) improvement are: eating in (I'm shooting for one dinner out per week, taking my lunch to work), and car related expenses.  I like fast and impractical cars, and I have too many vehicles, but at least I carpool and ride my bike to and from work enough to drive very little anyway. 

Hope to learn a few things here, and maybe contribute in areas that I have knowledge.  I'm an avid cyclist, mechanic, fabricator, DIYer, and a few other more random things. 

BlueMR2

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #344 on: January 01, 2013, 08:14:19 AM »
Hi, I'm Brian.

Looking forward to an early "retirement" (I get bored easy, so I'll always do *something*, but less of it and more on my terms :-)  ) despite having several expensive hobbies and only middling income (low for my profession overall, but not too unreasonable for the area I live in).  Other than the hobbies we don't spend a lot of money (have never had cable, have a $100 a year cellphone, no home phone, all the usual little items).  Been living the motto that "take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves".  Have essentially been debt free my entire life.  Had a mortgage for 9 months just because I didn't want to take an early withdrawal penalty (would have been a bigger loss than I paid in interest for those few months).  Hoping to learn some more tricks to help save a few more $$$ here and there to let me keep the expensive hobbies while still shaving more years off my need to work full time!

147kerry

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #345 on: January 04, 2013, 04:46:13 AM »
Hi I'm Kerry

I live in Sydney - Australia and am a single mum with three sons.
Am tired of working 'for the man' and am looking to become FI asap

jba302

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #346 on: January 04, 2013, 09:01:29 AM »
Hello, I'm Joel. 29 y/o and recently married living in the Twin Cities. Been reading this page for the past couple of months and slowly getting lined up with a smarter financial lifestyle. We have about $20k in debt (the vast majority due to the wedding...) on 0% cards with a sub 1-year plan to get back in the black. Got a townhome that is becoming rental property and will be buying a long term home in 2 years (we want land for gardening and a better garage).

We have a hell of a lot of headroom to make improvements considering we make 140k/year and only have 2 kids part time (split custody with her ex). Looking forward to getting involved here and really kicking it up several notches.

GoStumpy

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    • YNAB = The ultimate budgeting software
Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #347 on: January 04, 2013, 10:35:24 PM »
Hello Everyone!

Ventured over here from what I've been hearing on other forums, first I had to figure out what "MMM" was, but now I'm enjoying reading everything!!

I'm a frequent of YNAB's community, smartcanucks.ca, and a few others...

I'll be reading a ton tomorrow & hope to post my story soon!  Beginning the journey to debt-freedom!!

Keep fighting the good fight!

Ihoo

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #348 on: January 05, 2013, 02:08:12 AM »
Hello everyone. I live in the SF Bay Area and rent a nice apartment in down town Oakland. My wife and I own two rental properties in Seattle. One is in the process of being refinanced to a 3.125% interest rate and the other own we are hoping to sell when the market recovers. Once the homes are paid off and sold, we will be debt-free.

We currently save about 45% of our income or invest, we pay 30% on mortgages and use the rest for expenses. We have one car, and 0 bikes and feel that we are on track for greater financial independence in our forties. We are 34 now and are very happy and grateful of the progress that we've made so far.

tmac

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #349 on: January 05, 2013, 06:59:12 AM »
I've posted a few times, so I guess I should come back and introduce myself.  :)

I'm just starting to think like a Mustachian, but I've always been fairy frugal. I live with my husband, three kids, two dogs, and two cats, in a small town in the southern U.S. The mortgage is just 10% of our income, but its an 1830s cottage that needs a lot of work. I'm 42 (as of yesterday!), DH is 45, and the kids are 16, 9, and 7. As for the pets, we're on animal attrition plan. We love them, but once they're gone, they will not be replaced.

We're not from here, and hope to move back to my hometown once our oldest graduates from high school. The cost of living will be higher, so we're trying to get on a solid footing before we go.

We are self-employed, and I work part-time in the business. We have three additional employees, so DH works from home most days while they take care of on-site issues. Family income is $100k

We're not big spenders on most things (clothes, entertainment,etc.), so I'm using a rolling tally of expenses to find areas to cut. I saw two months ago that our food costs were our highest monthly expense, so we've cut back a lot in eating out and got more savvy about groceries. After just a few weeks of focus, food dropped down the list and auto payments moved up, so we're selling one car and using proceeds to pay down the other. I can see that the insurance category will be next, so I reevaluated our life policies and am quoting new auto. This rolling focus seems to be keeping me motivated and helps with my tendency to get distracted by other projects.

Our personal debt is the mortgage ($50k on a $70k house) and two cars, bought used ($4k on $10k car, $9k on $11k van). No CC or student debt. We also have a low-interest loan from the purchase of the business from the previous owners ($24k, paid down from $200k 5 years ago). All of that will be gone before we move.

Finally, I do have a bike, but it doesn't fit well. Once that's remedied, I plan to get my biking on. I've questions about the logistics of that with kids and such, but they can wait for a more appropriate post.

Thanks for your help so far, and in the future!  :)

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!