Hello !

[VeganJesus]

Hi everybody!

I've been lurking on this forum for a few months now- a family member is fairly popular on here and he's pretty much the one who turned me onto early retirement as a concept and I figured being engaged on here will help keep me motivated to keep investing aggressively and living frugally, as well as find some tips and tricks here and there.

I'm a single 23 year old man living in Chicago, IL since June 2021 after graduating from college and I've been in my current office job since August 2021. As far as hobbies go, I enjoy running, lifting weights, and I've attempted to teach myself guitar for the last year and a half which is going nicely. I also enjoy yoga and have fantasized about being a yoga teacher as a barista-FIRE part time gig once I reach a point where I can justify only working part time, or just working for fun.

As far as my long term goals go, I'm still exploring what those are, exactly. I had a lot of anxiety about affording adult life so I was relieved when I dug into Mr Money Mustache's blog detailing the many ways people can take control of their lives (to an extent) and have the freedom to choose to lead more fulfilling lives outside of career and status symbols. In some way it's a relief to be started actually saving towards my goals by working, but at the same time I'm definitely still learning how to balance work, self care, socializing and meeting people in a new city as a young person, and my financial goals.

It appears that people on here are pretty meticulous with the record keeping of their finances, so I hope to adopt that habit so I can better plan out what exactly I'll do once I actually reach financial independence- I hope to get some insight here for that as well. :^)

Oh, and I've been vegan since 2017 and I used to have long hair which I shaved during lockdown, hence the nickname.

Excited to connect and learn from this community !

[Jiimmy]

Welcome! I look forward to following along.

MMM had a big influence on me as well. Badass frugality > wimpy consumerism. My mom actually turned me onto MMM when I was in my early 20s. Very happy I started thinking about these things early, and I bet you will be too when you look back.

[Western Red Cedar]

Welcome aboard VJ. You are fortunate to get started on your FI journey so early in your career.

In some way it's a relief to be started actually saving towards my goals by working, but at the same time I'm definitely still learning how to balance work, self care, socializing and meeting people in a new city as a young person, and my financial goals.

This can all be a bit challenging, but establishing solid financial habits early will yield results that you will appreciate. Make sure you don't neglect self care or your social life just to save a few bucks here or there. If you focus on the big three expenses first (housing, transportation, food) that will really help with the financial goals. A vegan diet should keep the food costs down

[chenda]

Welcome, love the name!

[Blackjack]

Welcome VJ! I’ve been plant based myself for a few years now, and that (along with tips from my partner) have gotten me cooking some really incredible meals i never would have dreamed about before I went plant based! I’ve been really enjoying making Thai and Indian curries recently as ultra flavorful meals where even all my non vegan friends are wowed by the food.

I also want to know if you are a frozen tofu evangelist yet? Sorry to preach to the choir if you already know about this, but there is something magical that happens to the texture of form tofus that happens when you freeze them and then defrost them again (I usually leave them out day of use, but defrosting in the microwave is always available in a pinch).

Anyways, welcome in and I’m looking forwards to following your journal!

[shaz]

@VJ Hi and welcome!

@Blackjack can you describe how the texture changes after you freeze/thaw tofu? I never heard of this before but it is intriguing.

[RFS]

I'm a single 23 year old man living in Chicago, IL since June 2021 after graduating from college and I've been in my current office job since August 2021. As far as hobbies go, I enjoy running, lifting weights, and I've attempted to teach myself guitar for the last year and a half which is going nicely. I also enjoy yoga and have fantasized about being a yoga teacher as a barista-FIRE part time gig once I reach a point where I can justify only working part time, or just working for fun.

Yes sir! Just by having those bad-ass and nearly $0 hobbies, you're already well on your way. I would definitely listen to your fantasies about the barista-FIRE life. One thing I've noticed about FI, ERE life, etc, is that your personality greatly affects how you should approach this lifestyle. People are genuinely different, temperamentally, and one man's ERE life might feel like hell to another. One of the best activities you can partake in, IMO, is learning to listen to your heart and understand yourself as deeply as possible. Jordan Peterson's Personality and Its Transformations class changed the game for me. I understand myself & others much better now, and it has helped me make choices that best align with my temperament (and consequently make me feel properly emotionally regulated.)

As far as my long term goals go, I'm still exploring what those are, exactly. I had a lot of anxiety about affording adult life so I was relieved when I dug into Mr Money Mustache's blog detailing the many ways people can take control of their lives (to an extent) and have the freedom to choose to lead more fulfilling lives outside of career and status symbols. In some way it's a relief to be started actually saving towards my goals by working, but at the same time I'm definitely still learning how to balance work, self care, socializing and meeting people in a new city as a young person, and my financial goals.

It appears that people on here are pretty meticulous with the record keeping of their finances, so I hope to adopt that habit so I can better plan out what exactly I'll do once I actually reach financial independence- I hope to get some insight here for that as well. :^)

You're all good, brotha. Keep in mind that your life will change big-time every 3-5 years, so don't plan too far ahead. Besides, if you're doing the right thing, it will benefit you today, tomorrow, one year from now, and 10+ years from now, too.

As for the record-keeping, I would suggest making a spreadsheet that details expenses, income, and savings rate for each month. If you project your average annual expenses, too, and then calculate how many years you could survive without income, you will be absolutely pumped.

Also, I suggest putting a place on the spreadsheet to enter in your expenses every day. It will make you think harder about your purchases, and you will have a rock-solid understanding of your expenses. The X factor in all financial equations is the expenses. If you know your expenses like the back of your hand, you will be able to move forward more confidently. Avoid using software like Mint, because this information won't seep into your mind the same way entering the expenses by-hand does. This is super important, especially at the beginning.

Welcome, my man! Keep writing.

[Dream of Freedom]

Jordan Peterson's Personality and Its Transformations class changed the game for me. I understand myself & others much better now, and it has helped me make choices that best align with my temperament (and consequently make me feel properly emotionally regulated.)

The class really is exceptional. I've listened to it three times. Though mister vegan may not like Jordan's dietary preferences if he digs deep.

[Salathor]

@VJ Hi and welcome!

@Blackjack can you describe how the texture changes after you freeze/thaw tofu? I never heard of this before but it is intriguing.

This is definitely true. Freezing makes it much chewier. After we learned this a year or two ago we freeze all of it now. Whether you would like it depends probably on what kind of texture you like. For me, it's something I do 100% of the time.

[Blackjack]

@VJ Hi and welcome!

@Blackjack can you describe how the texture changes after you freeze/thaw tofu? I never heard of this before but it is intriguing.

It makes it chewier by default, and when you bake or fry it the tofu will crisp up beautifully and it can make a really tasty crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside texture (and it takes flavors and marinades better). Plus since you are freezing the tofu, you can buy in bulk and get it cheaper.

Oh and also, drain the tofu before freezing it. It doesn’t really matter for the tofu, but thawing a block of ice is a lot harder than thawing a bit of tofu.

[Frugalchicos]

Welcome to the forum bro!

Wish you an amazing journey and an interesting life.

It would be great to start recording everything in an excel spread sheet and do monthly recaps. It is definitely helpful to track your expenses, savings and NW growth

[Dream of Freedom]

This might be an overwhelming response to a first post. No one wants to drink from the fire hose.

[shaz]

@blackjack I will give it a try. It sounds good. Thanks for the tip re: draining before freezing.

[Married2aSwabian]

What’s in a name?

Apparently a great deal of ERE enthusiasm…welcome and congratulations for coming up with the best forum member name here!

You appear to be close to 12 disciples already.

[VeganJesus]

Welcome VJ! I’ve been plant based myself for a few years now, and that (along with tips from my partner) have gotten me cooking some really incredible meals i never would have dreamed about before I went plant based! I’ve been really enjoying making Thai and Indian curries recently as ultra flavorful meals where even all my non vegan friends are wowed by the food.

I also want to know if you are a frozen tofu evangelist yet? Sorry to preach to the choir if you already know about this, but there is something magical that happens to the texture of form tofus that happens when you freeze them and then defrost them again (I usually leave them out day of use, but defrosting in the microwave is always available in a pinch).

Anyways, welcome in and I’m looking forwards to following your journal!

Hey Blackjack, and thank you for the reply!

Gotta say I lack the patience to see through frozen tofu to the end, though I have heard of it and eat tofu several times a week, so easy to season and meal prep.

I try to not use a lot of oil during most of my meals, and I've fond that somewhat drained firm tofu simply tossed in some soy sauce and spices (usually nutritional yeast, garlic powder and black pepper) and baked on a parchment lined sheet at 350 F has given me some of the crispiest tofu I've made at home without oil or corn starch.

[VeganJesus]

The class really is exceptional. I've listened to it three times. Though mister vegan may not like Jordan's dietary preferences if he digs deep.

Haha, JP is a bit of a complex and wacky character from what I've gathered, and I would advise against following his meat only diet personally, but to each their own I suppose. Thanks for the reply and the recommendation!