Hello from the PNW!

[thef0x]

Hi all!

Excited to be a part of this community because I feel so at home reading the thoughts of other members. Absorbing the 'energy in the room' has been delightful.

Here's a bit about me:

36, male, entrepreneur, maker, husband, father to a 15 month old lil enchilada of joy.

Minimum work requirements today are two 15min exec staff check-ins, 50% of working days. Max work is whatever my biz partner and I think we should do. This has not always been the case! Getting here has taken just shy of 10 years.

I want to be known by others as:

• Kind

• Loving

• Generous

• Hilarious

• Quick witted

• Strong

• A writer

• A husband

• A father

• A thinker

• A listener

• A creator

• A friend

Some things I enjoy:

• Entrepreneurship

• Tea

• Designing and making outdoor gear

• Investing / Finances / Money optimization

• Hiking and backpacking

• Weight training

• Cooking

• Film

• Philosophy

• Sci fi

• DIY Tech

• DIY anything (and whatever skills are required to obtain them)

Recent projects:

• home made winter camping bivy using cheap ProVent material originally designed as PPE for ebola

• DIY sauna using a 120v stove and a converted shed

• full house automation with DIY smart air quality sensors (ikea air sensor + d1 mini) that trigger air filters and light senors that dynamically adjust lights brightness, voice controlled sauna

• hot pepper cultivation including hot sauce production (even made my own labels because it's fun)

Recent places:

Joshua Tree
Pahoa/Hilo
Oahu
Bozeman
All over Spain*

Next?:

Japan (1 month)
Superstition Mountains
Section J of PCT
France (maybe back to St Jean De Luz or explore new areas)


Finances:

I now know the best way to calculate my networth is in my runway of years of retirement but because I don't have an exact pulse on spend, I don't know this exact number.

If I had to estimate, my current spend to net assets including my home is 3.82% - 4.44%. If we remove the house, as it's not income generating, it's 6.37% - 7.4%. This is a huge range!

I've decided to get much more specific about tracking our spending in 2024. I think this will give me confidence knowing how close we are to FIRE even if I'm super-part-time-barista-FIRE right now.


Okay! Hopefully that was a good start. Excited to meet everyone here. I feel like I found my people.

Cheers!

[chenda]

Welcome Mr Fox:))

[AxelHeyst]

Welcome Fox! Sounds like you’ll fit right in.

Fee free to post pics/details of your home automation system somewhere round here, that sounds neat.

[Vespasian]

Hey Fox! Lots in common with you -- also from the PNW (Walla Walla), recently lived on Oahu and in Bozeman, love hiking in the Superstitions, and tons of overlap on the interests side. Hope this forum is helpful for ya! I'm still trying to get off the ground financially as I prepare to graduate college, but the folks on here are so knowledgeable that it's easy to "get it" and take money (and lifestyle) seriously.

[mountainFrugal]

Welcome thef0x!

I look forward to following along.

father to a 15 month old lil enchilada of joy.

Green or Red Chili Sauce?

[thef0x]

@Chenda continued good luck on your extended break!

@Axel* (temporary dyslexia) read a good chunk of your blog, thx for the green coffee tip, 20lbs already here and I'll probably make the roaster tomorrow (6 cup flour sieve + heat gun), so thx for your effort posting -- it's valued.

@Vespasian - congrats on what sounds like a lot of life-success before finishing school. Positioned to kick life's ass early. More than anything, being young but excited about freedom is really really wonderful. I think the coolest part of this forum is seeing everyone have that same "doing life with excitement" attitude. If you like hiking/Superstitions/Bozey, my guess is there's an overlap with MYOG at least. LMK what you're excited about making next/first, for me: gotta make my kiddo's first backpack and think I'll use scraps for that multi-textured/multi-color look!

@mountainFrugal - definitely a lil adobo, chile rojo baby. Can't wait to take him out to the Southwest for those red colors.

Thank you all for the warm welcome!