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.
This recipe is grand because it can be cooked in the morning and eaten in the evening.
Start in the evening by soaking some black eyed peas and some navy beans. These can be pressure cooked in the morning while DW takes a shower(*) and you cut up some green onions (I found a few in the fridge), a normal big onion (basket over the counter), jalapeno peppers (didn’t have any, so I improvised and took some out of the vinegar/killer pepper spicy bottle), a handful of corn (from the freezer). Mix all this together will a big can of diced tomatoes and slow cook on low for 8 hours. Spices to add are oregano, chili powder, and cumin. You should have twice as many beans as you have tomato. Half as much corn as the tomato and roughly as much onion as you have corn, probably a bit more corn. Spices according to taste. Experiment!
(*) Cutting veggies doesn’t use water, so you won’t take away DW’s shower pressure and thus she won’t be hostile when she comes out of the bath room (like all those other times when I start a laundry load right after DW gets up because I figure the noise won’t wake her up – see, I’m first order considerate 😀 )
Originally posted 2008-06-08 07:49:38.
