I am multhaiporpoise and hi

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multhaiporpoise
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2021 2:09 pm

I am multhaiporpoise and hi

Post by multhaiporpoise »

Hello everyone! I saw a recent post from Jacob reminding new users that inactive accounts are subject to regular garbage collection (among other things) and figured it might be a good time to stop lurking and introduce myself.

I am multhaiporpoise. I am 32, male, and I live in the SE United States in a very hot and very humid state with my DGF and two fluffy, happy dogs. I discovered this site back in 2015/2016. I was in the process of applying to graduate school and was spending a lot of time thinking about my future. I happened upon MMM's site when I googled "how to retire early" on a whim, and it struck a chord. I had never been entirely sold on the idea of employment, but I reluctantly pursued a dream of status and salary, because it had never occurred to me that there was an alternative. MMM was a revelation, and I began voraciously consuming all the media I could find about the FIRE movement. It did not take me long to find Jacob's blog, but I wasn't yet a place where I could really appreciate it. I was around WL2 at the time in the process of transitioning to WL3. I balked at Jacob's spending, but I was curious about how it was possible. I bought the book, didn't really grok it, set it aside, thought "Not for me," and continued my education in FIRE in MMM's sphere of influence.

I got into graduate school (MS program) and finished in 2018, spending my time outside of study practicing living as inexpensively as I could (among other things). I was not particularly good at not spending money at first, but I got better at it. By the time I graduated, I was probably around WL4. I very quickly got a job working at an academic research university, where I started work on my "new plan." And that's where I've been for the last 3.5 years or so. Working to save, educating myself on investments and FIRE, and trying to live my life in the spaces between. Around a year and a half ago, I reached a point where I had learned as much as I could about FIRE, and there was still a long road ahead of me to save the amounts I thought I needed. I made a push to identify areas of waste that were affecting my spending and managed to reduce my budget down as far as I could without feeling like I'd sacrificed something. The road ahead was now shorter, but it still sounded like an exhausting journey. I felt there should be a better way to do this, or at least a way that did not take so long. I remembered Jacob's book and decided to re-read it. This time it grokked.

That's my story, and why I'm here. It's a common story, I think, for this place. I've been spending the last year or so reading through this forum and benefiting from your anecdotes, struggles, and insights (thank you). I've been particularly inspired by the stories of the semi-ERE folk I've read on here.

I suppose I'll need to define my goals next to start building a web. A journal would help to keep track of progress. For now, hello is enough.

Nice to meet you. You're all a delight. Please don't garbage collect my account.

PS- INFJ, for all you Myers-Briggs classification fans out there

AxelHeyst
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Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2020 4:55 pm
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Re: I am multhaiporpoise and hi

Post by AxelHeyst »

Welcome! Looking forward to your journal.

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unemployable
Posts: 1007
Joined: Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:36 am
Location: Homeless

Re: I am multhaiporpoise and hi

Post by unemployable »

Hi. Are you Thai? A Thai coming to the US would be the opposite of how RE typically is pursued.

multhaiporpoise
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2021 2:09 pm

Re: I am multhaiporpoise and hi

Post by multhaiporpoise »

Hello! No, I am not Thai. I was born and raised in Florida where I still live today.

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