If you're new here, this blog will give you the tools to become financially independent in 5 years on a median salary. The wiki page gives a good summary of the principles of the strategy. The key to success is to run your personal finances much like a business, thinking about assets and inventory and focusing on efficiency and value for money. Not just any business but a business that's flexible, agile, and adaptable. Conversely most consumers run their personal finances like an inflexible money-losing anti-business always in danger of losing their jobs.
Here's almost a thousand online journals from people, who are following the ERE strategy tailored to their particular situation (age, children, location, education, goals, ...). Increasing their savings from the usual 5-15% of their income to tens of thousands of dollars each year or typically 40-80% of their income, many accumulate six-figure net-worths within a few years.
Since everybody's situation is different (age, education, location, children, goals, ...) I suggest only spending a brief moment on this blog, which can be thought of as my personal journal, before looking for the crowd's wisdom for your particular situation in the forum journals.
If you enjoy the blog, also consider the book which is much better organized and more complete. You can read the first chapter for free, listen to the preamble, or see the reviews (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,Z). Subscribe to the blog via email or RSS. Get updates on the facebook page, join the forums, and look for tactics on the ERE wiki. Here's a list of all the ERE blog posts.
I just learned a new baking method from 30 Bucks a Week. Previously I have done my unleavened breads by basically making flat fist sized balls out of the following
Forming them into a dough and baking them in the oven. For the flour, I use whatever is at hand, and I also try to experiment with different spices like ginger and cumin. You can add oatmeal for a more spongy feel (recommended) and butter for the consistency of regular rolls. If you add yeast or baking soda+something sour, you pretty much have regular bread. Not adding the yeast means that the bread is much more compact, one bread becomes an entire meal (Elvish waybread 🙂 ).
However, there was still the hassle of cleaning one’s hands or industrial implements for those who are into that after baking. An even easier method, as described on the link above, is to use 1 part flour to 1 part water (you want the consistency of thick pancake batter, the exact ratio depends on the type of flour) and mix it in a bowl with a fork. Since the consistency is batter rather than dough, the bowl rinses easily. Just pour the batter onto a cast iron pan with a little(!) oil and fry it a bit. For our type of pan and flour, one cup of flour and slightly less than one cup of water works perfectly. Once you get the usual “pan cake holes”, put the pan in the oven. Everything washes off very easily.
