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.
Great success! I asked the big question and DW finally accepted. “Should we walk down to Walmart”, I asked and she said yes. We were walking down there to get some red vines, which in case you don’t know them are molasses, flour and corn syrup with taste and color. On the way we saw one other pedestrian (Yay!) and one Hummer (Oh Burn!). I’m going to start counting the Hummer/Pedestrian ratio and use it as a gas price indicator.
Afterwards we carried out our second successful BBQ. We got the charcoal grill (freecycled) out, and doused the coal (had to buy a new bag, ran out of free stuff) with starter fluid (freecycled) and got the coals going. We got some corn on the cobs. I hate corn on the cobs – except when they’re on sale. DW loves them. So I ate one and then switched to hotdogs, which in case you don’t know them are mashed spleens, brains, face flesh, etc. possibly from dogs? All in all this was fairly inexpensive but also, and I would like to state this for the record, romantic! 😀
This week in the carnivals:
