Messages

1

Journals / Re: First month of moving to FIRE

« on: May 22, 2019, 04:51:13 AM »

Thanks for your input Bbates, Prognast and GCC!

If I felt FI, I would just want to spend 1-2 months helping my sister raise my niece, learn salsa, paint more, get better at Spanish, volunteer for a few months and dance outside in circles with flowers in my hair.  Lol.  At the moment I don?t see any of those jobs yielding extra income which my fianc? is worried about.  He wants more passive income besides my condo and the investments.  Ok, no blog for now . My heart isn?t really in it at the moment. 


? Question :  what did you mean Prog when you said ? Also the odds are far higher that you'll actually get far too wealthy than that your portfolio fails.?. I don?t understand

Laying it out..
So We only need 33k left to reach our goal because I want to go to Antartica, spend 10k on a tiny wedding (no judging) and have a yield shield like Millennial revolution.    Thus we can retire really at the end of the year.  I agreed to work one more year to go over our goal amount.  He just told me TONIGHT that he thinks we should move the target and save 250k more!! I?m like FML...  It?s the fear of running out of money and having to beg for a low income job.   I don?t want to work my crappy, meaningless job anymore. Sorry for the rant.   I told him I will quit first then but of course misery loves company and he wants me to work too.  He finds his job tolerable.  Someone needs to talk to him.

Yes, I think if he met you Jeremy and other FIRE 🔥 people and got more info, he would feel better and more empowered. .  We have been thinking about going to Taiwan to check it out.  Maybe we can see you guys next year... otherwise we are in Chicago in November and still in Australia. 

Jeremy-  what did Winnie do for 3 years when she retired early? Just curious.

We have over 1M btw- so we are definitely playing it safe already and on 3.5%. 

Any ideas on what to say to him so we don?t just keep working and die?

2

Journals / Re: First month of moving to FIRE

« on: May 01, 2019, 03:32:37 AM »

Hi Jeremy and Prognastat-

It?s almost been a year since my post on 1st month towards FIRE.  I?ve been doing extra projects besides my 9-5pm and we?re still on the ball of saving.  To our surprise, after we?re 1.5-2 years from our goal and it?s so exciting.  It?s also scary because my fianc?e has a really good stable job... golden handcuffs where he?s afraid if he leaves he won?t be able to get a high paying job like that.  He says we don?t have a second stream of income like you and Millennial Revolution with your blogs.  What are your thoughts on that?  He thinks we should do a blog too, but then it would feel like a job as well, but perhaps better since you?re your own boss.  If you didn?t have GCC as a second stream of income, what else would you do?  I see you have a ?how to start a blog? section.  Is Winnie?s blog also making a good income every month?  Has your 40k budget a year now expanded to 80k or something because of your bigger portfolio?  I read in one of your articles you spent over 100k one year... Lots of questions Jeremy, hope you don?t mind. 

Also, do you meet up other FIRE people? 

Hope all is well.

Cheers!

3

General Discussion / Re: Divorce and the clean slate

« on: October 23, 2018, 06:17:14 AM »

Much love and peace to you and your wife Prognastat.  May the vision of your life develop the way you've imagined and hoped for.  <3

4

General Discussion / Re: Rental while traveling

« on: October 23, 2018, 06:13:35 AM »

Hi-

It's not hard being a landlord if you live in a different country or traveling.  It depends on your tenants.  I live in Australia and I have a property in the US and my fiancee has one too.  We also travel some times and they just email me if they need something like the broken AC.  I just find a repair man online, get a couple quotes and have them pay it after the job is done.  Then they take it out of their rent.  Easy breezy.  I  picked a really good, low maintenance  tenant that understands I live overseas.  They take care of the place for me and are really nice.  So picking your renters is the most important thing so you don't have to deal with missed payments, or needy renters.  You can do a credit check and all that jazz. I also have friends that agreed to check up on my place it if needed.  1.5 years later it's been good.  Good luck!

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Journals / Re: First month of moving to FIRE

« on: October 23, 2018, 05:45:23 AM »

Thanks for your insight Jeremy.  I do have it on auto-pilot and proudly with tax loss harvesting that I discovered a couple months ago.  I wished my fiancee would read up more on investing and we could learn more together.  I'll take a look at the book link you sent me and will ask him to read it as well.  Much love and peace to Junior and Winnie.  Cheers!   

6

Journals / The stock market today Oct 22, 2018

« on: October 22, 2018, 08:04:18 PM »

Hey Jeremy and GCC Community. 

I know you can't give advice and don't really want to, but I"m going to ask for your insight and make my own decision.  My brother said he thinks the market will take a big dip and the best thing to do is to transfer all my stock into cash.  My fiancee thinks the same.  I don't know or understand the stock market.  My account is in a diversified, relatively aggressive Charles Swabb account with Index funds.  What are you doing? 

Thanks,

Bunni

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Journals / Re: First month of moving to FIRE

« on: July 25, 2018, 02:28:13 AM »

Thanks for the positive outlook Jeremy.  We spent about $1k on groceries from the local butcher shop and get boxes of veggies sent to us.  I think we can work on eating less meat which will help us save and is better for us and the environment.  Food and public transit was the highest cost after my classes.  Thank goodness we don?t have to pay for housing or the car at the moment.  Otherwise we wouldnt save anything.  Lol 🙈.  Public transit is expensive in Sydney compared to the US. 

?Some people are naturally frugal. I?m naturally lazy. (Just ask my wife.)?. <= so funny!   You and my fianc? should be best friends.  Haha.  Love him to bits though

Cheers!!

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Journals / First month of moving to FIRE

« on: July 23, 2018, 04:57:32 AM »

Dear GCC community-  June was our first month on being better at saving.  My fianc?e stopped buying coffee at Starbucks and I made our breakfast, lunches and dinners every day.  We didn?t go out to eat even once which is the longest period of time of being dinning our sober. To our disappointment, we still spend a little under $4K 🙈not including our rent that?s $3750 but luckily paid by his company.  Some things we could have gone without is my mindfulness workshop and classes that costed $500.  Then I paid $122 for taxes on a flight to Dominica Republic for my bachelorette party.  Salsa 💃 classes for both of us where $300.  We also spent about $160 on a round of drinks for a friend?s birthday and her gift. The rest of the cost was groceries, transportation (public), doctor and small things that add up.  We feel a bit discouraged and this month of July we went back to our old routine and ate out all weekend. .  After reading one of your articles again, I?m determined to get back on the horse and concvice my fianc?e.  He said let?s just find a job we like till retirement so we?re happy.  But we have barely tried.  I know I can live on less and be happy. Plus I come from less where he?s come from a much more comfortable life style.  Send us positive vibes and the strength to be disciplined to save for our financial freedom.      Have a gorgeous day!!

9

General Discussion / Re: Thanks for making the forum!

« on: June 07, 2018, 12:33:18 AM »

Hi Jan,

I think your bartending, serving idea is a good alternative for a side hustle business if you're in the US.  You do not need a license.
 Just self teach and practice.  Places where tipping is generous is where you want to be in the service industry.  When I was in college I had 3 jobs and one of them was a cocktail waitress at a happening club.  When I first started I made about $50 cash an hour with tips.  Minimum wage back then was $3.90 an hour!  After about 8 months I started making about $100 an hour cash because every one knew me and I could spin my tray full of drinks and dance backwards.  LOL. I was 21.  Keep in mind you will have to give up your weekends, Friday and Thursday nights.  I had that job even after college and landing a job in a big CPG company.  I worked full time at the CPG company and did the night job until I paid off all my student loans then quit. Oh, you will also have to deal with drunk, annoying people and some times inaaprioate men that will harass you.  Just keeping it real. Or just work at a fancy restaurant!   Best of luck! 

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Other / Re: Wedding

« on: June 06, 2018, 11:35:53 PM »

Thanks for the fast reply Jeremy & Prognastat.  So cool!!  My fiancee already got me a beautiful sapphire ring (more affordable than a diamond) as an engagement.  I think color stones are becoming more popular as we learn that diamonds are a rip off and not rare.  He got the ring before we decided 2 weeks ago that we want to retire in 7 years, really hoping in 5 but it's a stretch.  If we decided earlier to join the FIRE movement and knew better, I would have said forget about the engagement ring too.  Thanks for confirming Jeremy that we don't need to spend on bands no matter what people say.   

Nice weddings can be a huge social pressure especially for the brides.  I have had plenty of friends tell me that my wedding should be lavish because theirs was 50-100K and they expect the same.  My mom even said she thought my idea to have a reception at a house was weird and no one does that. I think she feels embarrassed for me but your encouragement to decide what I value is most important. It is our life.   

If you ever come to Sydney, let us know. We have an extra bedroom where you, Winnie and your son can stay.  My fiancee's company subsides our rent otherwise we'd move to a one bed.  Thank you so much!!!!


   

11

Travel hacking / Re: What happens when you've exhausted all sign up bonuses?

« on: June 06, 2018, 12:45:36 AM »

Yep, there?s so many cards out there that I just rotate them all.  I?ve opened and closed so far 12 cards in the last 10 years since I was a kid.  Your credit score does take a small hit. Mine is 767 which is not bad for opening and closing so many to avoid the annual fees.  My rule of thumb to open a card for airline miles is at least 40k miles unless it?s for a card with no annual fees where I keep in the long run to help my credit history score.  Hope that helps!

12

Other / Wedding

« on: June 06, 2018, 12:38:34 AM »

Hello Currycracker lovers!   My fianc?e and I decided to join the early retirement movement.  We live in Sydney for work which is one of the most expensive places to live.  However also super clean, safe a beautiful.  Any ways,  we know we have to save approx 1M to live that 4% dividend life.  We are far from that.  We are also suppose to get married.  How much did you, Jeremy and Winnie spend on your wedding? Did you just elope to save the money?  We were thinking to just have our family only but it makes me sad not to have my close friends.  Plus we met in Chicago so our friends live there, his parents are in Ohio and mine is in California.  We live here in Australia...  Ideas???

Thanks so much for the inspiration!

B