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.
We just sold the couch/loveseat and took a $200 hit on it. That is to say, we paid $300 new (reduced from $600 as if that means anything at all in a furniture store) and had it for, I think, no more than 3 years, so that is close to $100/year. Ouch!
This leaves us with a recliner, a queen size mattress, a large book case, a desk and an office chair.
Otherwise things are starting to look kinda empty around here. We, that is to say, DW is giving away a lot on freecycle. It is mainly her things that need to be packed now. Basically it’s a run against time (we’re moving in permanently on Friday or Saturday) and the volume of moving boxes.
Now the interesting thing is to see if any of the stuff that goes into storage will actually be used again. My guess is no based on the observation that much of the stuff that goes into the moving boxes comes out of closets and other boxes where it has been sitting untouched since we moved here.
