Author Topic: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself  (Read 3317657 times)

ioseftavi

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #600 on: May 22, 2013, 01:17:43 PM »
Hi folks. 

I'm 28 and considered myself "above average" as a saver and investor, given that I had been saving something like a fourth or a third of my income since graduation (mostly in the form of retirement accounts, plus some after-tax savings).  However after stumbling on this blog, I see that I can do even better still.  I aim to try!

gardenarian

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #601 on: May 22, 2013, 03:19:35 PM »
Hi, I'm Gardenarian. I'm a librarian and I like to garden.

exitstrategy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #602 on: May 22, 2013, 07:42:06 PM »
Appreciate the thoughtful blog, and the great discussion in the forum. 

My husband and I are ~40, 2 kids...used to be very frugal, but got a bit too spendy the past few years because it was easy.
We own a business, so don't always have a regular salary amount (for better or worse), but have also been diversifying into owning investment properties (commercial and residential).  A slow year last year while simultaneously making a property purchase means we've spent almost all of our cash reserves...but the good news is we spent the few years prior focusing on paying off debt: retired $60k in student loans and $30k in HELOC.  No car loans or CC balances, but mortgages on residence and investment properties.

Happy to be here, am sure I'll learn a lot!

DebtBaby

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #603 on: May 23, 2013, 02:07:12 PM »
Hello :-)

I'm 24 and from a north east USA small state that everyone seems to love to hate (well, maybe just NYers). Currently, I am residing in Atlanta.  My mantra up until recently has always been "go big or go home." While that mantra has definitely helped in other areas of my life, it never helped when applied to my finances.

Graduated undergrad with a little over 100k of debt (ah, to be young, dumb, and an English major). Got married last year...and the  wedding along with some foolish purchases added to that student loan debt. Bought a house and now have a mortgage. Then we went and got a car.  So much happened so soon. Husband and I saw ourselves starting to be sucked into a track of excessive consumerism. So we are now recovering debt babies hoping to become wealthy simple living adults one day over the rainbow.

Thankfully, DH has no student loans and very little credit card debt so there is a light. Oh, and our income isn't too bad.

Very excited that I finally stopped lurking and joined the forum. Hope to become well versed in the art of mustachianism and to meet other cool people. =)


camrg

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #604 on: May 23, 2013, 07:48:00 PM »
Hello-

I found MMM a few days ago and have had a hard time thinking about anything else since! I'm 26, married, living in the Tahoe region, working a 8-5 engineering job that pays fairly well and provides some flexibility. We live in a rental (reasonably priced, view of the mountains), drive a car w/ 261k miles on it (its bad on gas but it just won't die) and have a paid-for Wrangler for the warm days and a dual-sport motorcycle for the trails around here.

We're lucky to have no debt, two good jobs, and a decent start on savings. What eats up our cash is mostly travel and food, which together constitute over half of our expenditures each year. Eating organics, grass-fed beef, and a protein-heavy Paleo diet lead to some pretty high grocery bills, but restaurants on our frequent weekend trips really pile up. Being smarter about travel and less indulgent w/ food should help push the savings rate from 30% to over 50%. My goal in lowering expenditures is to reduce perceived risk and be more open to entrepreneurial opportunities.

Cameron

farmstache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #605 on: May 24, 2013, 06:31:24 PM »
Well, hello, MMM community!

I'm 28yo, architect, and I live very far away from most of you - in Brazil. Things are different enough around there to make me spend a lot of time searching for alternatives to the common solutions (the hardest being the lack of craigslist and used goods for sale in general), but that only adds to the challenge! I live on a huge city, so most of the problems are the same (namely food prices, terrible commutes, rent, etc).

It wasn't me who found MMM, but my husband (well, we skipped the whole getting married thing, but we do live together). It was great, because since forever I've been the crazy one in the couple: I wanted to have a less time-consuming job, move to a smaller city, find a job that allowed me to work from home, have my garden, chickens and whatnot. It was close to early retirement, but all I could make him picture was a life of frugality and no pleasure, with uncertainties and hard to sustain. I almost fell from my chair when he came home all happy saying he found this awesome blog where he figured he could get financially independent or close to it very soon, and moving to smaller city was cheaper, and who the hell needed a new car or clothes, or expensive toys? He suddenly realized simple life can be good, and I'm all the happier for it.

Now we're working toward this goal, and of course I must admit I'm still learning and fighting with "needs" myself. We're excited, though!

jplechat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #606 on: May 24, 2013, 06:46:02 PM »
Hi my name is Jon,
After agreeing w/ virtually everything that MMM has written in his blog, I decided my next step is to get on this forum and more like-minded mustachians. I'm 29 years old and aspire to be retired by age 35.
Cheers!

Luck better Skill

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #607 on: May 25, 2013, 06:36:56 AM »
Howdy,

  I am Kevin.  Was raised frugal with a personal dislike to being in debt.  In the top of my league with friends and family.  A friend directed me to MMM.  Learned I was playing in a subset of the minor leagues.  There is an entire world of badassity above me.

  Enjoying absorbing the wisdom of this and linked sites.  Thank you for the help.  <insert sarcasm>  Only complaint is that I have move frugal to #2 in what I look for in a serious relationship.  <end sarcasm>
 
PS The icon is an albino squirrel, nicknamed Casper, who hangs out around my place

Boz86

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #608 on: May 25, 2013, 09:37:15 AM »
Another Wash Post follower, great find as I'm retiring from the military soon.

I already had the discussion my wife about not working another career just because "that's what everyone does," and this site is giving me lots of ideas on how to successfully semi-retire. So I'm going to concentrate on upgrading the house so we can sell in a couple of years and move out of high-tax Maryland (mostly waiting on son to finish college nearby).

mstryin

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #609 on: May 25, 2013, 08:23:11 PM »
So, I'm older than most here - closer to 50 than 40; with a husband closer to 60 than 50.  2 kids - oldest starts college in 2 years which frankly keeps me awake at night worried about how we'll help so she doesn't graduate too far behind with debt.  The second has a few years yet before college concerns.

I seriously dislike my job, commute way too far (over 30 miles each way) and am just starting to modify my spending habits after a lifetime of living it up. My husband stopped working and collects a government pension.

We still spend too much, but if I don't change now to set an example for my kids, they'll be exactly where I'm at  - I hope for better for them.

vic

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #610 on: May 25, 2013, 10:42:18 PM »
Heya,

As a 22 year old who recently graduated with my masters in Computer Science and landed a solid job, I have been considering my financial options with an interest in saving heavily and reducing my spending footprint. Interestingly, at each company that I interviewed with, my questions regarding savings and 401ks surprised the interviewers and each commended me on my forward thinking, claiming that few others consider saving at such an early age. Having already worked a few weeks at my new job, my money mustache has already begun twitching at the unnecessary spending my new colleagues happily engage in.

Although I have made some arguable grievous financial blunders, as MMM has so bluntly stated in his articles, I can truly envision early retirement even at this early stage in my life. With my only debt being student loans, which I can pay off in less than a year with my salary, I am looking for every opportunity to reduce the amount of time it takes to reach FI. Soon to be a DINK with two stable and relatively high paying salaries, I am looking forward to not having to work until I'm 67 to retire.

-Victor

BlackRat

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #611 on: May 26, 2013, 03:46:12 AM »
Hey Everyone!
I'm a 20yo student in Australia. I've just decided I won't pay off my student loans as I go (they only go up to match inflation, and paying them now rather than later only gets me a 5% discount), I'll have ~20k debt, but lots more  investment opportunities.
 By the time I leave uni I think I should have enough money for a downpayment on a cheap rental property - if I choose to go down that route - I find real estate fascinating and have browsed through real estate ads since I was about 12 (originally looking for the cheapest acreage I could find to start a farm on, now looking at rental fixer-uppers).
I'm hoping to "semi-retire" at 30-32 with ~250k, but continue working for my basic expenses for at least 10 years (so my stash can compound unencumbered) - while raising most of my food on whatever cheap acreage I manage to find ;)

BR

MustacheCowboy

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #612 on: May 26, 2013, 05:02:57 AM »
Hi everyone!

I've been reading and lurking since August and have been busy punching myself in the face until recently. I'm 32 with 2 kids and my wife and I are working on optimizing our life. Since I starting reading MMM we have ditched the SUVs and have started to actually pay down debt!

Glad to finally be a member of the community.

DougStache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #613 on: May 26, 2013, 08:40:52 PM »
Hey everyone!

I stumbled across MMM right in the nick of time.  I'm getting married in about three weeks (holy crap, getting close!), and we will have many big decisions coming up in the next year: Combining cell phone plans, buying a house, and (possibly) replacing an old car.  I've always been fairly frugal by not wasting money on petty things, but spending on things that I deemed important to me. 

Before reading MMM:
  • I thought early retirement was for lazy people who didn't enjoy being contributing members of society.
  • I never knew of the existence of $10 cell phone plans.
  • I never even considered the cost of commuting.
  • I thought kids cost ~$1000/month based on anecdotal examples from coworkers.

Now I know:
  • Early retirement is about freedom to do whatever I enjoy for work.  Even if it pays squat.  I'm pessimistically shooting to retire at 40 (currently 28), but think 35 could be possible.
  • That I have a "cadillac" cell phone plan, but barely use it.  Trying the AirVoice plan in August when my contract is up!
  • Driving is expensive as hell.  I now take public transit to work, and use my bike for errands that my backpack can handle.
  • You don't spoil kids with money, you spoil them with your time.

Looking forward to growing the "now I know" list, along with my stubbly stache!

moestache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #614 on: May 27, 2013, 07:47:25 AM »
Hi

I'm a 29 yr old town planner who discovered MMM a few months ago and have since been avidly following his blog. These past few months my husband and I have been working on cutting down our spendings and optimising things better. We weren't really that spendy but we were never really frugal either.

Anyway some small mustachian changes we've made in the past few months:
Bike or walk to the shops instead of driving
Walking to the bus stop instead of driving to the train station every day to go to work
Reducing our grocery bill

Looking forward to immerse ourselves more in the MMM way of life.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #615 on: May 27, 2013, 09:02:23 AM »
Hi

I'm Pat, will  be 63 and retired in a few months.  Always frugal (should I blame my Scottish ancestors?) married to a very non-frugal guy, separated from him for 4 years now and loving it.  We have a daughter who is almost finished university, relatively little student debt since she has always had a part-time job.
I found MMM from another blog and read it all, plus all the comments. I live in South-Eastern Ontario where the living is not easy or cheap, as has been pointed out many times on this blog.
At this point I hardly watch TV so am considering ditching Bell totally (phone, Expressvu) and just relying on my cell phone and internet.  I live in the country, literally, so a car is still in my future, but the mileage will be tiny, and my cars last forever.
Right now I am gardening, painting my house (inside) and taking care of the last bits of my job.

I look forward to joining in the discussions.




Frugalady10

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #616 on: May 27, 2013, 10:46:48 AM »
Hi I am Katie I am 28, married to a31 yr old guy with 1 seven yr old kid and one on the way. We aren't really mustashians, but sympathizers I guess. We have no debt, and don't waste money on dumb stuff. We have a decent nest egg and investment portfolio, not nearly enough for retirement. But, by spending wisely my husband left his day job to focus solely on his passion ( music- he has a degree in music performance) and we are able to live on his freelancing and my part time income. I am still trying to figure out what my passion is - i like working part time and devoting the rest to my kid (s). Right now we "share care" (he watches kid while I work and I him). We each work around 20 hrs / week. Sorry i typed alot! Anyway although we are not retired like the mustashe family, but we both only work part time and I get a lot of tips from this site (and laughs).
« Last Edit: May 27, 2013, 10:48:57 AM by Frugalady10 »

milkshaken

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #617 on: May 27, 2013, 05:11:20 PM »
Hi, I'm Kirsten. 

I'm 29, I live in San Francisco and I'm "RDP"'d to a great gal who shares similar financial values.  We have $25,000 in student loans but no credit card debt.  We're presently saving around 20% of our income and looking for ways to get that number up even higher. We're saving aggressively for home ownership and early retirement and starting to get excited about creating passive income streams.  We're looking forward to making our lives even more mustachian in the coming years!

Coneal

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #618 on: May 27, 2013, 10:00:30 PM »
Hi I'm Charlie

I'm a single 35 yr old, live in Charlotte and have been debt free for 4 years.  Currently save 40% of income.  Hoping to learn a few tips and tricks here.

Hadilly

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #619 on: May 28, 2013, 11:41:19 AM »
Found MMM through the Washington Post and have been obsessively reading ever since.  We are a family of five living in Northern California. I'm 42, my husband is 39. No debt, but high housing costs. I've also, ever since reading the blog and forums, been noticing just how much lifestyle creep has taken place.

I work part-time, my husband full-time. Both jobs are very stable and reasonably well-paid. I don't  think we are going for FI.  I have floated the idea but there is little interest from my spouse. We have a lot of compelling reasons to stay here too (schools, family, friends, no commute, good weather, etc).

MMM has been great for refocusing my attention and setting financial goals. For a long time we had only one, save for a house. Well, we bought one and have been rebuilding savings over the past year, though a bunch of out-of-pocket medical expenses are going to wipe it out again. We should be able to actually build net worth next year (2014).

Our new goal, as I see it, is to agressively save so we can deal comfortably with college and retirement. We don't have debt but I have become aware of how insanely easy it is to fritter away money on small things, eating out, impulse buys and impulse travel, etc. I am going to start sweeping 3k into savings every month and then live on the remainder. Our children have noticed how we have already stopped eating out.

I've been reading the info on how to allocate between taxable and non taxable accounts. We need to allocate ROTH money that is just sitting around and also subsequent savings. Also shift some poor performing funds around too. Probably the biggest thing we are not doing.

I really appreciate the attitude of question everything and continually optimize. I'm taking my time though, hitting the low-hanging fruit and will gradually get around to things like insurance and cell phone plans.

The irony is that, as the chief spender of our household (I am also the person with a 3k annual clothing budget, which I have stopped using), it is up to me to implement this stuff on the saving and spending side. My husband is already a perfect mustachian who bicycles to work, brings his lunch, and buys any expensive toys with work funds. Luckily, it means that he is not protesting the regime change.

I look forward to contributing and continuing to learn from the awesome community.

EmJay7

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #620 on: May 28, 2013, 04:38:32 PM »
Hi, I'm EmJay. My husband and I started hitting our debt hard about a year and a half ago, and kicked all our debt ('cept the house) in the shorts summer. Since then, we've been working to pay off our house, save up to buy our next (more efficient) vehicle, and set ourselves up for bigger and better adventures. I've only been reading the blog for a few months, but it definitely connects to how I view the world and where we want to go in the future.

I'm looking forward to reading and posting on the forums. In particular, I'm interested in finding ways to reduce our home expenses (we're about a grand higher than I'd like) and live in a very rural area without being completely dependent on our vehicles. And also anything about gardening in a snowy northern clime. Send me a note or I'll see you on the boards!

Katnina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #621 on: May 28, 2013, 06:24:26 PM »
Hello!  I'm Kat and I live in NYC with my fiance and our two rescue dogs.  I am 32 and happily retired!

My plan when I was in college was to work on wall street until age 35, then retire and pursue my passions.  Thanks to my super mustachian lifestyle during 9 years in the finance industry, I was able to build up quite a 'stash.   I was laid off from my hedge fund job last year at age 31 and realized I could buy several rental properties which would generate enough income to cover our basic expenses & that I would never have to work for anyone again!  I now own five rental properties in the Detroit metro area which are managed by a property manager (I started with a $22k duplex fixer upper and added from there).  My fiance, who moved to NYC from Detroit 3 yrs ago, is still working as he has student loans and a mortgage on the house he used to live in in Michigan (which is now a rental) to pay off.  Once we get those debts out of the way, he can retire too & we will have 6 rental properties generating income for us.

We do live in one of the most expensive cities in the country, but we prefer to live simply, so our expenses are very low relative to our peers. I paid off the mortgage on my studio apartment at age 30, and we coexist happily in our tiny place, so our housing costs are minimal.  We don't have a TV, most of our meals are homemade, and we try to buy stuff used instead of new because its better for both our bank account and our planet.

I feel like I am viewed as kind of a freak by my peers who are still stuck in the consumerist lifestyle, and was thrilled when I found this blog a few weeks ago because it helped me realize there are other financially sane people in the world!  I've been telling my friends who have been complaining to me about their inability to save money about Mr. Money Mustache & truly hope they will see the light & embrace badassity!

Nice to meet you!
Kat

limeandpepper

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #622 on: May 29, 2013, 07:03:09 AM »
Katnina, that's kickass! Would love to hear more about your retired life and how you're pursuing your passions these days. :)

Katnina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #623 on: May 29, 2013, 12:10:01 PM »
Thanks, limeandpepper!  I am loving being retired!  I'm really into gardening so I volunteer for an organization that teaches gardening and environmentalism to NYC public school students.  I also love sewing and cooking, and spend a lot of time doing both.  I take my dogs for lots of long walks and spend time with them in the park.  My sister and I write a blog together where we write about frugality and I post a lot of recipes that I make up on the blog, which I enjoy a lot!

jiggy-z

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #624 on: May 29, 2013, 03:10:47 PM »
Hello all. Looking forward to the journey.

I have been in a fog the last few years and am just getting around to trimming.  What an eye opener.  I always figured i would work forever. But now that i know I don't have to, I a, anxious to get moving.  I own a construction company, and i know i won't be able to do this forever.

A few quick thoughts:

It sure is hard to start changing things.  Seems like life is made to easily get into spending but hard to get out of.  Lots of initial set up is required.

The wife is going to be tough to bring around.

I wish I had seen this site before getting two new cars-probably going to need to post up on that.

I have a stage one plan-get all the easy stuff (lower insurance premiums, grocery spending, gym membership, booze, piano rental, frivolous bullshit) and hopefully along the way pick up a few more that I have not even thought of.

Stage 2-investemnts- Part one is just to throw some $ at the mortgage until I figure out what to do, but in this bull market it frankly scares the shit out of me.

After that I am stuck-this is where major decisions will come into play (kids and the private school-probably a separate post), commuting,home etc.

Frankly, with just a quick spreadsheet analysis, I feel I won't be able to make it (early retirement-I am already 46) due to outgoing cash.  Funny thing is, if I can get some spending under control, I am almost there.  Net worth is almost there, but everything is tied up in real estate, home, ranch, and retirement stuff I can't touch for a while.

Me the wife and kids are in great health and have a lot going for us, so close, but so far.  I also need to work on my optimism.  Thanks for the support.

huadpe

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #625 on: May 29, 2013, 06:54:11 PM »
Hi everyone!

I'm 25, and relatively new to investigating the MMM school of thought; I found it via the Washington Post profile earlier this month.  I'm doing pretty well financially, and thinking about how to optimize my situation.  I am undecided to be honest about how early I want to retire.  For it to work, a big thing is that my boyfriend and I have to be on the same page about it (and live in the same country).  I haven't broached it with him yet because I'm still not sure where I want to go myself.  Right now, I'm on track towards a quite comfortable non-early retirement; so this isn't about a dire situation, but moving from a ~20-25% savings rate to something higher.

I guess what I'm looking for here is to engage with people about this and decide on how far I want to go towards frugality.  I currently live a lifestyle that, while not extremely spendy, definitely could be pared down.  Though some of my non-necessities are very important to me, such as traveling to Canada to see the boyfriend.

jamaicaspanish

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #626 on: May 29, 2013, 08:30:03 PM »
Hello everyone,
New readers of MMM, but long-time adherents of his philosophy.
Bought years of retirement through our public school retirement system (ask me how),
sold our stuff in the States, and found jobs teaching in Jamaica.
Living the island life, following precepts MMM espouses, and enjoying life more than we thought possible 25 years ago.
And if you want to visit Ja, mon, we can host.

limeandpepper

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #627 on: May 30, 2013, 05:32:56 AM »
Thanks, limeandpepper!  I am loving being retired!  I'm really into gardening so I volunteer for an organization that teaches gardening and environmentalism to NYC public school students.  I also love sewing and cooking, and spend a lot of time doing both.  I take my dogs for lots of long walks and spend time with them in the park.  My sister and I write a blog together where we write about frugality and I post a lot of recipes that I make up on the blog, which I enjoy a lot!

That sounds awesome! That is similar to what I might imagine myself doing, especially cooking and making up recipes and blogging, all of which I already do, but I would love to have even more time to do it!

PantsOnFire

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #628 on: May 30, 2013, 06:16:42 AM »
I'm Dan, a 32-year-old father of a 2-month-old, happily married for 8+ years.  I have two sources of debt: a mortgage (just bought this house 4 months ago on a 30-yr fixed conventional mortgage), and a car loan.  I've been doing my best to stay on top of the numerous financial challenges that have come our way and stay prepared for the ones still looming on the horizon. 

The house we bought came with some known issues, none of which were urgent, and one big unknown and urgent issue--the sewer was partially blocked.  $4k later that was fixed, but our move-in stash has taken a hit and our front yard is a mess.  Our new child is a constant source of joy, but there are also of course expenses involved. 

As much as I'd like to pay off my car loan (I have more than enough money in savings) we are not quite comfortable predicting all the child-related expenses, particularly because both my wife and I received notice yesterday that we will be furloughed one day a week for the next 11 weeks, so we have a 20% reduction in income right at a time when our spending is pretty much guaranteed to go up significantly. 

So for now I will sit on some cash even though I have debt.  It feels weird. 

Anyway, I'm enjoying the MMM community immensely.  Sometimes I feel like I'm surrounded by financial morons, and if I were to mention that I have this *one* loan that really bothers me, they'd have no clue that I'm being serious.  With a new start with a new addition to the family, in a new house, in a new neighborhood, it's nice to have a community like MMM to help guide me toward the big financial plan that's going to be part of the foundation of my child's upbringing. 

Katnina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #629 on: May 30, 2013, 07:33:50 AM »
Hi Dan!  Congrats on the new house and the new baby!  Does the furlough time mean you can reduce paying for child care by 2 days each week?  That could help a bit at least on the expense side.  I don't have kids so I don't know much about kid-related expenses, but the Tightwad Gazette has a TON of tips on saving money on child rearing.
 Unfortunately the blocked sewer line issue is more common than you would think-I've heard about issues like this from several people.  I own rental homes in the Detroit metro area, in fairly old neighborhoods with clay sewer pipes that get clogged with roots.  luckily, my real estate agent suggested I have a camera sent down the line all the way to the street whenever I had an inspection and that helped catch a few potential disasters.  So if you ever decide to buy another house, it's worth it to have that done.   If roots are an issue, it also makes sense to get the drain line snaked once a year.  Preventative maintenance at $100 a year is worth it (or less if you rent a tool from a big box store but that is beyond my diy capabilities!).

PantsOnFire

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #630 on: May 30, 2013, 08:25:16 AM »
Thanks for the warm welcome, Kat!  Congrats on being retired--that's quite an achievement! 

The sewer was only partially blocked, so it didn't rear its ugly head in inspection.  If we had opted for a video pipe inspection we would have caught it, but alas we didn't go that far.  We had a drain service try to snake it but they were only able to remove some of the blockage before the snake just jammed up and couldn't be removed.  So now we had ~20 feet of steel cable in the sewer pipe as well.  We talked to the neighbors and 2/3 of them have had to replace their 60-yr-old terra cotta sewer pipes within the last 10 years or so so I figured it was overdue anyway.  I said, "oh well, it's time" and wrote the check.  10 days before my wife is due to deliver our first child is not the best time to hem and haw over whether we should spring for a functional sewer.  Now we have 4" PVC from the basement out to the street so in theory the sewer is good to go for the next 50-100 years. 

We will indeed be reducing the daycare costs by about $60/week by going down to 3 days of care instead of 5.  We had to fight with our employer to even allow us to take different furlough days, but they eventually did concede that furloughing us on the same day each week didn't help them at all and it would hurt us significantly.  My mother has also offered to help watch our son part-time, so I should be able to get a few hours of DIY work done on the house on my furlough days while she gets some quality time with her grandson. 

I'll look for the Tightwad Gazette at our library.  Since we're probably losing something like $4500 in income over the next few months, we'll need to take every opportunity we can to limit our spending.   

Cheers!
-Dan

mahina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #631 on: May 30, 2013, 07:27:13 PM »
aloha mmm folk~
i found this site a couple of weeks ago, and i'm excited to see so many quick wins and transformative concepts here. my husband and i retired in hawaii (yes!) in our early 50s.

we hail from the 'voluntary simplicity' generation, so we've had a good bagful of money-saving tricks for a long time. fun to see so many new ones here!

we have a guest cottage that makes us some extra cash through aibnb, social security, and a reverse mortgage that lets our home equity pay for property taxes, homeowner insurance, and repairs. we had a good deal of investment money that disappeared when the economy tanked some years back. oh well. we have little money, but we have it in hawaii!

we're able to grow quite a bit of our produce, but rely on a buying club, costco, and sales to fill the gap on items we can't make ouselves (like wine!) or grow here (oats!).

i look forward to participating in the community forums, and learning new ways to make the most of retirement.
a hui,
mahina

Katnina

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #632 on: May 30, 2013, 07:38:55 PM »
Wow, that sucks about the sewer line, Dan, but at least you won't have to worry about it again!
If your front yard is already torn up and you are thinking about putting a veggie garden in at some point, now may be the time!  It is a good way to reduce food expenses, and you will know you are feeding your baby amazingly healthy veggies when he starts eating solid food.  Some neighborhoods have restrictions against front yard veggie plots but even if yours does, there are ways to incorporate edible plants into an 'ornamental' garden.
Good luck!

Carpe Dime

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #633 on: May 31, 2013, 07:06:53 AM »
I found this site via the article in the Washington Post. It took me until  last week to read the entire blog, including a significant number of the comments. While my wife and I are not living beyond our means, we were managing our funds fairly inefficiently. In the last three weeks, we've overhauled our monthly spending, and realized we're only 2-3 years away from FI--depending on any raises, additional mustachian karate chops to our spending, or better-than-expected investment returns.

I have to say, this is one of the most civilized communities I've found on the web. I'm sure MMM does a good job of weeding out the truly destructive comments on the blog, but seeing the posts here in the forum extend that goodwill is incredible.

All this enlightenment has been a real punch in the face (the good kind).

Thanks all!

teen persuasion

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #634 on: May 31, 2013, 09:50:34 AM »
Heard about this site a few months ago, but I'm just getting around to reading thru it all from the beginning, a few posts at a time.

DH and I are 46, and the parents of 5 kids ranging in age from 8 - 22.  I was SAHM until the youngest hit school age, so I'm getting a late start at the saving for retirement thing.  We've always been frugal, by necessity, but it is just in the last 5 or so years that we've finally gained some traction in creating a 'Stache: paid off DH's grad student loans, paid off mortgage 15 years early, added my part-time wages.  All that freed up money has been going to retirement accounts, from a measly 5% of DH's pay a few years ago to 50% of our combined now. 

I've always felt like MMM does (spending money doesn't = enjoyment), but DH has complained about being "deprived".  Suddenly, DH is beginning to see the light, and loves the idea of early retirement (after previously thinking he'd never live to retire).  I'm hoping to learn lots more about investing, now that we've got something to invest.

ChiStache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #635 on: May 31, 2013, 10:29:09 AM »
Hi there, I'm ChiStache. I'm 30 years old. Live in Chicago. Married to a great frugal hubs. I graduated from one of the most expensive law schools in the country in 2008 with about $200k in student loan debt (face punching myself everyday since). I've spent the past five years working to crawl myself back from the brink.

The hubs and I bought our first home two years ago, it's a two-flat in the city, so we rent one unit and live in another.  The rent covers almost all of our mortgage, which has been a huge help. We do not own a car. We've been tossing more than half of our take home pay at student loan debt, and project to eliminate it altogether in October 2013. Yay! Can't wait.

Love the blog and the forum; look forward to learning lots. 

bobmicro

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #636 on: May 31, 2013, 03:45:43 PM »
Hi, I'm Bob.  My wife & I live in Canada.  I'm in my early 40s and my wife is in her early 30s.   Our life is pretty comfortable, but we live frugally.

Trede

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Trede, dreaming of being a full-time indie author supporter in "retirement"
« Reply #637 on: June 01, 2013, 04:43:33 AM »
Hi, I'm Trede, and I've been crawling around the MMM site and forums for about a month,... love this site!  My husband and I are early 40's, no kids, in Chicago suburbia.  Two years ago on instinct we downsized to a little ranch (from a four bedroom, two story with a full basement house... for two people, what were we thinking?) and there was no clearer lesson in happiness having nothing to do with how big your house is or how much stuff you have.

We're debt free, I've got the corporate gig, and my husband is a new sci-fi author.  As indie publishing might be one way to sustain an income stream in "early retirement," and as a way to give back to the MMM community I've learned so much from, I'll be posting in the off-topic section offering up what I've learned and happy to answer any questions as an amateur editor/publisher.  I'm not an expert, but becoming a knowledgeable DIYer and happy to help.

CorpRaider

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #638 on: June 01, 2013, 02:14:04 PM »
Hi all,

First time long time.  I'm a mid 30's tax attorney (gov't so no huge salary) in North Carolina.  My wife is younger and was negatively impacted by the recession and has just started back on her career as a school media specialist.  We bought an old fixer-upper house last year for $172,000.  I have finally paid off my car and almost eliminated all other non student loan debt ($150,000) and Mortgage debt ($160,000) and look forward to optimizing my spending to finally put together some net worth after almost a decade of post-secondary education.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2013, 11:10:16 AM by CorpRaider »

MakingSenseofCents

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #639 on: June 02, 2013, 02:12:28 AM »
Hey everyone! I am new here and have fallen in love with both the website and the forum.

I am working on leaving my job and pursuing my passion. Need to start investing more!

I am 24 years old, graduated from college at 20, and have been living on my own since 18. I never even thought that early retirement was possible until I started reading blogs like this one!
« Last Edit: June 02, 2013, 02:14:03 AM by MakingSenseofCents »

berns

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #640 on: June 02, 2013, 04:16:52 PM »
Hi I'm Ilya and live in Chicago. Thanks for all of the great posts, they have helped me a lot!

shusherstache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #641 on: June 02, 2013, 05:36:59 PM »
I've been lurking and posting a bit, so I guess it's time for an introduction.

I live in Texas and my husband and I are both in our late twenties.  We are DINKS working in the tech sector and have only mortgage debt (currently at 112k, 1700sf house at about 260k in an up-and-coming walkable area) which we are paying off hopefully in the next three years.  Sometime in that period, we're figuring out kids (adopt or biological?) and reevaluating our dual-income mindset.

GlobalStache

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #642 on: June 03, 2013, 06:17:10 AM »
Hi, I've been reading the blog for a long time and finally decided to join!  I'm trying to live a Mustachian life with a spouse who cannot let go of slaving away at a desk job (okay, it's a great job...but hanging out with me and our son would be even greater!).  We reached FI awhile ago; back then I became a SAHM anticipating having our first child (then just a SAHW?).  I like my side of our lives, me having left the high stress world of white shoe law firms helping private equity firms reap big gains for lots of a$$holes with whom I spent basically all my time.  Yuck!  So I'm a happy American, my husband is a workaholic German and our kid is an awesome mixed breed of the two.  We now live in Shanghai, so I'm trying to live a Mustachian life among the high rollers (you'd die if you knew how much our apartment is per month...thank goodness our cut of that amount is practically nothing, horray Mustaches!). Cheers around the globe!

Zamboni

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #643 on: June 03, 2013, 11:14:12 AM »
Hi, I'm Zamboni!  Single parent of two great elementary school aged children.

Mustachianism is the closest thing I've found to my life philosophy, so I've enjoyed reading the blog and checking out the forums over the past couple of months.  Thanks!

hudday48

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #644 on: June 04, 2013, 03:47:31 AM »
Hi I'm Hudday.

28 single living in Seoul as an english teacher.

I've read 50% of the articles in the last month when I saw the Washington Post article.

Be gentle with me for I am a newb.

rightstuff

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #645 on: June 04, 2013, 09:37:55 AM »
Hi all.  Discovered MMM about 60 days ago.  Thanks to DW we've been on track to FI for several years and other than buying an F150 I thought I deserved, insert face punch here, we are almost there.  Being in my late 40's, as compared to many of the fine folks here, has sobered me to the fact there is no time to waste; the F150 is gone, cable is gone, and a more detailed expense evaluation is happening (currently dabbling with hypermiling in my 2 year old Altima)!

I really enjoy the posts and have been sharing many with family and friends.

Thanks for the kick in the drawers, I look forward to watching the MMM community grow and evolve.

nsusa

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #646 on: June 04, 2013, 10:07:42 AM »
Hi there. I am Chris from Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Married, one 8 year old son in Elementary school. We're both in our mid-40s. Own a 4 bedroom house (worth $400K, mortgage $200K). No other debt. Both cars are paid off. Found this blog and forum through a friend.

After reading a lot I know we're off track, but it is never too late to start. Got rid of my cell phone and are using the one I got from my employer. Moved my original phone number to Google Voice. Now buying a cheapo prep-paid phone and then move the home phone number to Cell and then to Google Voice. More to come.

juliesunday

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #647 on: June 04, 2013, 12:42:54 PM »
Hi! I'm Julie Sunday and I live in Austin, TX. I'm a sexual health educator by day and cycling instructor by night. Swithced to EcoMobile first then PlatinumTel and am becoming increasingly Mustachian. Trying to pull my boyfriend along with me :) I was introduced to the blog by my aunt who posted the "Newsflash! Your Debt is an Emergency!" article on facebook last fall & have been reading ever since.

msilenus

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #648 on: June 05, 2013, 12:22:51 AM »
Howdy, I'm msilenus.  I'm a nerd with a wife and two kids working in Silicon Valley.  Always been a heavy saver, but mostly because my appetite for luxury is just naturally modest.  This blog has brought into focus that I can push that farther and perhaps shave some years off the mandatory portion of my career, just by developing those frugality muscles.

stevesteve

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Re: Say Hi and Introduce Yourself
« Reply #649 on: June 05, 2013, 10:25:43 AM »
Hi, I'm Steve.  Married.  Late 20s.  In school but work this summer.  I found out about MMM a while ago from the bike world.  I'm naturally frugal in some areas but could probably spend all of my income on food if left to my own devices.