While growing up my parents were among the working poor. They had low paying jobs with no health insurance and it was a constant struggle to get by. I remember my dad replacing our TV that worked perfectly fine with one of the most expensive/biggest ones you could buy. And then a week later we didn't have enough money to buy me new sneakers that I desperately needed for my growing feet. I realized then at the age of 10 that we were living above our means.
I got a job delivering newspapers when I was 12. I had a budget, saved half and spent the other half on stuff I needed/wanted. When I was 16 my Dad died unexpectedly of a heart attack. We were forced into bankruptcy and lost the house because we couldn't keep up with the debt and we moved into an apartment. I quit delivering papers and got a job at a grocery store making 25 cents above minimum wage. We also applied for welfare but were declined because between my mom and I we made $78/month too much above the income requirement. With budgeting and the occasional generosity of friends and family we managed to get by.
After graduating from HS I decided college wasn't for me. I started working an entry level position at megacorp making $12.75/hr. The corporate bureaucracy got old real quick and I decided that I didn't want to work till 65 like everyone else. I opened a 401k, IRA, and a brokerage account and contributed to all of them on a regular basis. Sometime along the way I came across this board and I've been lurking ever since. I managed to climb the corporate ladder in a company that I had grown to hate. In June 2009 I announced my intention to retire in November 2009.
For the first time in my life I am happy and stress free. Thank you to everyone on to this board as you've helped me and many others achieve their FIRE goals.
I got a job delivering newspapers when I was 12. I had a budget, saved half and spent the other half on stuff I needed/wanted. When I was 16 my Dad died unexpectedly of a heart attack. We were forced into bankruptcy and lost the house because we couldn't keep up with the debt and we moved into an apartment. I quit delivering papers and got a job at a grocery store making 25 cents above minimum wage. We also applied for welfare but were declined because between my mom and I we made $78/month too much above the income requirement. With budgeting and the occasional generosity of friends and family we managed to get by.
After graduating from HS I decided college wasn't for me. I started working an entry level position at megacorp making $12.75/hr. The corporate bureaucracy got old real quick and I decided that I didn't want to work till 65 like everyone else. I opened a 401k, IRA, and a brokerage account and contributed to all of them on a regular basis. Sometime along the way I came across this board and I've been lurking ever since. I managed to climb the corporate ladder in a company that I had grown to hate. In June 2009 I announced my intention to retire in November 2009.
For the first time in my life I am happy and stress free. Thank you to everyone on to this board as you've helped me and many others achieve their FIRE goals.
