Hi everyone,
I am 24 years old currently living in Madison, WI. I've been interested in FI for a couple years now. I got ahold of Jacob's Early Retirement Extreme about 1 year ago. For me the majority of the book being about changing one's attitude came naturally as I've always thought frugally, but what converted me entirely to FI was seeing the math. I spent a lot of time digesting/internalizing/memorizing it. After seeing the math I went back and took the beginning 4/5 of the book much more seriously.
I work a cushy salaried corporate job and am taking advantage of it while I can. They provide everything they can to keep me from leaving work, but I've found that if I just leave after a 40 hour week nobody will really notice.
I have student loans from a brand name school, which I regret for the most part just because I now recognize that it chains me to any form of mandatory work for at least a couple more years. However I just include the minimum payments(which I overpay) in my expense ratio to make conservative estimates of when I will hit financial independence. The loans are small and tiered, so I'm knocking them down like dominos from high to low interest rate.
By my expenses(housing,food,transportation,insurance, NOT counting student loan payments) I'm currently living 15% below the federal poverty line which I find amazing(just moved to Madison from __________). My rent at $500 per month is my largest expense and I'm considering becoming a vandweller.
Thank you for having me here in this community, and I'm looking forward to learning from you all.
Hello!
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- Posts: 988
- Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 12:49 pm
Re: Hello!
Hi. A friend of mine used to live in Madison. He loved it. Worked for Trek, I think.
Re: Hello!
It really is a great place and good for biking too. I wasn't used to seeing the fat tire bikes they use in the winter around here. Those are pretty cool.
Re: Hello!
Hi mcs-
I too am new to this community (and FI to boot). Lots to learn
How long have you been living in Madtown? ... I'm in a STEM doctoral program, and the running joke is after graduation we'd prefer to deliver pizza as long as we don't have to leave the city
I too am new to this community (and FI to boot). Lots to learn
How long have you been living in Madtown? ... I'm in a STEM doctoral program, and the running joke is after graduation we'd prefer to deliver pizza as long as we don't have to leave the city
Last edited by Yollk on Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Hello!
Nice to meet you! The math is also what captivated me about the philosophy(esp. things like FIREcalc, but ERE's emphasis on low expenses is extremely impressive).
Re: Hello!
Welcome to the ERE-Forum!
Yeah, nobody really noticing, when leaving work on time / earlier, was also a big lessons learned in the beginning of my corporate job life. Most collegues won't notice / or forget after a short time, because they are busy with their own (work) life.
Re: Hello!
I’ve only been living in Madtown for about half a year. I’m assuming you’re at UW? Do you know how I can access a directory of courses? I assume I need login credentials to see fall courses, but it would be great if I could get the schedules to sit in on classes.
Re: Hello!
Greetings mcs2269!
Where you planning pursuing the #VanLife while still holding the cushy corporate job? If so, I kindly request a journal covering this experience !
Where you planning pursuing the #VanLife while still holding the cushy corporate job? If so, I kindly request a journal covering this experience !
Re: Hello!
@Hobbes
If it weren't for me being so excited about my lifestyle and blabbing about it, people at work wouldn't know. I'm basically looking for a way to cut down on my biggest expense, which is rent at $500. I do live up north, so the #Vanlife would likely be seasonal so I don't lose any toes to frostbite.
Right now my girlfriend and I are deciding if we should get an apartment together. If that happens, I'll likely get the rent down to $350 or $400, at which point I think that would be good enough.
If it weren't for me being so excited about my lifestyle and blabbing about it, people at work wouldn't know. I'm basically looking for a way to cut down on my biggest expense, which is rent at $500. I do live up north, so the #Vanlife would likely be seasonal so I don't lose any toes to frostbite.
Right now my girlfriend and I are deciding if we should get an apartment together. If that happens, I'll likely get the rent down to $350 or $400, at which point I think that would be good enough.