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.
Reading this forum thread on how to cook beans has made me revise my [lack of] understanding of how to cook beans.
I used to soak them for 8 hours and toss them into the pressure cooker until they were “done”. Then I’d take them out and combine them with whatever called for a “can of beans”. The pressure cooker output would be my “can of beans”. Getting them “right” this way is more of an art than a science.
What I’ve found out is that “deliciousness” is very dependent on texture and that texture can be controlled by not cooking the beans all the way in the pressure cooker. Instead take the slightly undercooked beans out prematurely and add them to the sauce or whatever you’re making and cook them the rest of the way there until they’re just right.
Here’s another great black bean recipe to try. We don’t make the rice separately but simply toss it in during “the final hour” of the cooking process when the beans are just about there.
Originally posted 2010-11-22 18:23:32.
