If you're new here, this blog will give you the tools to become financially independent in 5 years. 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 on losing their jobs to the next wave of downsizing.
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 delving into the forum journals and looking for the crowd's wisdom for your particular situation.
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.
Sometimes I wonder: What if search engine algorithms were smarter? What if they ranked search results based on some inherent quality rather than the quantity of ingoing links which is all too easy to manipulate. What if “markets” really were efficient and everybody knew exactly what would most optimally satisfy their needs and wants. How would that look?
Well, here’s my effort to somewhat compensate for the fact that really good blogs can be drowned out due to inefficiencies whether they be artificial or intentional. In other words, which are some of the unknown blogs that might as well be some of the most well-known blogs if searches were truly efficient.
For the list below, I have picked blogs which have not received recent exposure on ERE and which are relevant to big ideas, frugality, sustainability, simplicity, and deliberate lifestyles. Also, they are small enough to only receive a few comments on each post even though they deserve many more.
They are essentially the “microcap” of the blogging world
obadobadope
This blog probably comes closest to my blog in terms of ideas, content and goals (I mean that as a compliment :O) ). If you enjoy ERE, you will definitely enjoy this one.
Eking out a life from a living
Discussions of a deliberate reduction of spending from a recent graduate along with balance sheets so you can see that it is working.
miss minimalist
Minimalism blogs typically annoy me but this one I like as it is quite detailed, factual, and treats minimalism like an adventure rather than a new-agey religious experience.
Which “microcap” blogs do you read?
Originally posted 2010-01-05 17:06:59.
