What is the most interesting thing you've learned and implemented from the blog?

[Grid]

I'm not asking about the most important, life-changing thing you've learned from MMM (or the forum, really).  I'm thinking about something obscure that you'd just never thought about before.

For me, it was MMM's mention of eating half-oatmeal, half-cereal for breakfast to save money while keeping the taste.  It works!  And it's considered weird - I never fail to draw questions from family or friends about why I am not heating my 1-minute oats.

[Emilyngh]

Can I count the Roth conversion pipeline?   It's not really obscure and I haven't yet implemented it, but I had never thought about it and don't know if I ever would have.    But, it's brilliant.

[taekvideo]

Brewing my own alcohol ^^
Always assumed it would be hard or expensive... it's not lol

[dragoncar]

Being wildly optimistic... but I'm still working on implementation.

PS, being optimistic is at odds with my employment

[parsimonious]

Cutting my own hair with a trimmer. I'm a woman with short hair that was paying >$100 a month to a nice salon for a fashionable pixie cut. I read the post on getting shaving your own head, and figured if men can do it, so can I. I wind up looking like a radical feminist for a week (which would not be far from the truth) but then it grows out and looks super cute for about two months.

I think this is the most interesting since I have done it, nobody can tell that I do it myself and nothing is more badass than standing in front of the mirror shaving your head. (Tips for the ladies: use the longest setting, leave a little bang wave in the front and create some "vulcan" sideburns.)

[warfreak2]

I learned that all of those jokes about accountants are wrong, double-entry accounting is awesome. I recognise and accept that I will no longer be invited to parties as a result of this.

[Hedge_87]

Being wildly optimistic... but I'm still working on implementation.

PS, being optimistic is at odds with my employment

+1

Not the easiest skill to learn but I think I've gotten the most milage out of this. Especially with all the changes that have gone on in my life the last 6 months.

[chasesfish]

Optimism and not being intimidated by construction.

Home Depot rose to #3 on my total spend list last year.  It'll be top 2-3 again this year.

[lizzzi]

Cutting my own and husband's hair--had no idea it was so easy. Also, keeping the electric bills down by very little use of the dryer and the air conditioner. I just never paid that much attention before MMM, even though I was fairly frugal and a good saver. It's also been fun--sort of like a game--to try to feed the family better while keeping the grocery bills lower. So that's actually three interesting things.

[PloddingInsight]

I learned that all of those jokes about accountants are wrong, double-entry accounting is awesome. I recognise and accept that I will no longer be invited to parties as a result of this.

+1 I implemented a double accounting system that I built from scratch in excel and keeping track of my finances is way easier now.

[dude]

As far as implementation, I'd never really thought about spending cuts in terms of the opportunity cost they represented (in the form of lost savings and interests), even though I have a degree in economics!  Duh.  But really, when I began viewing purchases though this prism and the lens of "will this make me happy?" it really changed my mental landscape.

But as far as the most interesting thing I've learned, as I've said before, the Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement was a game-changer

[Grid]

Can I count the Roth conversion pipeline?   It's not really obscure and I haven't yet implemented it, but I had never thought about it and don't know if I ever would have.    But, it's brilliant.

I would say it counts if you believe you will implement it.

It also seems hair-cutting and optimism are themes.

I recognise and accept that I will no longer be invited to parties as a result of this.

Given your signature, I doubt there is a lack of social functions to attend otherwise. 

Edited for grammar

[Grid]

As far as implementation, I'd never really thought about spending cuts in terms of the opportunity cost they represented (in the form of lost savings and interests), even though I have a degree in economics!  Duh. 

MMM drives this point home relentlessly.  If I had a dollar each time he mentions the mound of cash a small financial decision builds to over the course of ten years ... well, I'd have at least $10.

[Melody]

Meeting the other Mustachians in my home town has been very significant for me, in terms of making me realise it is possible and it's not weird to want ER!
Also the DIY plumbing stuff - haven't used it yet (I rent) but have stored it away for future reference.

[warfreak2]

MMM drives this point home relentlessly.  If I had a dollar each time he mentions the mound of cash a small financial decision builds to over the course of ten years ... well, I'd have at least $10.

If I had a dollar for every time I realised how many dollars I'd have if I had a dollar every time something happened...

[Fastfwd]

Making my own repairs.

I'm not too bad at repairs but was always scared of making things worse.

ex: Try to repair the car and can't do it and now it's stuck in the driveway and I have to pay extra for a towing to the garage.

Now I see it like extended warranties which I never take. Sometimes I may end up paying more but most of the time it's worth the risk.

[Grid]

MMM drives this point home relentlessly.  If I had a dollar each time he mentions the mound of cash a small financial decision builds to over the course of ten years ... well, I'd have at least $10.

If I had a dollar for every time I realised how many dollars I'd have if I had a dollar every time something happened...

*Reads once* ... *Reads again*  "This dollar goes there, and deals with those dollars, and that dollar is a result of saving money over there... Ah I got it!  Lol."

[happyfeet]

Not spending money is the best way to save money.  I know - so simple and yet looking back over my life - I wasted a lot of money on junk. I am trying to install this savings idea into my 22 and 25 year old kids.   This site just affirms it is  OK to not keep up with people and to be frugal(not cheap big difference!) - and nice to know there are others like me out there!

[pachnik]

I learned that I was more of a consumerist sucker than I thought.  I didn't think I was too much of one since I didn't have fancy clothes and new cars every few years.  I never really had the income to keep up with the Joneses.  But I just spent (frittered away) my money on little things that added up in a big way over time.  I am definitely not 100% in the clear now but I am a lot better than before MMM. 

My implementation of what I have learned involves tracking spending and spending consciously.

[steadierfooting]

This was the first blog I've read that focused on earnings at my income level.  I got bored of wading through comments about debt settling, bad credit, blah.  So to read through this incentivizes me to drastically cut more wasteful, consumerist spending.

For instance, I work from home, so never really considered or cared for gas habits since my monthly total gas spending is what I thought was low ($100 a month).   Now I'm trying to think, "can I walk there, or have free pickup, or delivery?"

I really want to retire at a reasonable age, and have kept my spending levels the same since 2009 with raises going right into savings/retirement, but this blog made me realize I can cut even more.

There was a guy I used to work with, he was a software developer contractor, and an awesome smart guy to work with.  I wanted to bring him on full time, but he said, "I only like to work 3 days a week for 6 months out of the year".  Even then with his consultant rate he was pulling in ~50K a year.  I wish I talked more about his path to that. 

When we have little set backs my mom always reminds me how great we are doing for our age and compares it to how much they struggled then (and retired at a reasonable age) so I think we are doing much better than most people, but not by mustachian standards

[slugline]

I've rekindled my appreciation of bikes. :)

[randymarsh]

Lifestyle/philosophy:

How little money you need to retire.

I think, even without MMM, I would have done alright financially. I would have stayed out of credit card debt and paid my student loans off a little bit quicker than 10 years. I would have done a 10% 401k contribution.

Doing all that still means 30+ years working though. MMM's spending posts and my own reevaluation of what I need made me realize that I really can live a rich lifestyle on 30 or 40K

Practical:

Just how expensive driving is. In the midwest, it seems like everyone drives a truck. I drove an SUV for a while. But it's all such a waste. The commutes people put up with and the money they spend is nuts.

[geekette]

The biggest surprise to me was MVNOs for cell phones.  We've dropped our bill by 90%, and my sister has done about the same.

[TrMama]

That I don't need anywhere close to 1M+ to retire.

That making cider is so completely and ridiculously easy. Juice + yeast + a balloon + time.

[begood]

Not spending money is the best way to save money.

+1

It was like the clouds parted and angels sang. A downright epiphany!

[begood]

Not implemented yet but we're working on selling our home so we can move MUCH closer to work. Thanks to this blog we realize we only have about 7 years left of work so wherever we move doesn't need to be our ideal home or area, just something we'll be happy with for 7 years, then we can move to our dream area and buy/build our actual dream home.

Hijacking to ask... Are you planning to buy or rent for those seven years, Maigahane? For a mid-range time frame, it seems like there's a lot to debate about which is better.

[DMoney]

Using our kiddie bike trailer for errands.  Not sure why I had NEVER thought to use it for that before.  Palm-hits-forehead.  I used to drive or even walk short distances rather than bike because I was going to have to carry something.  Now I just use the trailer, which we have anyways for the kiddo!  I love it!

[DeepEllumStache]

Cutting my own hair.  I never even considered being able to cut my own hair and considered my annual trip to the hairdresser a chore.

[begood]

Not implemented yet but we're working on selling our home so we can move MUCH closer to work. Thanks to this blog we realize we only have about 7 years left of work so wherever we move doesn't need to be our ideal home or area, just something we'll be happy with for 7 years, then we can move to our dream area and buy/build our actual dream home.

Hijacking to ask... Are you planning to buy or rent for those seven years, Maigahane? For a mid-range time frame, it seems like there's a lot to debate about which is better.

We're looking to buy. We have a 75lbs dog who for some reason is on breed restrictions which makes renting harder. Plus we can buy a decent house here for ~$100-120k but rents would be ~$700/month. I'd much rather pay that same money in a mortgage and potentially get some of it back when we sell.
Oh, and DH insists he needs a garage which narrows down our renting options even further :)

I am wildly envious of your LCOL! Rent is three times that around where I live, and houses are three times as expensive for a "decent house" (3/2, maybe a 1-car garage, needs some updating). It feels like lose/lose in that situation - no matter what we choose, rent or buy, we'd be overpaying for something!

[Cheddar Stacker]

..For me, it was MMM's mention of eating half-oatmeal, half-cereal for breakfast to save money while keeping the taste.  It works!  And it's considered weird - I never fail to draw questions from family or friends about why I am not heating my 1-minute oats.

I do this too Grid.

Also reduced consumption, and not just buying less crap, but food, sports, television, news, just about everything.

But my biggest game changer was:

Eating fat is a good thing: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/04/18/the-amazing-waist-slimming-wallet-fattening-nutrient/

Since reading this, I've read it many other places and the traditional American diet is backwards. I've also read the book Superfoods. I feel like I've found the fountain of youth. My diet wasn't terrible, but I have more energy now than I did 10 years ago based on the changes I've made over the last 9 months.

[thepokercab]

Not spending money is the best way to save money.  I know - so simple and yet looking back over my life - I wasted a lot of money on junk. I am trying to install this savings idea into my 22 and 25 year old kids.   This site just affirms it is  OK to not keep up with people and to be frugal(not cheap big difference!) - and nice to know there are others like me out there!

This was big for me as well.  Before MMM, i always thought that if I was ever going to be able to save a lot of money I needed to increase my income.  Decreasing my spending didn't really factor into it.  Crazy, I know- but this was the big light bulb moment for me. 

[lisahi]

A few things:

- Watching my stache grow is just as much fund as spending money

- A changed definition of "want" versus "need"

- Biking!

[nawhite]

Live close to work. Nothing else about my house matters other than location. From: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/10/06/the-true-cost-of-commuting/:

In other words, a logical person should be willing to pay about $15,900 more for a house that is one mile closer to work, and $477,000 more for a house that is 30 miles closer to work. For a double-commuting couple, these numbers are $31,800 and $954,000.

We started looking to buy a house about 4 months after this article came out and that statement I quoted made me realize the real reason real estate is location, location, location. We ended up only looking at houses within a 1/4 mile by 1/4 mile square. That way, my wife could walk or ride her bike 3/4 of a mile to work and I could take the train 20 min to my work.

That one decision saved us THOUSANDS of dollars in the one year we've lived here and improved our quality of life immeasurably. If you haven't made location the number 1 priority for your job and house, you don't realize what you're missing.

[soccerluvof4]

Just learning to analyze and decide whats really a want or a need. I save so much more by being patient and taking my time in my decisions.

[SwordGuy]

The Shockingly Simple Math was the real eye-opener.  Info on investing has also been extremely helpful.

[Nancy]

Biking! Makes me happy and optimistic, saves me money, keeps me fit, and makes commuting one of the best parts of my day. There are really too many to list since all the small changes have dramatically changed my life.

From the forums, I have to say nikki's tip about turning off the water in the shower until rinse off. How had I never thought about this!? So excellent!

[Jon_Snow]

I was living the quintessential Mustachian lifestyle 10 years before discovering MMM. I'm pretty much near the end of of my FIRE journey, so a little late to install MMM "tricks" to bolster my Stache - but I intend to use many of them  to help preserve it.

My biggest takeaway from this place is that it reaffirms that our past 12 years of extreme LBYM ways wasn't somehow abnormal and misguided....that there are many people on the same path. It has been comforting to know that I have a lot of company in this endeavour. In "real life" I don't know a single person doing this.

[Mississippi Mudstache]

This is probably going to sound silly, but my consumption of rolled oats has skyrocketed since I began reading MMM :)

[lifejoy]

How to not be a sukka! Seriously, just changing my thinking and no longer following the status quo. That and cutting my man's hair! Practice makes perfect.

Also, how much it costs to GET to work (via driving or whatever). Factoring that in.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Nudelkopf]

The Shockingly Simple Math was the real eye-opener.

Yes!

Also, avoiding hedonic adaption transitioning from a student to a real person (still a work in progress as I've only been a real person for 8 months).

[TheKbob]

I bought a bike.

Why's that interesting?  I never learned to ride one and being a full grown adult male trying to learn to do something everyone else did as a child is quite a hit to the 'ol ego. 

[1967mama]

I'm still fairly new around here, but I find that daily, I have many MMM ideas swirling around in my head.

Before doing something or buying something, I often pause and think, "Hmmm ... what would Mr. Money Mustache do?" or "what would Mr. Money Mustache say?"

[europe]

1. that I live in the wrong country
2. how to avoid clown car driving respectively that I don't need a car at all (-> sold it)
3. that someone can save 75 % of his income without negative impact on his life/lifestyle. Unfortunately, my savings rate isn't that high actually, but with ~60% I'm much better than I was before (~0%)
4. another way of thinking

[lifejoy]

To calculate the 10 year opportunity cost of a weekly expense, simply multiply X by 752.

To calculate the 10 year opportunity cost of a monthly expense, multiply X by 173. 

Because I've never excelled at math, this simple calculation gives me an awesome feeling of control and insight over every little purchase I make.  And, actually, has dramatically reduced my number of purchases.

I didn't know this! Thanks!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[lifejoy]

This is probably going to sound silly, but my consumption of rolled oats has skyrocketed since I began reading MMM :)

Nice!! Have you tried overnight oatmeal? Mix oatmeal and milk 1:1 and put in the fridge overnight. Preferably with some berries. Then eat in the morning with some vanilla yogurt or coconut flavour silken tofu, or nuts, or whatever! Yum :)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Grid]

This is probably going to sound silly, but my consumption of rolled oats has skyrocketed since I began reading MMM :)

Nice!! Have you tried overnight oatmeal? Mix oatmeal and milk 1:1 and put in the fridge overnight. Preferably with some berries. Then eat in the morning with some vanilla yogurt or coconut flavour silken tofu, or nuts, or whatever! Yum :)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I may try this.  Thanks for the idea.

[Grid]

Thanks for all the answers everyone!  It's refreshing to see how the little things are/have been helpful for many of us.

[Conjou]

The math behind FI: coming late to the party made me think it was impossible for me to achieve FI, but once I learned that math, relief, hope, and excitement set in.

[ChrisLansing]

Being optimistic.    For me this goes hand in hand with the low information diet.   

[MandyM]

The Shockingly Simple Math was the real eye-opener.

This. I was always a good saver and had been on a push to RE, but reading MMM cut my estimated time until FI from 7-8 years to 4 years. I made major changes in my thinking and life, pushed my savings to the limit and still have a luxurious life.

I might have to start cutting my own hair though with all the comments on that one...