Comments on: We are going to cut our expenses in half http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html Becoming debt-free is the first step to building a better world. Financial independence is the second. Doing what YOU want is the third. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:07:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: RV Mattress Replacement http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-4370 RV Mattress Replacement Sat, 21 Mar 2009 07:08:08 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-4370 That is awesome that you work down the street from where you park your RV! See... if I did that (I'm in Colorado), I would have no excuse to call out of work during a snow storm. I'm wondering with the current state of the ecomomy if we are going to see a surge of RV owners taking to the RV parks for their vacations instead of jumping on the planes to Hawaii. That is awesome that you work down the street from where you park your RV! See… if I did that (I’m in Colorado), I would have no excuse to call out of work during a snow storm.

I’m wondering with the current state of the ecomomy if we are going to see a surge of RV owners taking to the RV parks for their vacations instead of jumping on the planes to Hawaii.

]]> By: HIB http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-2423 HIB Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:30:48 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-2423 Wow. Way to go Jacob! Very cool man. You will have to detail your solar set up when you get that going. Very exciting! -HIB Wow. Way to go Jacob! Very cool man.

You will have to detail your solar set up when you get that going.

Very exciting!
-HIB

]]> By: huminbrd50 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-2266 huminbrd50 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:14:24 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-2266 My husband and I moved into our first rv 6 years ago. I had my apprehensions at first so we did a trial run in a smaller rv than we have now. Day two I was totally in love with it. We traded from 36 ft gas to 40 ft. diesel and to this day it works perfect for us. My daughters and grandchildren have come and stayed up to two weeks with us. We grill out alot and as mentioned by others, we don't "bog" down with loads of extra things. My rule is if you haven't used it in 6 months, don't know where you got it, or don't know if you ever will use it again. It is "outta here". He is in the construction industry and it keeps us from buying or renting and having to deal with leases etc. My husband and I moved into our first rv 6 years ago. I had my apprehensions at first so we did a trial run in a smaller rv than we have now. Day two I was totally in love with it. We traded from 36 ft gas to 40 ft. diesel and to this day it works perfect for us. My daughters and grandchildren have come and stayed up to two weeks with us. We grill out alot and as mentioned by others, we don’t “bog” down with loads of extra things. My rule is if you haven’t used it in 6 months, don’t know where you got it, or don’t know if you ever will use it again. It is “outta here”. He is in the construction industry and it keeps us from buying or renting and having to deal with leases etc.

]]> By: Dominga http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-2125 Dominga Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:31:32 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-2125 Wow, Live in a RV and pay <50% current rent. No trash or water bills? Love the thought. Hmm, wonder if my husband would give this concept serious thought? Worth a try! First time reading this blog. Happened to stumble upon it. Lots of good ideas for savings. Thanks! Dominga Wow, Live in a RV and pay <50% current rent. No trash or water bills? Love the thought. Hmm, wonder if my husband would give this concept serious thought? Worth a try!
First time reading this blog. Happened to stumble upon it. Lots of good ideas for savings. Thanks! Dominga

]]> By: NotCleverAtNames http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-2102 NotCleverAtNames Sun, 14 Sep 2008 07:07:12 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-2102 Jacob, so enjoyed your blog, and you've made many good points in favor of RV living. I lived with my BF in a 32ft travel trailer at an RV Park for about a year, and miss it today. You DO learn to live without a bunch of trappings, and to prioritize what really matters. Not only is it inexpensive, but moving is less hassle-I remember taking down anything off shelves thjat could fall and break, but we were pre-packed no matter what! Don't like your neighbors? Hitch up and go, lol. There are many groups out there that promote living in smaller homes to be less wasteful...when you think about it, we typically only occupy a small area in our homes, at least on a regular basis. The rest is mostly wasted! Look forward to more enjoyable reading. Jacob, so enjoyed your blog, and you’ve made many good points in favor of RV living. I lived with my BF in a 32ft travel trailer at an RV Park for about a year, and miss it today.

You DO learn to live without a bunch of trappings, and to prioritize what really matters. Not only is it inexpensive, but moving is less hassle-I remember taking down anything off shelves thjat could fall and break, but we were pre-packed no matter what!

Don’t like your neighbors? Hitch up and go, lol.

There are many groups out there that promote living in smaller homes to be less wasteful…when you think about it, we typically only occupy a small area in our homes, at least on a regular basis. The rest is mostly wasted!

Look forward to more enjoyable reading.

]]> By: shadow http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-2068 shadow Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:21:39 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-2068 i am a single mom of 3 kids, we live in an rv fulltime, our cable, garbage, water, electric are included, our rents around 1000 a month depending on season as we live in fl but its also a high end golf resort with many benefits. crowded..absolutely..worth it..absolutely..not many people have considered this type of living and to be honest it takes someone with special ability to do this on a day to day basis especially with children..but mine have adjusted just fine considering we had HUGE house before...it really is an option..:) i am a single mom of 3 kids, we live in an rv fulltime, our cable, garbage, water, electric are included, our rents around 1000 a month depending on season as we live in fl but its also a high end golf resort with many benefits. crowded..absolutely..worth it..absolutely..not many people have considered this type of living and to be honest it takes someone with special ability to do this on a day to day basis especially with children..but mine have adjusted just fine considering we had HUGE house before…it really is an option..:)

]]> By: options trading http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1972 options trading Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:41:00 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1972 working or volunteering on the road. For many positions, you get a free RV site. There are all sorts of jobs to do on the road- work in amusement or theme parks, RV parks, state and national parks, sales or run your own business on the road. In fact, if RV travel is a goal, think about. by: <a href="http://www.allinthemoney.com" rel="nofollow">options trading</a> working or volunteering on the road. For many positions, you get a free RV site. There are all sorts of jobs to do on the road- work in amusement or theme parks, RV parks, state and national parks, sales or run your own business on the road. In fact, if RV travel is a goal, think about.

by: options trading

]]> By: CalamityJaimie http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1967 CalamityJaimie Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:22:16 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1967 That's great you are so focused on saving. It will give you freedom later on. And, when you get enough saved, you can travel in your RV and reduce expenses even more by working or volunteering on the road. For many positions, you get a free RV site. There are all sorts of jobs to do on the road- work in amusement or theme parks, RV parks, state and national parks, sales or run your own business on the road. In fact, if RV travel is a goal, think about starting some sort of Web business that will generate income down the road. It's a great life out here! Jaimie Hall Bruzenak author of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road That’s great you are so focused on saving. It will give you freedom later on. And, when you get enough saved, you can travel in your RV and reduce expenses even more by working or volunteering on the road. For many positions, you get a free RV site. There are all sorts of jobs to do on the road- work in amusement or theme parks, RV parks, state and national parks, sales or run your own business on the road. In fact, if RV travel is a goal, think about starting some sort of Web business that will generate income down the road. It’s a great life out here!

Jaimie Hall Bruzenak
author of Support Your RV Lifestyle! An Insider’s Guide to Working on the Road

]]> By: jane in sf http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1966 jane in sf Wed, 03 Sep 2008 22:41:20 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1966 Jacob: I was going to give up reading blogs for a period of time - but then I saw your title and bingo - I was hooked in. Another big congratulations and thank you for being a continuing source of inspiration. My place is going on the market next week. I own property (including cabin) free & clear - my dream is to have a sabbatical from work for a year (I doubt if I will ever be able to work for someone else again) - people understand "taking a year off." Ideally I could swing $1,000 a month for all expenses - including property tax & medical insurance - I should be able to save that by end of year - how priceless is having my own time? Who knows what could come out the adventure. Again, thanks for helping me shape a future of my own design. Jacob:

I was going to give up reading blogs for a period of time – but then I saw your title and bingo – I was hooked in. Another big congratulations and thank you for being a continuing source of inspiration. My place is going on the market next week. I own property (including cabin) free & clear – my dream is to have a sabbatical from work for a year (I doubt if I will ever be able to work for someone else again) – people understand “taking a year off.” Ideally I could swing $1,000 a month for all expenses – including property tax & medical insurance – I should be able to save that by end of year – how priceless is having my own time? Who knows what could come out the adventure. Again, thanks for helping me shape a future of my own design.

]]> By: firefighter http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1965 firefighter Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:30:34 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1965 Anon, et al- I don't think anything in Jacob's message changes just because you have kids. Just work together with your family and do what you can. Contrary to popular belief, kids are not necessarily that expensive. Here's a real life example in case it helps- my brother made ~65k last year gross as an engineer. He has two kids, 1 and 3. He did not have to pay anything in fed or state taxes aside from Social Security. Here's how it laid out for him... 65k gross- ~15k to 401k (the max) ~5k principal on mortgage ~10k mortgage interest/r.e. tax + insurance (I know Jacob is not a big fan of home ownership, and neither am I, I'm just laying out the example of what works out for my brother and his family) ~10k to Roth IRA for he and his wife ~5k to taxable savings/stock account That left 20k/yr for his family to live on. In true Jacobian fashion (although I can't see Jacob in a 3br/2.5 bath townhouse), practically everything in my brother and his wife's townhouse is either a gift or borrowed. For vacation, they go to see relatives. They almost never eat out, but grill out at home often. Just about all their food is Costco food that had coupons applicable. All the kid's clothes and toys are hand me downs from friends and neighbors, but the kids really don't know any better. The little one wears cloth diapers. My brother and sister in law have lots of friends and a set of grandparents close by, so babysitting is not hard to come by. Their cars are ~10 years old, but run fine. They asked the grandparents to ease up somewhat on Christmas/bday gifts and put part of the money into a college fund. So my brother's family last year saved ~54% of their GROSS income + 6% contribution from his employer to his ret. plan.= 60% of his gross income. With each kid getting him a 1k tax credit plus a 3400$ deduction, that actually puts him as saving the equivalent of 65-70% of after tax income when compared to a single person or married with no kids. I realize 65k jobs(with incl. health insurance) are not everywhere, but it is actually at the low end for experienced engineers in his area. Can you and your family live on less? Keep reading Jacob's posts for motivation, and I think you and your family can. -FF Anon, et al-

I don’t think anything in Jacob’s message
changes just because you have kids.
Just work together with your family
and do what you can.

Contrary to popular belief, kids are not
necessarily that expensive.

Here’s a real life example
in case it helps- my brother made
~65k last year gross as an engineer.
He has two kids, 1 and 3. He did not
have to pay anything in fed or state
taxes aside from Social Security.

Here’s how it laid out for him…
65k gross-
~15k to 401k (the max)
~5k principal on mortgage
~10k mortgage interest/r.e. tax + insurance
(I know Jacob is not a big fan of
home ownership, and neither am I, I’m
just laying out the example of what
works out for my brother and his family)
~10k to Roth IRA for he and his wife
~5k to taxable savings/stock account

That left 20k/yr for his family to
live on. In true Jacobian fashion
(although I can’t see Jacob in a 3br/2.5
bath townhouse), practically everything in my
brother and his wife’s townhouse
is either a gift or borrowed.
For vacation, they go to see relatives.
They almost never eat out, but grill
out at home often. Just about all their
food is Costco food that had coupons
applicable. All the kid’s
clothes and toys are hand me downs from
friends and neighbors, but the kids
really don’t know any better. The
little one wears cloth diapers. My
brother and sister in law have
lots of friends and a set of
grandparents close by, so babysitting
is not hard to come by. Their
cars are ~10 years old, but run fine.
They asked the grandparents to ease
up somewhat on Christmas/bday gifts and put
part of the money into a college fund.

So my brother’s family last year saved
~54% of their GROSS income + 6% contribution
from his employer to his ret. plan.=
60% of his gross income.

With each kid getting him a 1k tax credit
plus a 3400$ deduction, that actually
puts him as saving the equivalent of 65-70%
of after tax income when compared to
a single person or married with no kids.

I realize 65k jobs(with incl. health insurance)
are not everywhere, but it is actually
at the low end for experienced engineers
in his area.

Can you and your family live on less?
Keep reading Jacob’s posts for motivation,
and I think you and your family can.

-FF

]]> By: Alex K http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1964 Alex K Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:05:07 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1964 Jacob I want to give you some photovoltaic panels (100W worth) I have lying around. They have spent almost all of the past 10 years indoors which is a tragedy. I'd like to see them actually get used. Send me an email if you want them. Jacob I want to give you some photovoltaic panels (100W worth) I have lying around. They have spent almost all of the past 10 years indoors which is a tragedy. I’d like to see them actually get used. Send me an email if you want them.

]]> By: mjukr http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1957 mjukr Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:12:00 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1957 btw, re: water bill. Is it included in your "rent" at the RV park or something? btw, re: water bill. Is it included in your “rent” at the RV park or something?

]]> By: mjukr http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1956 mjukr Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:10:27 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1956 That's so awesome. You're some kind of crazy folk hero! I've got to be honest... I really wish you and DW were planning on having kids, since that adds a difficult variable to the equation (one that I must deal with :P ) and I'd LOVE to see your approach to it! Maybe someday?... ;) That’s so awesome. You’re some kind of crazy folk hero!

I’ve got to be honest… I really wish you and DW were planning on having kids, since that adds a difficult variable to the equation (one that I must deal with :P ) and I’d LOVE to see your approach to it!

Maybe someday?… ;)

]]> By: Brandon http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1955 Brandon Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:33:28 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1955 I like the ideas presented also, but my wife would never go for it. I like the ideas presented also, but my wife would never go for it.

]]> By: Anonoymous http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1954 Anonoymous Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:40:33 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1954 I doubt if I can move my family in a RV. I am married with 3 children, any suggestion on how I can save 85% of my income I doubt if I can move my family in a RV. I am married with 3 children, any suggestion on how I can save 85% of my income

]]> By: Tight Fisted Miser http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1953 Tight Fisted Miser Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:16:13 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1953 That sounds great Jacob. I'd like to do the same but I don't think I'll ever be able to convince my GF to move into an RV though. That sounds great Jacob. I’d like to do the same but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convince my GF to move into an RV though.

]]> By: Move To Portugal http://earlyretirementextreme.com/we-are-going-to-cut-our-expenses-in-half.html/comment-page-1#comment-1952 Move To Portugal Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:53:14 +0000 http://earlyretirementextreme.com/?p=412#comment-1952 Wow Jacob, 85%! That's amazing. I'm a long time lurker and reader of your blog, and it has given me so much advice, that I would like to say a big THANK YOU! -Laura Wow Jacob, 85%! That’s amazing.

I’m a long time lurker and reader of your blog, and it has given me so much advice, that I would like to say a big THANK YOU!
-Laura

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