Tag: saving

Exclusive Gold Bracelet Company Rollout Program Secret Meeting

The following is a true story: So there I was on vacation in an exotic locale. There was a timeshare convention in town. Everyone knows timeshares are one of the best investment vehicles known to man, so decided to check it out. I didn’t eat breakfast and it was now late afternoon, so I was hungry.  Real hungry. It seemed like everywhere I looked someone wanted to sell me something to eat. “I’m chasing financial independence,” I stammered incoherently. I needed a sponsor, or just some free calories. I walked down an alley that led to some dingy steps. I followed them down as my delirium took over. Eventually, I saw a sign that read “Corporate Fat Cat Secret Meeting in Progress. Do Not Disturb.” I figured since the sign didn’t say anything about NOT having free samples it was probably my best bet. 

[Corporate Fat Cat Secret Meeting in Progress. Do Not Disturb]

The flyer pictured above was posted on the door. I opened the door and stumbled into the dimly lit room. As my eyes adjusted I saw a twenty or thirty people all facing a villain looking guy on stage. He was talking about gold bracelets and mind control. I tried to ignore him while my eyes searched for free samples. There weren’t any. A couple of big guys with pinky rings closed the door behind me so I was stuck listening to his entire spiel. Continue reading “Exclusive Gold Bracelet Company Rollout Program Secret Meeting”

The Burrito Bowl Diaries Philosophy on Money and Investing

For today’s article I’ll attempt to explain our investing philosophy- where we do it, how we do it, and why it doesn’t have to be this big scary thing.

If you’re in the financial independence community you’ve almost certainly peaked your head into the mysterious world of investing. If you’re not in the FI community, investing might still be this big scary thing. The point of this article- and kind of this blog in general- is to defog the whole saving and investing situation while trying to convince people it’s worth doing.

I think our overall money philosophy can be summed up to this:

Live below your means, avoid debt, invest as much as you can, and enjoy the journey. But, since you’re here anyway, I’ll dive a little deeper.
Continue reading “The Burrito Bowl Diaries Philosophy on Money and Investing”

Doing the Things- How to Get Going When You’ve Lost Motivation

I recently took a several month hiatus away from doing most of the healthy things I normally do.  Towards the end of Mrs. Burrito Bowl’s pregnancy I had a pretty good routine of getting to the gym, shaving occasionally, intermittent fasting five days per week, drinking apple cider vinegar for some reason, Wim Hof breathing and making sure to end my showers with a minute or two of cold exposure. After Baby Burrito Bowl came into the mix most of those healthy routines stopped. Here’s a picture of her for no reason other than she’s super cute. Continue reading “Doing the Things- How to Get Going When You’ve Lost Motivation”

Good People Don’t Go Black Friday Shopping on Thanksgiving

Good People Don’t Smoke Marijuana- Jeff Sessions

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions famously said, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”  This is obviously asinine because lots of good people smoke marijuana.  What Jeff Sessions meant to say was, “Good people don’t go Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving.”  It was an unfortunate linguistic error that has spawned more than its fair share of controversy.

My guess is that at only 5’4 tall he was unable to correct his error in pronunciation and was left with no stool to stand on other than to defend an outdated view of reefer while simultaneously letting droves of otherwise good people feel it was morally acceptable to peruse malls and retail stores on actual Thanksgiving evening.

“The doors of history swing on the smallest hinges of linguistic errors,” Mr. Burrito Bowl

Let’s Back Up

Continue reading “Good People Don’t Go Black Friday Shopping on Thanksgiving”

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”

The Gospel of Finance- Ranting Old Testament Prophet Edition

The other day my wife and I were talking about how it feels like we’ve discovered this secret that we just want to share with the world but nobody seems to care.  It’s like we’re all wandering around aimlessly in the desert and we’ve stumbled upon this oasis.

We feel guilty keeping it to ourselves and we can’t figure out why everyone doesn’t at least want to hear us out. It feels like we’re evangelists trying to spread the gospel of this FIRE movement.   I imagine this is similar to how the prophets of the Old Testament felt when they would rant and rail about God’s impending judgement but nobody gave a shit.  I wonder what it would look like if one of those prophets was really hung up on personal finance, instead of God’s imminent wrath… Continue reading “The Gospel of Finance- Ranting Old Testament Prophet Edition”

5 Great Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money

So you decided that instead of sticking your tongue out and seeing if you can touch your nose again you’d be better off doing something productive.

You want to teach your kids a little about investing.  Maybe you want to teach your wee lads and/or lassies about the power of saving their hard earned dollars or about the power of compounding interest.  You want to teach them how to make it work for them instead of against them.  Maybe you just want them to have a firm grasp on the world and their finances. Maybe is a strong word. Continue reading “5 Great Ways to Teach Your Kids About Money”

Why Pursue Fi- The Pros and Cons of the Frugal Lifestyle

We are pursuing financial independence.  It’s nice to have the type of income where that is even remotely feasible.  We don’t take that for granted.  It’s not all roses and ramen though.  There are a lot of pros to pursuing financial independence and a lot of cons.  It’s important to keep a healthy frame of mind in both because it’s a long journey.  You have to keep a centered mind for a long time. Continue reading “Why Pursue Fi- The Pros and Cons of the Frugal Lifestyle”

Save Pretax-Becoming a Millionaire and Achieving Financial Independence

Trying to save after tax money is hard.  A much easier plan to wealth accumulation is to invest pre-tax money.

In conversations with folks one thing I’ve noticed popping up is people dismissively saying “I won’t ever become a millionaire…”  My follow up question is always “Why not?”

A million dollars certainly isn’t what it used to be but still people have this mental block about that number.  It’s impossibly far off.  Something to be achieved only by those who win the lottery or make it to the big leagues.  It’s really not as hard as all of that. Continue reading “Save Pretax-Becoming a Millionaire and Achieving Financial Independence”

Financial Independence- The Freedom to Choose

What is Financial Independence and why do we pursue it?

In a nutshell, financial independence is when you have enough passive income to cover your basic expenses.  Being financially independent means working for money is optional.

We are pursuing financial independence because life is short.  We both enjoy our jobs but we want the freedom to take time off, spend more time with our future children, and travel more.

Being financially independent also guards against having a financial emergency if something happens and one or both of us are no longer ABLE to work. Continue reading “Financial Independence- The Freedom to Choose”