Early Retirement Extreme Forums

<t>jenny, I have tax deferral benefits from my job (physician). In addition to my $16,000 403(b) contribution, I deferred taxes in 2011 on $16,500 income through a 457(b) and $45,000 income through a 457(f) plan. I will be required to pay taxes on that income at age 65 or after I leave my job ...

<r>Based on 2011 numbers: saved 77% of gross income<br/>
Budget Details: <URL url="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ah-GEJnEHHxvdFhJZlRmTnRnVTlmNTh1aXFNcWdmd2c&pli=1&hl=en#gid=0"><LINK_TEXT text="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... l=en#gid=0">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet ...

<t>I just received my new Kindle, and I highly recommend it. I chose to buy the refurbished Kindle Keyboard (which I hear they may be phasing out) for $89.99 with the ads. The price has continually been decreasing, so I thought it was a good time to buy. I tried checking on Craigslist but there were ...

<t>Our family had a close call this week with a medical catastrophe. My grandmother (visiting us from her country), through a freak unpredictable occurrence, developed acute liver failure and landed in the hospital. Since she did not have health insurance, my parents will be looking at a hospital ...

<t>Can anyone explain to me the concept of a 'price book'? You go around to different stores and write down the prices of the different products you buy. But don't the prices change constantly within each store anyway? How can you keep up and know which store is cheapest for each product? <br/>
It ...

The way I stay motivated is to look back 12 months (I was still eager to quit working then), and say to myself 'That wasn't so bad. If I can make it through that, I can make it through just another 12months'

<t>Jacob, I was aware of Baselworld, but did not know you lived there before. I would be interested in see a picture of your Omega.<br/>
The reason high-end used watches appreciate in value is that several of the watchmakers (at least Patek and Rolex do) purposely limit the quantity of watches they ...

<t>Clarification: These days, wristwatches are really not primarily for telling time. They are worn for: 1) jewelry , then for 2) interest/hobby in tradition, mechanics., then for 3) telling time.<br/>
Other than for knowing the time, what watch do you like? Or do you still don't give a damn about ...

Dragnoncar, very nice. Classic.
But I would worry about the watch strap wearing out.

<t>One of the principles of ERE (as I understand it) is to own high quality/ low quantity items that will last forever, with low maintenance, and will not need to be replaced. <br/>
With that in mind. I am interested in knowing what kind of watch each of you own. Jacob, I believe you mentioned you ...

<t>No cell phone bills? No alcohol costs?<br/>
Good move on the lack of cable. I still think you can go lower than $480 on groceries - cut out all processed food, excessively packaged food, and brand names. No drinks except water and milk. List your top few most expensive foods and cut out one or ...

<t>I'll admit mine is pretty pathetic.<br/>
0640 Alarm goes off, snooze for 10 minutes<br/>
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0650 Shower (sometimes sit in shower an extra 5 minutes dreading the day ahead), shave, put on my suit and tie<br/>
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0730 Drive to work (sometimes my stomach is in a knot as I approach)<br/>
<br ...

Cool. My name just turned from bright green to bright blue... When do I get to turn red?

<t>But Jacob, I think TX is asking how much does it cost if your partner is not contributing to shared expenses or contributing much less than you. In this case it can be costly.<br/>
TX, I think you need to come to terms if you are willing to sacrifice that much cost, in order stay in the ...

<t>m741 - I am also steering away from generic PF blogs such as GRS and TSD because a lot of its stale content. We all know how to get out of debt.<br/>
Maybe try some simple living/ minimalist blogs to get a fresh perspective. They have some bearing on early retirement, in regards to consuming less ...

I was interested in the $57.1 you earned from Lending Club. Do you recommend it? What percentage interest are you getting? Why don't you put more money into it?
Also, congratulations on your savings rate. You must have started saving early. May I ask your occupation?

<t>One of my concerns about going into ERE in the next 1-2 years: Will it lead me into unhealthy habits?<br/>
The sudden availability of a large amount of extra time during retirement could be a double-edged sword.<br/>
On the one hand, it could allow for more time for exercise, more energy for ...

<r>Check out this classic exchange over at another website in the comments. I thought it was funny. This guy Mike would not listen to a valid argument and would not be shaken in his belief that stocks will hold up forever. I think Jacob eventually just gave up on him.<br/>
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Maybe it will be ...

<t>This is my homemade pizza recipe. I make it almost once a week. It is much cheaper and probably healthier than Pizza Hut.<br/>
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I bought an unused bread machine at a garage sale for $5 to make the dough.<br/>
1. Combine 1 and 1/8th cup warm water, 2 teaspoons rapid yeast, 1 tablespoon olive ...

<t>P, I began my ERE plan 3 years ago (although I had a modest savings rate before that) and now I am about 1 year away from retiring. I was a few years into my career when, like you, "at this point I had realized that [medicine] theory is one thing and [medicine] as a career is an entirely ...