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Why People Love Black Friday
Black Friday and Cyber Monday: shopping days that millions of people anxiously wait all year for. As you might imagine, these shopping “holidays” aren’t really our cup of tea. Literally a day after everyone gathers and expresses what they’re thankful for, they’re fighting old women and small children for shit they don’t need that’s only slightly newer than the shit they already have. Why though? A man purposefully shot an 18-year-old boy, and accidentally shot a 12-year-old girl on Black Friday here in Alabama at a mall in Birmingham. Police came and shot the guy, only to now say that the man they killed wasn’t the shooter. So three people…
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How Frugality Saved us $644k
A couple of weeks ago I began preparing a presentation I was going to give at our second ChooseFI Alabama meetup. I took to the group and crowd-sourced what my topic was going to be. After a number of choices were thrown out, frugality is what most people had voted for. Perfect, one of the most life-changing things we’d encountered on our journey to Financial Independence. But, we were genuinely astounded when I gathered all the info and saw just how much we were saving by making a relatively simple life choice to be more mindful about our money. Before we dive into the changes and the numbers, I want…
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How to Win the Lottery
Close your eyes and imagine you have more than enough money to meet all your needs. The paid-off house you live in has a fridge and pantry full of food, you have a reliable car with a full tank of gas, and you have two trips abroad planned and paid for. You are easily in the top 1% in the world. Now visualize how you got here? Was it a windfall, like a lottery ticket or jackpot on slot machines? Winning the lottery is sexy. You spend a couple bucks on a ticket, and have the chance to walk away a millionaire. Lottery statistics are against you, but you knew…
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Our $160 Monthly Food Bill
To get that brain matter flowing and get you thinking about your answer throughout the article, we’re going to start this off by asking you a question. How much do you spend a week on food, namely groceries? The big three monthly expenses everyone has are: housing; transportation; and food. Well, we’ve covered housing with: The House Hack that Allows us to Live for Free, and transportation with: How to Get Rich by Driving Crappy Cars, so we figured it was about time we dove a little deeper into the food budget a little more. Ever since Mr. RRR was a guest on the Vegan episode of ChooseFI, we have been asked…
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Why Football is a Waste of Time
Why Football is a Waste of Time The amount of resources spent on football is baffling. The time squandered, the financial loss, and subjecting yourself to watching dumbass commercials for hours on end can’t be a recipe for success. Let’s break down exactly why football is a waste of time. Here’s a shortlist of things you can do in less time than the average football game Fly from NYC to the Bahamas. Fall in love with dreamy DiCaprio while you watch the full-length Titanic movie. There was plenty of space on that door and Rose knew it! Roast a turkey. Drive from LA to Mexico, and have time to stop…
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The True Car Replacement
Car Replacement It’s no secret that we are passionate about cycling, and particularly commuting via bicycle. A bicycle is the perfect car replacement. You’re not only exercising for free, you’re actually saving a significant amount of money compared to commuting via car. So, let’s make a quick checklist of all the things biking to work does for you that a car does not: Fun ✔ Exercise ✔ Save money ✔ Spend time outdoors ✔ See more of your city ✔ Better for the environment ✔ Less stress ✔ Save time ✔ (1 hour commute covers exercise and travel vs 40 minute car commute and hour at the gym to get the equivalent amount of exercise.) Why Biking is Alabama…
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How to Bike to Work
“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike.” –John F. Kennedy There aren’t many things that I get as much enjoyment out of as riding my bicycle to work. Ignoring the cost benefit for the moment, just imagine the efficiency of completing one task and simultaneously knocking three things off your “to-do” list at the same time: Spend some time outdoors in the fresh air. Exercise. Get to-and-from work. Don’t fret though, this isn’t going to be a philosophical article about all the benefits of riding your bike, or a cost-benefit analysis of commuting to work. No, this is going to be a nuts and bolts article to help…
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How We Saved $2k a Year by Cutting Cell Costs
Intro Many people work their way from top to bottom assessing their spending and their budget, cutting fat from all possible places. But one thing that most people leave untouched is their cell service. Why is that? Why do people have some inexplicable loyalty to Verizon, AT&T, or any other provider? All they do is provide a service, which you likely over pay for. Your utility company does the same thing, but do people feel the same type of loyalty to a company that provides necessities? Water and electricity are two things that are largely unquestioned as vital needs to maintain life, but cell service doesn’t yet get to boast…
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New Year – New You
Now that we are almost a full month into the new year, and everyone has already ditched their New Year’s resolutions, I’m dropping in for some reminders and motivation. Do you want to wake up this time next year in the same exact financial position you are in now? You’re working 5 days a week, and are going to receive a full year of pay, but what do you have to show for it? Sure, you have some new gadgets, new clothes, and you might’ve upgraded your phone to the newest iPhone that Apple offers, but is that what a year of your life amounts to? If you said yes,…
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How Sacrificing My Job for Adventure Advanced My Career 5 Years
It’s no secret that while I (Mr. RRR) have a pretty good job that I enjoy, I’m pretty easily out-earned by my incredible wife. I’m not even remotely ashamed or emasculated by this fact, Mrs. RRR busted her ass to get through school and now she’s a relatively high earner, even though she hates it. But, earlier this year, we were approached with an opportunity for her to go work on a project in St. Louis. The perks were: 10% pay increase for the length of the project. Move 100% covered by her company Housing allowance. Per-diem’s for food. Furniture allowance (if you kept your moved belongings under a certain…
Real Estate Investing | Travel | Financial Freedom
