One of my favorite Personal Finance bloggers, Mr. Money Mustache, is gone for the summer and taking a break from blogging. As some sort of taunt or joke, he left a list of all the blog posts he’s been meaning to write but hasn’t got around to it. I thought it would be fun to steal, I mean write a few of them for him, in a slapdash manner…
An Amazing New Prescription Medication
It’s called “exercise,” and you can self-prescribe based on the dosage you need. Taken daily, it boosts your immune system, and increases your longevity. Side-effects include happiness, weight-loss, and socializing with others. Best of all, it’s practically free.
Fancy New Appliances, for Less than Zero Dollars?
If your old appliances are wasting gas or electricity, and you find almost-new ones on craigslist for a deep discount, the amount you’ll save in energy costs over the lifespan of the new appliance will outweigh the initial cost. Therefore, you’ll be making money by buying new appliances. Do the math.
Are You Using Work as an Excuse to Accomplish Nothing?
When you work a 9-5 for someone else it’s easy to occupy yourself with non-productive busywork that pleases your manager but doesn’t really accomplish anything great. Furthermore, the busywork helps mask the fact that you’re not happy with your job. They seem to go together.
Quality over Quantity
In almost every situation, quality wins out. I’d rather have a small steak from the grass-fed beef we bought directly from a local farmer, than any number of fast-food hamburgers. Same goes for most other purchases, and also intangibles such as spending time with friends and family. Quantity is what marketers want you to buy so it’s what’s shoved down your throat on a daily basis. You have to step back and consciously choose quality, but you’ll be glad you did.
Mr. Money Mustache vs. Peak Oil
Folks like MMM who bike everywhere don’t care about peak oil or the price of gas. In fact, we’d love to see the price of gas go to $10+ per gallon. Then more people would ride bikes and the roads would be safer for all of us. Plus there’d be less pollution, more healthy people putting less of a strain on our healthcare system, etc. I could go on for hours on this one but you get the point.
Recovering from the Pack Rat Years
I feel like I’m living through this one now, with the July Challenge of giving away 100 things. Ask me again in a few weeks.
My 401k is Too Small to Retire, Waah, Waah!
You have a few choices: 1. invent a time machine and go back to when you were 21 to punch yourself in the face. 2. cut living expenses to the point where you can live off your current 401k balance. 3. do #2 but also work your ass off for a few more years to drastically increase the balance.
Fasting: a Fast Way to Greater Badassity
I fast once a year at the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. It also includes no water. I consider that pretty badass. It feels amazing and when you break the fast, no matter what you’re eating it tastes like the best food ever. I recommend trying it once in a while. Fasting also makes you very thankful for what you have.
Wealth is something that is created, not just divided
Making and saving money isn’t a zero-sum game, so no need to get competitive about it. You can make a bunch of money and the next guy/gal can too. In fact, it’s best for all of us if we work together and share tips. That’s one reason I started this blog.
Life Cycle Funds: Become a Dynamic Fancypants Investor with No Effort
I just happened to write about Vanguard’s LifeStrategy funds in a previous post, so go check it out. Vanguard also has a set of “Target Retirement” funds, which grow more conservative as they approach the target date. For instance, if you plan to retire in 2040, the fund for that year is mostly stocks with just a few bonds right now, but over the next couple decades, it will slowly sell stocks and buy bonds so you’ll have a low-risk/low-volatility fund by the time you retire. All without the need to rebalance or figure out your optimal blend of investments for your age.
Hope you enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them. Next post will be on a topic of my own choosing, or maybe yours…? Let me know if there’s something you’d like me to write about!
update: I sent this post to MMM and he tweeted about it, calling the post “not bad”. I’ll take that as a compliment 🙂
Foundry in the Forest 
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