If you're new here, this blog will give you the tools to become financially independent in 5 years. Here's how I did it and here's a few dozen online journals from other people who are currently doing it. This is not some stupid get rich quick scheme. The method is robust and replicable (no need to win the lottery, sell your business, or win at real estate), but not easy; much in the same way that a diet results in weight loss but is hard to follow persistently unless you set your mind to it.
The key is to save 75%+ of your net income and invest it in income producing assets (bonds and dividend stocks). This is done by running your personal finances much like a business, thinking about assets and inventory and focusing on efficiency and value for money. See this post on how to enjoy a middle class lifestyle on $7,000/year (Please read it, especially the part about the lentils!). There is a "21 day" step-by-step plan for how to get beyond 75% in the left side bar. Also, check out my answers to Frequently Asked Questions which also covers common misconceptions regarding my personal budget, blog income, retirement, marriage, children, health care, etc. I also suggest reading About ERE in the top menu bar.
The heating strategy we recently implemented decreased the utility bill by $30 compared to last month. This is promising. Not only did we not use this strategy for the full month. It has also been significantly colder this month outside – as well as inside 
.
I was half fearing that the space heater that DW is running in the “office” would eat up much of the savings on gas in electricity but the electricity bill is only up $0.22. Since the HVAC rarely engages anymore, most of the rest of the gas bill comes from cooking and hot water. The bad news is that we are running out of firewood.
In other news
This week I participated in the following carnivals:
Enjoy!
Permaculture articles!
