Tag: Financial Independence

If You Just Save a Little Bit, It’s Not Really Worth It. Ya Know?

“What? That doesn’t even make sense.  Who wrote that?  That’s not a real article title,” Mrs. Burrito Bowl.

“This is my article.  I’m reading you my article,”  Mr. Burrito Bowl.

“Oh…sounds great, honey.”

Such is life.

Listen, kids.  Saving money is hard no matter how you slice it.  I don’t really know what that saying is supposed to mean.  Sayings are weird.

It’s a mental drain to think of your hard earned dollars just being socked away for some day thirty years down the road. We live in a culture where we don’t even earn our paycheck before we spend it and we for sure don’t earn it and let it sit there for a few decades.

A few of us know that saving money is important, but it’s just so hard.  There’s a mental shift we need to make to motivate ourselves to save part of our paycheck.

Mrs. Burrito Bowl and I are about three years into this whole money saving cult of financial independence and there’s a counterintuitive idea that’s really helped us:  Saving half your paycheck is mentally easier than saving $100. Continue reading “If You Just Save a Little Bit, It’s Not Really Worth It. Ya Know?”

9 Deadly Myths About Exercise

I have a lot of thoughts on exercise.  Fortunately for me, I also have a blog.  People have a lot of weird ideas in regards to exercise and I’d like clear a few of the more popular myths up. Continue reading “9 Deadly Myths About Exercise”

Life is Short- Spend for Today vs. Save for Tomorrow

Life is Short- Spend for Today vs. Save for Tomorrow

Can you believe how much of your life has already passed?  F-word, man. Summer has for sure faded and we’re smack dab in the middle of fall.  This time of year always gets me thinking, usually about random stuff like the eternal expanse of space or wondering what the ancient Egyptians were really like but sometimes I think about money questions.  Questions like should we be in camp spend for today or camp save for tomorrow?  Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and life passes us by at breakneck speeds, even if we are lucky enough to make it to this mythical tomorrow. Continue reading “Life is Short- Spend for Today vs. Save for Tomorrow”

Purchasing Financial Independence $11.57 at a Time

Hey, Kid. I’m looking to sell some perpetual freedom.  You interested?  

I like you. You know why?  You’re not basic.  One thing about you is, you like to visualize your path to FI differently than most.  Those satisfied with the 4% rule are basic.  You aren’t basic, Starbucks and Uggs notwithstanding, you’re an individual.  You’re the type of individual that’s interested in perpetual freedom.

It’s hard to quantify how far you’ve come and how far you have left to go using the standard 4% rule.  Your head knows how many more dollars you need to reach the mythical summit of Mount Freedom but your heart longs to know what your hard work has bought, so far. Continue reading “Purchasing Financial Independence $11.57 at a Time”

The Work Hard Play Hard Mindset vs. Chasing FI

Work Hard Play Hard

I have a great friend who is really good at making money.  He’s not an overnight success or the inventor of some app that set him up for life. Instead, working hard and being willing to take risks is a calling card for him. He works long hours and is always looking for the next step to lead him to success.  Over the last few years I’ve watched him and his wife move companies and countries in order to climb the career ladder.  Each step has gotten them closer to where they want to be financially.

I see pictures of him and his wife eating out at nice restaurants, drinking fancy coffee, or having a cocktail in some seriously kick-ass locations around the world.  He’s living the life. Work hard.  Play hard. Continue reading “The Work Hard Play Hard Mindset vs. Chasing FI”

Purchasing a Vehicle with Financial Independence in Mind-Part II

Purchasing Vehicle with Financial Independence in Mind…Part II

Yes, this is a two part series.  As a matter of fact it may be a three part series. I hope you brought a snack.  We’re looking for a car over here; we can’t just do one part.

In Part 1 we went over what features we’re looking for.  We being mostly me, but I do appreciate your moral support. Part 1 was called 8 Ways We’re Purchasing a Vehicle with FI in Mind, in case you wanted to relive that post, share it again with your friends, or even feature it on Rockstar Finance. Any of those will do. Continue reading “Purchasing a Vehicle with Financial Independence in Mind-Part II”

8 Ways We’re Purchasing a Vehicle with Financial Independence in Mind

The Burrito Bowls Are in The Market for a Vehicle

In case the vague title threw you off, this post is about purchasing a car with the goal of financial independence in mind.  What does that mean?  In a nutshell, our goal is to purchase the best bang for our buck without derailing our financial goals. Period.  We care about getting a reliable vehicle that will serve us for years to come.  Some have said we don’t care about looking cool or impressing the masses.  It is true we aren’t trying to get laid with our vehicle selection.  We’re a married couple, damnit,  we can get not laid on our own! Continue reading “8 Ways We’re Purchasing a Vehicle with Financial Independence in Mind”

What if Everyone Ate Rice and Beans?- The Hedonic Treadmill and Pursuing Happiness

"You know, if you could learn to cater to the king you wouldn't have to live on rice and beans.' To which the monk replies: 'If you could learn to live on rice and beans, you wouldn't have to cater to the king." - The Simple Path to Wealth

Woooo girl.  Rice and beans.  That little parable is straight fire, as the kids say.  Red, hot fire.  At least they used to say stuff was fire, until adults started to say it on their financial blogs.  Now kids no longer feel the need to say it.   If you’re wondering, yes, I did high-five myself when I read that story.  It’s called a clap, it’s trendy.

If you would only spend your days working your life away you wouldn’t have to live so frugally.

OR

If you would only learn to live more frugally you wouldn’t have to spend all your precious days working. Continue reading “What if Everyone Ate Rice and Beans?- The Hedonic Treadmill and Pursuing Happiness”

The Burrito Bowls Go To Walmart- The Untold True Story

 Disclaimer:  The following post makes light of the various characters one encounters upon entering a Walmart.  If description of said characters is likely to offend, please do not read.  This article is strictly for entertainment and also to help us process what we saw.  This is our story.

In the not too distant past Mr. and Mrs. Burrito Bowl ventured into unknown territory. We went to Walmart.

Our foray into the unknown started off innocently enough.  We needed supplies for my birthday party and we didn’t want to hit up Costco on a weekend. Continue reading “The Burrito Bowls Go To Walmart- The Untold True Story”

Saying Goodbye to the Dink Days-Preparing for Our Baby Girl with FI in Mind

Well friends and neighbors, it’s official.  We are expecting a Baby Burrito Bowl in late December.  On August 3rd we found out our future little bundle of emotions will be a girl.  We are incredibly excited, and the proper amount of terrified, about the whole process.

This will be a fun little case study on how to go about planning for a child with financial independence in mind using ourselves as case study subjects.  Will we crush it and prove to ourselves that having a child doesn’t have to cost a small fortune?  Will we abandon the FI ship and run gleefully towards consumerism, small child in tow?  Only the gods know at this point. Continue reading “Saying Goodbye to the Dink Days-Preparing for Our Baby Girl with FI in Mind”