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.
Today, I have been busy installing a trickle charger for the chassis battery. It tends to run down, first, because first we tend to keep parked for weeks at a time and second, because it’s probably old and no good anymore.
(I realize that this post is similar to the “this page intentionally left blank” sentence, manuals sometimes sport on “blank” pages.)
I have to mention that I needed a soldering iron to substitute a larger ring terminal for the charger. Rather than buying a soldering iron for $20, I got one for free on freecycle. To keep up the karmic balance, I offered up a splitting wedge and a roof rack. We don’t use the former anymore (no wood stove in this RV) and we’ll probably never get around to using the latter having been able to get both bikes into the car without too much hassle.
Tomorrow we’ll be doing what I probably hate the most about RV living(*). Refilling the propane tank. This involves getting the house in driving condition which mostly means total house cleaning and then unhooking, driving over, and the worst part – backing back in. Okay, it’s not that bad, but it is slightly inconvenient to have to do it every so often. The first tank lasted 5-6 weeks. This one lasted 4 weeks. It’s getting colder.
In other news: I found somewhere to buy 12V LED lights. I’ll be replacing them as the regular bulbs die out.
(*) What I hate the second-most is anything to do with the roof since I don’t like heights. Third-most would probably be messing with the sewer system.
